Gringo review: A half-baked farce

Despite talent on both ends of the camera, Gringo is a discombobulated farce that lacks a funny bone.

Part farce, part dark comedy, and part religious metaphor, Gringo tries to wear a lot of different hats at the same time. Coming from the mind of South Park creator Matthew Stone, one would expect nothing less, but where Stone’s sharp writing works on the small screen, it makes for a dreadfully dull slog with his latest cinematic venture.

Trying to some up Gringo’s many plot threads into a tight synopsis is an impossible task, but I’ll give it a go. The film follows Harold, a timid busybody who is forced by his monstrous bosses to travel to Mexico for business. There, Harold enters a realm of intertwining relationships between cartels that put his life in danger.

More from Movies

• The story of a French emperor: Here’s where Napoleon will stream after theaters
• The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes honors its origins and far surpasses them
• Thanksgiving movie death toll: Why [SPOILER] is still alive
• No, Thanksgiving is not streaming yet (But here’s where it’ll land)
• Trolls Band Together soundtrack guide: Which songs play in the movie?

On paper, Gringo has a lot to like. Stars David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron, and Joel Edgerton are talented stars, while Joel’s brother Nash Edgerton serves as the director (crafted the underrated The Square). I also appreciate how Stone takes a lot of narrative risks, as the film doesn’t follow the type of linear progression one would expect it to.

All that talent makes the discombobulated final product even more of a disappointment. Stone’s script tries to make some witty observations on cutthroat businesses practices and morality, but most of the humor falls incredibly flat. The dialogue relies far too heavily on vulgarity or screaming in order to make a joke work. I would also say Stone’s script is stuck in an odd middle-ground of being eccentric and edgy, but not really going as far as it should with its comedic quirks.

Story-wise, the film is a mess. An interconnected ensemble narrative can work in the right hands, but the story is ultimately spread too thin to make an impact. Whenever the main story begins to gain steam, a useless subplot will be introduced in order to distract the audience. It’s almost criminal how great actresses like Amanda Seyfried or Thandie Newton are straddled with such thankless roles.

Next: 12 movies to see for International Women's Day

Gringo leaves its audience with nothing to care about, making it impossible to invest in its wild narrative. The characters range from being one-note types to just bland, with Harold in particular never being more than a generic everyman. It’s fine that most of the characters are inherently unlikable, but that doesn’t make their cliched behavior interesting. The film does try to say something about morality and karma, but those ideas aren’t really conveyed effectively or with depth.

Despite some interesting ideas and an all-star team behind it, Gringo is a misfire from start to finish. Films like this are a prime example of just how hard it is to make a good movie, as even a collaboration from talented people can have a disastrous result.

Gringo is now playing in theaters nationwide.