The Good Boss

The Good Boss
Film poster
SpanishEl buen patrón
Directed byFernando León de Aranoa
Written byFernando León de Aranoa
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPau Esteve Birba
Edited byVanessa Marimbert
Music byZeltia Montes
Production
companies
Distributed byTripictures
Release dates
  • 21 September 2021 (2021-09-21) (Zinemaldia)
  • 15 October 2021 (2021-10-15) (Spain)
Running time
120 minutes[1][2]
CountrySpain
LanguageSpanish
Box office$7.2 million[3]

The Good Boss (Spanish: El buen patrón) is a 2021 Spanish black comedy-drama film directed and written by Fernando León de Aranoa and starring Javier Bardem.[4][5] A corporate satire,[6] the plot tracks a charismatic and manipulative factory owner (Bardem) meddling in the lives of his employees.

The film world premiered at the 69th San Sebastián International Film Festival on 21 September 2021, ahead of its 15 October 2021 theatrical release in Spain by Tripictures. It received a record-breaking 20 nominations to the 36th Goya Awards,[7] winning six (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Original Screenplay, Score and Editing).

Plot

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Julio Blanco, the charismatic and manipulative owner of a family-run factory of industrial scales in a Spanish provincial town,[8][9] meddles in the lives of his employees in an attempt to win an award for business excellence.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

The Good Boss was produced by Reposado PC, The Mediapro Studio and Básculas Blanco AIE, with the participation of RTVE, TV3 and Orange.[17] Filming began in Spain in October 2020 and wrapped in December 2020.[18][19][20] It was shot in Móstoles and other locations across the Madrid region.[21]

Release

[edit]

The film premiered at the 69th San Sebastián International Film Festival on 21 September 2021.[22][23] Distributed by Tripictures,[22][24] it was then released theatrically in Spain on 15 October 2021.[22] It became the 4th highest-grossing Spanish film release in the domestic market in 2021 with a revenue of 3,278,021 € and 518,254 viewers in the aforementioned year.[25]

Cohen Media Group acquired US rights to the film.[26] Distributed by Bim, it theatrically released in Italy on 23 December 2021 as Il capo perfetto,[27] whereas, distributed by PRIS Audiovisuais,[28] it opened in Portuguese theatres on 20 January 2022 under the title O Bom Patrão.[29] The film was set for a 28 April 2022 opening in Argentine theatres.[30]

The Good Boss was announced as the opening film of the 39th Miami Film Festival (4 March 2022).[31] A 9 June 2022 release date was set for the film's opening in Chilean theatres, distributed by Star Distribution.[32] It had a limited theatrical release in the United States on 26 August 2022, to be followed by a wider release on 2 September.[33]

Reception

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Critical response

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On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an 92% rating based on 112 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The critics consensus reads: "Led by Javier Bardem's charismatic performance and writer-director Fernando León de Aranoa's sharp humor, The Good Boss is a workplace satire worthy of promotion."[34] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[35]

Guy Lodge of Variety gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Fernando León de Aranoa's corporate satire is too long and languidly paced to pull off its farcical inclinations, but it gets by on its star's magnetism."[2]

Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Slickly entertaining, considering its rather weighty subject matter..."[1]

Javier Zurro of El Español deemed the film to be the best Aranoa film since the 2002 Mondays in the Sun and the best Spanish comedy in (many) years, a genre dominated for some time now by either family comedies or remakes of international titles, generally lacking in original proposals.[36]

Raquel Hernández Luján of HobbyConsolas gave the film 90 out of 100 points, deeming it "excellent", praising the "sharp script", the (actors') direction, and the "careful mise-en-scène".[37]

Quim Casas of El Periódico de Catalunya considered the film to be "a good tragicomedy of social criticism that could well be the counterpart to Mondays in the Sun".[38]

Jonathan Holland of Screen Daily considered the film to be "slickly-made and entertaining, but ultimately a little déjà vu".[9] Plotwise, he deemed the film to be "as smooth and efficient as a well-run factory".[9]

Mirito Torreiro of Fotogramas gave The Good Boss 4 out of 5 stars, highlighting an immense, eminent Javier Bardem in one of his most dazzling performances to date ("he is, quite simply, the movie"), also considering that Aranoa offers viewers a dark comedy displaying a grim portrayal of labour relations.[39]

Reviewing for Cinemanía, Santiago Alverú gave the film 5 out of 5 stars, writing that the political commitment from León de Aranoa and Javier Bardem mixed with the expressive talent of both of them have created a highly entertaining vindication, concluding that "except for Amancio Ortega, the whole of Spain should like it".[40]

