Maria Laura, the heroine of “A La Mala,” is a slinky bombshell of an actress who uses her talents to flirt with other women’s beaus to test their loyalty. The acting roles aren’t there, but there is no shortage of women who need a professional breaker-upper.
Men are putty in her hands. If there’s a hint of yard dog in them, she tempts it out.
She has a plain-Jane roommate, Kika, a goofball acting pal and this one client, Pamela, who produces a TV show and promises Maria Laura a career-making role if she can tempt her ex away from his new model-skinny girlfriend. But the ex is rich, handsome, charming and righteous, so Maria Laura is caught on the horns of a dilemma. Will her “ethics” allow her to follow her heart?
Or should I say corazon? “A La Mala” is a Mexican romantic comedy in the “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days”/”Failure to Launch”/”40 Days and 40 Nights” mold. Change the language to English, switch the starlet to Olivia Wilde, or this year’s Olivia Wilde, and you’ve got a rom-com as shiny, shallow and cliched as anything Hollywood has turned out over the last dozen years.
The ex, a tequila mogul played by Mauricio Ochmann, even has a gay best friend — OK, gay assistant — with his best interests at heart.
The upper-class settings, swank apartment, Maseratis and Rachmaninoff concerts give the film a Hollywood sheen. And the camera just loves Aislinn Derbez, who starred in the Acapulco edition of “Gossip Girl.” The role of Maria demands little of her, but she gives this disguise-loving clotheshorse an awkward, needy charm.
The problem is that her friends have shortened Maria Laura’s name to “Mala,” as in “cruel.” And Derbez suggests nothing of the sort. Mala has no cruelty about her and precious little guile.
Daniela Schmidt gives her character, Pamela, a jealous, manipulative edge. And Papile Aurora, as the Spanglish-speaking roommate, has a funny scene or two. Derbez gets by on stumbling charm for much of the film as Mala juggles, reacts to clever schemes that go awry and tries to avoid closing the deal with Santiago and crossing several ethical lines as she does.
“A La Mala” begins with promise and finishes well enough to justify the investment in time. It’s all that dull, formulaic stuff in the middle that sucks the salt right off the tequila glass and leaves this one too stale to swallow.
“A La Mala” – 2 stars
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MPAA rating: PG-13 (for some sexuality/nudity and language)
Running time: 1:45
Opens: Friday