Review of Papi Chulo

I watched this movie out of boredom and curiosity and I'm absolutely glad I did. It can be a difficult line to walk, having a gay main character without making the entire movie about their sexuality. This movie walked that line perfectly! It wasnt about straight/gay or about mexican/white, it was about friendship and being human. Bomer plays Sean, an LA weatherman who's experiencing some tough times in his personal life. After being forced to take some time off, and realizing he's not very good at manual labor, he hires Ernesto, a Mexican migrant worker, to help him repaint his deck. Although Ernesto doesnt speak English and Sean doesn't speak Spanish, they quickly form a friendship, despite the fact Sean is gay and Ernesto is a traditional older Mexican man. Aftet being told countless times to "talk to somebody" Sean finds himself bearing all his feelings to a gug who has almost no idea what he is saying. The first 2/3 of the film, you're lead to believe Sean has just gone thru a breakup, only much later in the film do we learn that his partner had actually died. Ernesto feels somewhat guilty about being paid just to hang out with Sean but I never once got the sense that Sean felt anything less than grateful. After a drunken pass from Sean, Ernesto seemingly disappears, leading Sean to search for his friend. After finding Ernesto's home and making a drunken spectacle while crashing his party, Sean realizes that he has been putting off dealing with his loss and ultimately decides it's time to move on with his life. The movie ends with Ernesto and his English speaking son showing up at Sean's house to finish the work on the deck and Sean joining in on the work. Although it wasnt necessarily wrapped up in a cute little bow, the movie did give me the sense that both characters grew from their time together. It's rare to see so many positive reviews of a film on IMDB, and admittedly I usually only review when I'm trying to warn others of something awful, however this movie gave me nothing but joy and satisfaction at having seen it. There's no sex scenes or anything of that nature, so if you're not homiphobic, i highly recommend taking the time to watch this movie. I think you'll find it funny, entertaining, and very character-driven.