The AACCE selected the film as the Spanish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards over Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea and Parallel Mothers,[41] and it made the 15-film pre-nomination shortlist in December 2021.[42] Ultimately, it was not nominated. It also chose the film as the Spanish submission for Best Ibero-American Film at the 64th Ariel Awards.[43]

Accolades

[edit]
León de Aranoa wins the award for Best Original Screenplay at the 13th CiBRA Festival in Toledo (November 2021)
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2021 13th Festival CiBRA [es] Best Original Screenplay Fernando León de Aranoa Won [44][45]
27th Forqué Awards Best Fiction or Animation Film Won [46]
Best Actor (film) Javier Bardem Won
2022 9th Feroz Awards Best Comedy Film Won [47]
Best Director Fernando León de Aranoa Nominated
Best Screenplay Fernando León de Aranoa Won
Best Actor (film) Javier Bardem Won
Best Supporting Actress (film) Almudena Amor Nominated
Best Supporting Actor (film) Manolo Solo Nominated
Celso Bugallo Nominated
Best Original Score Zeltia Montes Nominated
Best Trailer Maurits Malschaert & Mick Aerts Nominated
1st Carmen Awards Best Supporting Actor Manolo Solo Won [48]
Best New Actress Mara Guil Won
Best Cinematography Pau Esteve Won
Best Costume Design Fernando García Nominated
77th CEC Medals Best Film Nominated [49]
Best Direction Fernando León de Aranoa Nominated
Best Actor Javier Bardem Won
Best Supporting Actor Manolo Solo Nominated
Celso Bugallo Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Sonia Almarcha Nominated
Best New Actor Óscar de la Fuente Nominated
Tarik Rmili Nominated
Best New Actress Almudena Amor Won
Best Original Screenplay Fernando León de Aranoa Nominated
Best Cinematography Pau Esteve Birba Nominated
Best Editing Vanessa Marimbert Nominated
Best Score Zeltia Montes Nominated
36th Goya Awards Best Film Won [50]
Best Director Fernando León de Aranoa Won
Best Actor Javier Bardem Won
Best Supporting Actor Fernando Albizu Nominated
Celso Bugallo Nominated
Manolo Solo Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Sonia Almarcha Nominated
Best New Actor Óscar de la Fuente Nominated
Tarik Rmili Nominated
Best New Actress Almudena Amor Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Fernando León de Aranoa Won
Best Cinematography Pau Esteve Birba Nominated
Best Editing Vanessa L. Marimbert Won
Best Art Direction Cesar Macarrón Nominated
Best Production Supervision Luis Gutiérrez Nominated
Best Sound Iván Marín, Pelayo Gutiérrez, Valeria Arcieri Nominated
Best Special Effects Raúl Romanillos, Míriam Piquer Nominated
Best Costume Design Fernando García Nominated
Best Makeup and Hairstyles Almudena Fonseca, Manolo García Nominated
Best Original Score Zeltia Montes Won
30th Actors and Actresses Union Awards Best Film Actor in a Leading Role Javier Bardem Won [51][52]
Best Film Actor in a Secondary Role Óscar de la Fuente Won
Manolo Solo Nominated
Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role Sonia Almarcha Won
Best Film Actor in a Minor Role Fernando Albizu Won
Best Film Actress in a Minor Role Mara Guil Nominated
Best New Actor Tarik Rmili Won
Best New Actress Almudena Amor Won
26th Satellite Awards Best Foreign Language Film Nominated [53]
Spanish Screenwriters' Union Awards Best Screenplay in a Comedy Feature Film Fernando León de Aranoa Won [54][55]
72nd Fotogramas de Plata Best Spanish Film (according to readers) Nominated [56]
Best Film Actor Javier Bardem Won
66th Sant Jordi Awards Best Spanish Actor Javier Bardem Won [57]
9th Platino Awards Best Ibero-American Film Won [58][59]
Best Director Fernando León de Aranoa Won
Best Screenplay Fernando León de Aranoa Won
Best Original Score Zeltia Montes Nominated
Best Actor Javier Bardem Won
Best Supporting Actress Almudena Amor Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Manolo Solo Nominated
Best Editing Vanessa Marimbert Nominated
Best Cinematography Pau Esteve Nominated
Best Sound Valeria Arcieri Nominated
Best Art Direction César Macarrón Nominated
64th Ariel Awards Best Ibero-American Film Won [60]
35th European Film Awards Best European Comedy Won [61]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Mintzer, Jordan (21 September 2021). "'The Good Boss' ('El Buen Patrón'): Film Review; San Sebastian 2021". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b Lodge, Guy (24 September 2021). "'The Good Boss' Review: A Workplace Comedy With Javier Bardem as the Friendly Face of Capitalist Corruption". Variety.
