Director: Charles McDougall
Writer: Cris Cole (Screenplay) Cris Cole, Charles McDougall, Luillo Ruiz, Jorge J Gonzalez (Story)
Starring: Andy Garcia, Dafne Keen, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Luna Lauren Velez, Ramon Franco, Aris Mejias
Plot: Ana meets Rafa in a chance encounter and they embark on a road trip to try and save him from bankruptcy, or worse.
Runtime: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Guardian starts when used call salesman Rafa (Garcia) finds a young girl Ana (Keen) in one of his cars after her mother is arrested. Rafa reluctantly takes Ana in for the night before she learns about his debt problem.
The pair set out on a road trip across Puerta Rico in search of Ana’s father, while the Ana looks to help Rafa deal with his increasing debts as the deadline to repay is coming up in 5 days.
Thoughts on The Guardian
Characters – Rafa is a down on his luck used car salesman that finds himself needing to help his neighbour’s daughter as she has no one else to turn to, he is trying to do the right thing which will see him travel across the country to find her father, while trying to clean up his own debts. Ana is young girl that sees her mother arrested, with nobody else to take care of her, wanting to hide from the social services, turning to Rafa, she hasn’t had any guidance before, which will see her getting into more trouble more often than not. On the road trip, the pair meet the mobsters that want Rafa to pay up, long lost friends and new opportunities along the way.
Performances – Andy Garcia brings a comedic side you might not always know from him, showing the kindness trapped inside someone’s heart. Dafne Keen continues to show herself as one of the biggest prospects in young talent here too.
Story – The story here follows a down on his luck car salesman that ends up befriending a next door neighbor daughter after her mother is arrested, seeing the pair travel across Puerta Rico in search of her father, while trying to clean up his own debts. This is a fun road trip movie showing us a country without much hope that needs to support each other, even though people are trying to take advantage of different situations. It will have the unlikely couple traveling that clash, but have the strong moments to connect with each other, as a string of different events happen along the way.
Comedy – The comedy comes mostly from seeing Rafa react to different situations, some are more comical than others, but he isn’t prepared for everything that is coming his way.
Settings – The movie uses the backdrop of Puerta Rico, showing us the side of the cities with different nature, with the beauty of the open road going through the film.
Scene of the Movie – The water story.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The one time special effects are needed.
Final Thoughts – The Guardian is an enjoyable road trip movie that shows the meaning of being good to people who are in need, while being covered in a con-artist movie.
