Recipes to Stay Together (1996)

Why so much hype?

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The movie Cilantro y Perejil follows the ups and downs of a relationship among a few couples. However, the entire movie is supposed to be a documentary about relationships which is filmed by the main character's sister, Nora. The aspect of using a character as almost a director was an interesting technique, because we were able to view the story through the eyes of Nora, thus we are able to witness both the good and the bad. This technique also helped the viewer to relate to the characters because we were able to see their desperation to appear "normal" (by begging Nora not to show arguments in the documentary), and normality is a quality everyone seeks in a relationship. The use of the psychiatrist commentary also helped to break up the monotony of the film by adding comic relief and a professional opinion. Plus, it was interesting to see how the children of the main characters Susana and Carlos were affected by their parent's problems, and how, for instance, the daughter often felt abandoned as if her mother was too busy dating to be with her. This also helped the movie move along, as it was nice to take the focus off the main characters every once in a while. However, I must say, that overall the movie is mundane, and seems to go on forever. There was no true climax, and the end was extremely predicable. The main idea of the movie was just too cliché, which made me loose interest and not appreciate the film as much. Overall, it lacked originality.

The film Cilantro y Perejil is a good example of a film that has more to it than meets the eye. Although the film is full of clichés that could possibly happen throughout many people's lives, the way in which the film is presented has a funny twist to it that sets it apart from most of films about marriage and monogamy. In Cilantro y Perejil the main character's sister, Nora, is constantly interviewing people for a project, therefore making it a film within a film. She catches many moments that would not usually be in a typical romantic comedy that adds a very different element to the film.Also, there is a psychiatrist in the film that throughout the scenes gives his commentary and professional advice about love, marriage and monogamy. His wording and personality add as a comic relief to the film and keep things interesting for the viewer. The director does a great job of making the viewer experience the same emotions as the characters through all of the down to earth and awkward situations that happen in day to day life.The film is worth seeing for anyone who has a sense of humor and an interest in seeing the dynamics of a less than perfect marriage, and all that goes along with it.

Recipes to Stay Together (Cilantro y Perejil) is a movie about love and love after marriage, which are two separate issues according to the narrator(a psychoanalyst). We meet a married couple arguing on each others' opinions and negligence as if they are playing a sitcom episode. As the story progresses they separate, so the most popular clichés begins to occur: Financial sharing, children sharing, responsibility sharing... The woman starts to believe she is not yet found her real love, and to believe perfect man exists for her. Also the man starts to have flirtations with new women, love affairs with his secretary. Love becomes a shield against loneliness, and a way to escape from the truth that they are meant for each other. Anytime they coincide together, they become jealous of each other's happiness, knowing that in fact they are not happy separately. With a very trite plot and nothing new, merely acting comes to the focus. Because the movie is full of sexualities(not nudity) viewers' attention is pointed to the actors. Musical score helps us out to put some more concern into the husband's and wife's thoughts and expectations. As an optimistic statement says that everything in life deserves a second chance; whereupon we find the sweethearts coming back together through another coincidence. Love is being analyzed within monogamy, despite the lovers' betrayals. Each of them betrayed the other to end up with accepting they are still in love. In conclusion, the only good reason to watch this movie is if you believe in monogamy and think that way as everybody loves just once in a lifetime.

This film turned out to be a happy finding. The creators of this Mexican movie seemed well attuned to the modern way of life in the big city. Not having a clue as to what to expect, it turned out to be a good way to spend an evening in which all other film prospects didn't seem interesting enough.Susana and Carlos have been married for a while. They have two children and both work. Carlos, whose job involves long hours, hardly has time for his family. As the film starts, everything comes to a head when he arrives home late one night. No sooner is he in, when his cellular phone rings. It's his boss calling. Susana, who feels Carlos spends too much of his time at home talking to his boss, takes his phone away from him. As things get uglier, Carlos agrees to leave. It appears that as a couple, they have come to a dead end because Carlos believes his job is too important.Carlos, who has taken a small house, realizes he can't do anything on his own. Most of the work at home is done by Susana. Carlos is assigned a new assistant who evidently thinks she can take him to bed. Susana, on the other hand, is encouraged by her colleague at work to see other men. When she agrees to do so, it turns out that the man she has chosen is gay. Both Carlos and Susana come to realize, that in spite of their differences, they were meant for each other.Rafael Montero, the director of "Cilantro y Peregil" did a marvelous job with this quick paced comedy. The writing is by Cecilia Perez Grovas and Carolina Rivera, two women that have an ear for the way people live in these frantic times.Damian Bichir, who we had admired in other Mexican films, does an excellent job as Carlos, the harried executive whose life is altered when Susana asks him to leave their home. Arcelia Ramirez makes a wonderful Susana. She is a resourceful actress with a dark beauty that matches her character. Rodolfo Dehesa appears as a psychiatrist who speaks to the camera about modern relationships with humor and it shows he can't even help himself.Rafael Montero shows a talent for his direction of this sunny comedy.