  3. ^ "The Good Boss (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  4. ^ Hopewell, John; Keslassy, Elsa (9 September 2020). "Javier Bardem to Star in Reposado-Mediapro-MK2 Title 'The Good Boss,' From Fernando León de Aranoa (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  5. ^ Lang, Jamie (22 September 2021). "Javier Bardem on What Makes Him 'The Good Boss' in Fernando León de Aranoa's San Sebastian Standout". Variety. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  6. ^ Whipp, Glenn (1 December 2021). "Best picture, best international feature — at the next Oscars, there should be some overlap". LA Times.
  7. ^ "'El buen patrón' arrasa con 20 nominaciones a los Goya". El Periódico de España. 29 November 2021.
  8. ^ Meseguer, Astrid (29 November 2021). "¿Qué tiene de especial 'El buen patrón'?". La Vanguardia.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Holland, Jonathan (21 September 2021). "'The Good Boss': San Sebastian Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  10. ^ Grater, Tom (22 September 2021). "Javier Bardem & 'The Good Boss' Director Talk Well-Received Spanish Comedy; Actor Says He Hopes For 'Dune' Sequel – San Sebastian". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  11. ^ a b c Bunbury, Stephanie (22 September 2021). "San Sebastian Review: Javier Bardem In 'The Good Boss'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Cine y Teatro: El buen patrón". Cine y Teatro. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  13. ^ a b c García, Alejandra (7 October 2021). "'El buen patrón' representará a España en los Oscar de 2022". Audiovisual451 (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  14. ^ Vicente, Eduardo de (1 November 2021). "León de Aranoa desvela los trucos para ser 'El buen patrón'". El Periódico de España.
  15. ^ Vanguardia, La (14 April 2022). "Dalit Streett Tejeda: El buen patrón. El amor en su lugar". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  16. ^ CINE. "Nicolás Ruiz: El buen patrón. Corsario". cine.com. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  17. ^ García, Alejandra (7 October 2021). "'El buen patrón' representará a España en los Oscar de 2022". Audiovisual451 (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  18. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (10 November 2020). "Javier Bardem's 'The Good Boss' Sells Across Europe for MK2 (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  19. ^ Grater, Tom (19 October 2020). "Irish Film & TV Academy Winners; Javier Bardem Pic Rolls In Spain; Tallinn Black Nights Diversity Prize; Carol Rhyu To Helm 'Chop And Grind' – Global Film Briefs". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  20. ^ "Finalizado el rodaje de El buen patrón, la última película de Fernando León de Aranoa protagonizada por Javier Bardem". dt8 (in Spanish). 22 January 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  21. ^ "Jaume Roures, productor de 'El buen patrón': "Intento no quejarme y buscar soluciones, de victimismo no se vive"". Audiovisual451 (in Spanish). 15 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  22. ^ a b c Lang, Jamie (17 September 2021). "Javier Bardem Stars in Trailer for Dark Office Comedy 'The Good Boss' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  23. ^ Scott Roxborough (30 July 2021). "San Sebastian Festival Unveils Spanish-Language Lineup, Including Javier Bardem Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  24. ^ García, Alejandra (11 October 2021). "'El buen patrón' – estreno en cines 15 de octubre". Audiovisual451.
  25. ^ "Las películas más taquilleras del cine español en 2021: Santiago Segura vuelve a ser (único) triunfador". Cinemanía. 3 January 2022 – via 20minutos.es.
  26. ^ Hopewell, John; Lang, Jamie (8 November 2021). "Javier Bardem Starrer 'The Good Boss,' Spain's Oscar Entry, Acquired by Cohen Media Group (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  27. ^ Giordano, Andrea (28 December 2021). "Javier Bardem, il camaleonte del cinema. "Ma non sono mai stato un sex symbol"". Tiscali Spettacoli.
  28. ^ Gomes, Maria Inês (12 January 2022). ""O Bom Patrão" com Javier Bardem estreia a 20 de janeiro e temos convites de antestreia para oferecer". Cinema Sétima Arte.
