Dhruv Sharma
What exactly makes us laugh? What is it that makes some comedy movies absolutely hilarious and others horribly awry? Well, the answer to that can be very complex. But one thing we know for sure about comedy is that it may not always be universal. What may be funny for a given audience may be an absolute disaster for others.
Even so, I’m almost certain that Netflix’s new Mexican drama ‘Rebelión de los Godínez’ will neither be appealing to its local audience nor to an outsider who, by any chance, stumbles upon it. Its portrayal of the highs and lows of one’s corporate life could have been appealing to the ones who toil away their hours at a “9 to 5” dead-end job, regardless of where they live. But even its office satire is so horrendous and dimwitted, as a viewer it’s hard to even get past its half an hour mark.
Mutiny of the Worker Bees Plot Summary
‘Rebelión de los Godínez’ centers around Omar Buendía, a talented young man who wastes his days working at a cell phone repair store in La Frikiplaza. His grandfather’s illness gives him a wake-up call and that’s when he sets out finally take control of his life. Little does he realize that this ambition of grabbing life by the horns will initially result in the opposite. When he first sets his foot in the toxic culture of a technology company, he learns that his manager gets the final word on pretty much everything, while the rest of the employees completely disregard their sense of self-fulfillment and just work with intention of getting paid. At first, Omar finds himself neck-deep in the murky waters of the toxic work culture of his office.
However, he eventually manages to find his way and works his way up to somehow come under the radar of the company’s CEO. After being given the opportunity to prove his worth, Omar sets up a team of trusted employees and sets out to make a difference. But while he’s at it, working against him are the managers of the office who are determined to bring him down and take all the credit of his work.
Mutiny of the Worker Bees Review
The only segment of the movie that is mildly intriguing is its beginning. Although quite archetypal, it promises a linear progression to its storyline. Even during these initial few moments, you can very well predict how the movie will end but at least it seems to have a central premise. Unfortunately, with what follows, it goes from being mediocre to downright disappointing. Considering how it concludes itself, one can tell that it clearly intends to shun the modern social structure we conform to and even question the very meaning of the “success ladder” and validations we seek from the higher hierarchies of the corporate circus. But its execution of these ideas is so terribly gimmicky and scant that, as a viewer, you eventually draw no motivation out of it.
I personally feel that the biggest issue with ‘Rebelión de los Godínez’ is that it’s not self-aware. It aspires to be an ambitious flick that would instill an internal revolution with its inspirational credos and motifs. But it does completely the opposite because of its lack of substance and depth. In all of its flaws, one of the few appreciable aspects of the film is its decent cast. Although none of the cast members get to truly shine in their one-dimensional roles, some of them, especially the lead Gustavo Egelhaaf, make it a little less excruciating to watch.
Comedy films, for the most part, often play with mediocre ideas. But there are times when these films are so bad that they actually acquire a legendary status because of some amusing segments of their storyline. These amusing aspects give them an element of surprise which makes them memorable, if not likable. But when it comes to ‘Rebelión de los Godínez’, there’s absolutely nothing amusing about it, making it unworthy of being memorable in any way. What I do appreciate about it are its creative editing choices and color transitions. However, these, too, are weighed down by its out of focus shots and unstable camera angles. Overall, ‘Rebelión de los Godínez’ is just a relentless assortment of tedious gags that have little to no charm.
Rating: 1/5
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