In
Loco Love (also known as Mi
Casa, Su Casa), Donald Chandler
(played by Roy Werner) is divorced and has lost his restaurant.
Not realizing his plight, two employees, Miguel (played
by Gerardo Mejia) and Tobias (played by Frank Gallegos),
come to his house to tell him that they quit because Miguel
has won the lottery, a prize of $62 million. Realizing
that Donald is desperate, Miguel makes an unexpected offer.
He proposes that Donald can retain management of his restaurant
on one condition--that he marries his sister Catalina so
that she can get her green card. After only a moment of
deliberation, Donald agrees. The next morning, there is
a knock at Donald's door. Miguel and his family have decided
to move in. Although Donald argues that sharing his house
was not part of the deal, Miguel insists that he has no
choice in the matter if he wants his restaurant back. That
evening, when Donald goes to his bedroom, Catalina is present,
and she insists that he must sleep elsewhere. He then folds
out a bed from a sofa in his den. He is no longer master
of his own house. When Miguel and Catalina go to a local
foodstore one day, they are offended that the cashier asks
if they will be using foodstamps. Donald explains that
their attire is responsible; they must, he says, dress
fashionably in Beverly Hills to be treated with respect.
Although they are not exactly Beverly Hills Hillbillies,
off they go to Rodeo Drive not only to buy new wardrobes
but also for Miguel to shave off his mustache (which appears
pasted on!) à la Queer Eye for the Straight
Guy.
(Catalina, however, strangely keeps her unkempt coiffure.)
When Donald finally reopens his restaurant, Catalina insists
on being present. Fearing that she will give a bad impression,
he realizes that she will either crash the opening or attend
proudly as his wife, so he is resigned to have her come
along, provided he does the driving. The opening is a smashing
success, in part because Catalina catches the eye of the
Los Angeles Times restaurant critic, who likes what he
eats and enjoys what he sees. In time, Donald increases
his respect not only for Catalina but also for the rest
of the family. However, Miguel does not want his sister
to fall in love with Donald, who has proved to be dishonorable
because he agreed to the proposal. Meanwhile, Donald's
former spouse Barbara (played by Margaret Scarborough)
wants him back, pursues him at the restaurant, and comes
onto him one night when Catalina unexpectedly pops in.
Catalina then runs off to an upscale beach resort, presumably
Acapulco, disgusted with her efforts to adjust to living
in an alien culture. Donald immediately flies to find her,
but Barbara also chases after Donald, so inevitably there
is a showdown involving the triangle--and later one involving
Catalina, Donald, and Miguel. Loco Love, directed by Bryan
Lewis, is perhaps more about dealing with control relationships
than about a clash of cultures, but there are plenty of
humorous lines for filmviewers to enjoy.
MH
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