  29. ^ Dias, Sónia (20 January 2022). "'Gritos' regressa ao cinema: Assassino da máscara volta a causar o pânico". cmjornal.pt.
  30. ^ Novak, Juan Ignacio (25 April 2022). "Las miserias del mundo del trabajo en la pantalla grande". El Litoral.
  31. ^ Dore, Shalini (1 February 2022). "Miami Film Festival Announces 2022 Lineup for Hybrid Event". Variety.
  32. ^ Rehbein Caerols, Consuelo (30 May 2022). ""El buen patrón": la película ganadora de 6 Premios Goya llega el jueves 9 de junio a los cines". Publímetro.
  33. ^ Faierman, Leo (28 August 2022). "The Good Boss Review: Javier Bardem Is Excellent In Dark Workplace Comedy". Screen Rant.
  34. ^ "The Good Boss". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  35. ^ "The Good Boss Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  36. ^ Zurro, Javier (15 October 2021). "'El buen patrón', la mejor comedia española en (muchos) años". El Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  37. ^ Hernández Luján, Raquel (11 October 2021). "Crítica de El buen patrón, la mejor película española de lo que va de año y digna representante en los Oscar". HobbyConsolas (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  38. ^ Casas, Quim (13 October 2021). "Crítica de 'El buen patrón': historia de un hombre ridículo". El Periódico (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  39. ^ Torreiro, Mirito (13 October 2021). "Crítica de 'El buen patrón'". Fotogramas.
  40. ^ Alverú, Santiago (11 October 2021). "Crítica de 'El buen patrón'". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
  41. ^ Belinchón, Gregorio (5 October 2021). "'El buen patrón', de Fernando León de Aranoa, representará a España en los Oscar". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  42. ^ Davis, Clayton (21 December 2021). "Oscars Shortlists Include Beyoncé, 'Spider-Man' and Two Jonny Greenwood Scores as France's 'Titane' Is Snubbed". Variety.
  43. ^ "'El buen patrón' representará a España en los Premios Ariel". Europa Press (in Spanish). 15 February 2022.
  44. ^ "Fotos: la emotiva y espectacular clausura del Festival CiBRA en Toledo". Encastilla-La Mancha. 21 November 2021.
  45. ^ "La Gala de Clausura de CiBRA brilla de nuevo". CiBRA. 21 November 2021.
  46. ^ Rebolledo, Matías G. (11 December 2021). "Lista completa de ganadores de los Premios Forqué 2021". La Razón.
  47. ^ "Palmarés completo de los Premios Feroz Zaragoza 2022". Cinemanía. 30 January 2022 – via 20minutos.es.
  48. ^ Pinto, C. (31 January 2022). "Listado completo de ganadores de los Premios Carmen del Cine Andaluz". Diario Sur.
  49. ^ "'El amor en su lugar' arrasa en las Medallas CEC con hasta seis premios, todos los principales". Cine con Ñ. 10 February 2022.
  50. ^ "Palmarés completo de los Premios Goya 2022: 'El buen patrón', mejor película". Cinemanía. 12 February 2022 – via 20minutos.es.
  51. ^ "'El buen patrón' y 'La casa de papel', favoritas en los Premios Unión de Actores y Actrices 2022". Cinemanía. 7 February 2022 – via 20minutos.es.
  52. ^ "El buen patrón' triunfa en la gala de la Unión de Actores". El Mundo. 14 March 2022.
  53. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (1 December 2021). "'Power of the Dog' and 'Belfast' Lead Nominations for IPA Satellite Awards". TheWrap.
  54. ^ "Los Premios del Sindicato de Guionistas de España cierran sus nominaciones". Exclusiva Digital. 15 February 2022. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  55. ^ "'Cachitos' y 'Venga Juan', entre las ganadoras televisivas de los Premios ALMA a los mejores guiones de 2021". Vertele!. 24 March 2022 – via eldiario.es.
  56. ^ Silvestre, Juan (3 April 2022). "Fotogramas de Plata 2021: todos los premiados". Fotogramas.
  57. ^ "'El amor en su lugar' de Rodrigo Cortés, mejor película española del año en los Premios RNE Sant Jordi". Audiovisual451. 8 February 2022.
  58. ^ ""El buen patrón" y la serie argentina "El reino", los más nominados a los Premios Platino". Telam. 31 March 2022.
  59. ^ "Premios Platino 2022: Lista completa de ganadores". Cinepremiere. 1 May 2022.
  60. ^ "La española "El buen patrón", premio Ariel a la mejor película iberoamericana". Swissinfo. 12 October 2022.
  61. ^ "European Film Awards 2022: full list of winners – follow live". ScreenDaily. 10 December 2022.
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