Radical (film)
| Radical | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Sundance release poster | |
| Directed by | Christopher Zalla |
| Screenplay by | Christopher Zalla |
| Based on | A Radical Way of Unleashing a Generation of Geniuses by Joshua Davis |
| Produced by | Benjamin Odell Joshua Davis Eugenio Derbez |
| Starring | Eugenio Derbez Daniel Haddad Jennifer Trejo Mia Fernanda Solis |
| Cinematography | Mateo London |
| Edited by | Eugenio Richer |
| Music by | Pascual Reyes Juan Pablo Villa |
Production companies | 3Pas Studios EPIC Magazine The Lift |
| Distributed by | Pantelion Films Participant |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | Mexico |
| Language | Spanish |
| Box office | $7.8 million[1][2] |
Radical is a 2023 Mexican comedy-drama film written and directed by Christopher Zalla. The film is based on the 2013 Wired article, "A Radical Way of Unleashing a Generation of Geniuses" by Joshua Davis.[3] The film stars Eugenio Derbez as the teacher Sergio Juarez.[4][5]
The film, which is Zalla's second directorial feature film, premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it was the recipient of the Festival Favorite Award. It was released in Mexico on October 20, 2023.
Plot
In 2011, a new teacher, Sergio Juarez Correa, arrives at the harshly-run Jose Urbina Lopez Elementary in Matamoros, a border city directly across from Brownsville, Texas. In an oppressive environment rife with drug cartel violence, students at the school suffer from some of the worst academic scores in all of Mexico. Given the run-down facilities and lack of educational resources such as computers, the majority of the instructors have little motivation to teach and focus mainly on getting their classes to pass government-mandated standardized tests that do nothing to inspire actual learning.
Cast
- Eugenio Derbez as Sergio
- Daniel Haddad as Chucho
- Jennifer Trejo as Paloma
- Gilberto Barraza as Papa Pamplona
- Mía Fernanda Solís as Lupe
- Erwin Veytia as Sr. García
- Victor Estrada as Chepe
- Enoc Leaño as Administrator
- Mia Fernanda Solis
- Danilo Guardiola
Reception
Box office
As of November 5, 2023[update], Radical has grossed $2.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $5.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $7.8 million.[2][1]
The film was released in the United States on November 3, 2023, and made $2.7 million from 419 theaters in its opening weekend, a "very strong" per-venue average of $6,516 and finishing in fifth place.[6]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 52 reviews are considered positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Offering few surprises but plenty of uplift, Radical tells a stirring fact-based story brought to life by some top-flight work from Eugenio Derbez."[7] As per Metacritic, the film has received "generally favorable reviews", with a weighted average score of 71/100 based on 14 critics' ratings.[8]
The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney wrote that "director Christopher Zalla adheres to the subgenre's conventions and doesn't stint on sentimentality, but Radical more than earns its surging emotional payoff".[9] Johnny Oleksinski, reviewing the film in the New York Post calls Radical "a Spanish-language gem about a real teacher's impact on a poor Mexican border town".[10]
In her review for the New York Times, Natalia Winkelman wrote that Radical is "a sentimental drama that is based on a true story but boxes neatly into familiar packaging. The title is nearly oxymoronic: It boldly belies how close to convention the film hews."[11] Echoing criticism over the film's formulaic style, Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com opined that "Radical feels too often like its drama has been copied from a tearjerking textbook; it’s nearly flagrant about having so many predictable beats" and noted that while "there’s no inherent problem with aiming to be a crowd-pleaser, [...] the heartwarming real stuff feels too good to be true."[12]
References
- ^ a b "Radical — Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ a b "Radical". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Davis, Joshua. "A Radical Way of Unleashing a Generation of Geniuses". Wired.
- ^ Parra, Rosa (January 24, 2023). "Rosa's Reviews: "Radical" In Mexico".
- ^ ""Radical" staring Eugenio Derbez: the story of Sergio Juarez, a real-life hero, wins "Festival Favorite Award" at Sundance 2023". January 29, 2023.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 5, 2023). "Autumn Box Office Blues: 'Freddy's At $19M+ Leads 'Dune'-Less Frame As Strike Continues – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "Radical". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "Radical". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Rooney, David (January 27, 2023). "'Radical' Review: Eugenio Derbez Plays an Unorthodox Teacher in a Standard but Appealing Crowd-Pleaser". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Oleksinski, Johnny (January 20, 2023). "Sundance review: Sweet school drama 'Radical' stars Eugenio Derbez".
- ^ Winkelman, Natalia (November 2, 2023). "Radical Review: To Sergio With Love". New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
- ^ Allen, Nick (January 20, 2023). "Sundance 2023: Radical, The Longest Goodbye". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
