‘Chateau Vato’: The Latino ‘Beverly Hillbillies’

By Al Carlos Hernandez

A working-class family moves into a mansion after discovering the death of its wealthy owner. Mistaken identity and a rag to riches comedy of errors ensue. Chateau Vato the latest from director/writer Tom Musca (Stand and Deliver, Tortilla Soup), a comedy film premiering on HBO November 27 stars comedian Paul Rodriquez, film actress Elpidia Carrillo (Mayans, Madre).

This is Carrillo’s first comedic role and she enthusiastically embraced it. “I have been a dramatic film actor all my life working with Johnny Depp, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Richard Gere, and Jack Nicholson. I always wanted to do comedy and somehow I was never cast in one. I was labeled a dramatic film actress. Then Tom Musca came to my rescue and without a question or auditions he believed in me, Carrillo said. “I never had so much fun. I loved working with Paul, we laughed, cried, and laughed a bit more. She went on to say, “This sort of thing is exactly what we need in sad times like this, I needed some joy so much in my life. I found joy in being funny, and sexy, this is just what I needed.”

As the story begins, we find Gustavo Alvarez’s business taking a blow when undocumented gardeners undercut his prices and steal his clients. What happens when this consummately skilled, but down-on-his-luck gardener, desperately trying to drum up new business stumbles upon a glorious estate that looks like it hasn’t been landscaped in months?

What if this gardener, finding no one home but the underfed dog, decides to audition for the job and manicure the property gratis? And what if this same gardener is evicted from his own house and suddenly finds himself homeless, and decides to return to the magnificent estate only to find the elderly owner… dead…what will he do?

That is only the beginning of the Alvarez family’s improbable journey. Before the comedic posturing ends, and before the good life tests marital harmony, the true cause of death of the previous owner will unearth mysteries that pit our gardener’s strong sense of ethics against the comfort and well-being of his family.

Poverty and hardship do not drive the family apart – but ironically the “fake good life” does.

With pathos and humor, this comedy aims not only to entertain but also provides an interesting take on addressing universal dilemmas, with humor and insight on the dual effects of stumbling onto wealth and wish fulfillment.  The film is intended to challenge us to think of our cultural heritage and class as a unique strength upon which we can build lives of independence in a multicultural world, rather than discount heritage, or even forfeit it.

With the city of Miami serving as the main location, the film is sociology embedded into this low budget/high broad-comedy concept that results in a timely crossover film that will appeal to all ages and audiences.  

The Latino population, according to the Pew Research Center, surpassed 60 million in 2019, and they are, per capita, the most frequent repeat moviegoers in the U.S.  A recent LA Weekly article pointed out that Latinos are the largest minority in the nation, and for all intents and purposes, invisible on the big screen.   This lack of inclusiveness offers an opportunity for Chateau Vato, with an all Latino lead cast, to appeal to all audiences, but in particular, Latino audiences.

Yet this film’s appeal will not be limited to one demographic; its emotional journey will cater to a wide audience both internationally and domestically.  It follows a U.S. Latino-themed film formula that has already proven successful with films like Instructions Not Included, starring Eugenio Derbez, and a mixed cast was made up of Latinos and Anglo actors.  The film went on to make $20 million in it first two weeks in release, with most of that coming from the U.S. Latino audience.  (Boxoffice to date: $100 million worldwide).

Director Musca knows a thing or two about producing a small budget film that makes a big impact. The film he co-wrote with Ramon Menendez and directed, Stand and Deliver received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for Edward James Olmos in the lead role of Jaime Escalante and went on to receive critical acclaim. Although in a different vein, the casting formula, Latinos in the lead roles, is the same. And, most audiences look for films with top-notch talent, production value, and in the case of Chateau Vato, a comedy that entertains. 

Mosca recalls the first day of production on Chateau Vato, “I was driving to the set at 6 a.m. I passed numerous Latino gardeners and maids walking on the side of the road, a long march between the bus stop and the palatial homes where they make their living,” he explained. “I thought about how we were making a movie for these people, who are always seen but never heard, and rarely will anybody tell their story. This movie was an opportunity to explore character terrain that had been previously ignored, or worse – portrayed in a stereotypical fashion. I wanted to depict them, not as saints or sinners, but as real human beings”.

Although the predominant point of view is told through a male gardener (Gustavo played by Rodriguez), Musca says the film’s success will largely be due to the strength of the actresses. “In almost all respects, the females dominate the males in this film. I worked very hard to write women who were conflicted, have secrets and private dreams – the types of things that give characters dimension”.

It’s The Beverly Hillbillies for the Latino community. Just enough plot, just enough life and death stakes, just enough quirky humor, and just enough mainstream narrative push to make this a highly successful project. 

Cast: Paul Rodriguez, Elpidia Carrillo, Patricia De Leon, Jenny Arzola, Tomas Roldan
Director/Writer: Tom Musca
Producers: Tom Musca, Tim Sparks
Executive producers: Alex Agrasanchez, Jeff Detlefs, Merilyn Marshall-Cullen, Cheryl Riess, Arturo Smith
Director of photography: Arturo Smith
Production designer: Isabela Isern
Composer: Jose Luis Esquivel
Casting director: Carlos Rojas

Production company: Chateau Vato Prod.

Distributor:  HBO Max, HBO Latino