Bella and Full Grown Men are being shown as part of a series called "Touching Florida" that celebrates the latest works of filmmakers from the State, or films "whose subjects touch on Florida". I'd be proud to hail the work of these filmmakers if it was merited, as I have admired the films of Victor Nunez, Julian Goldberger, and other Floridians. I'd like to acknowledge, to be fair to those involved, that critics from serious publications like Variety, LA Weekly, and New York magazine had more positive evaluations of both films than I do. Neither film has been picked up for distribution.

BELLA (USA)

Jose, a handsome Latin man, and his slick agent are riding on a vintage Chevy while discussing his new $2.2 million contract with a NY soccer team. Bella cuts to a busy restaurant, owned by Jose's brother Manny, where the footballer now works as a cook. Manny is angry because Nina, a waitress, is late again. We see her buying a pregnancy kit and rushing to her small flat. Manny fires her when she gets to the restaurant and Jose rushes after her. They hang out and have conversations that reveal why Jose had to give up soccer and why Nina wants an abortion. Meanwhile, Manny fumes. Jose invites Nina for dinner at his parents' home. The warm embrace of the traditional Latin family is like a healing balm to the lonely Nina.
Bella boasts appealing performances by Eduardo Verastegui and Tammy Blanchard (the deaf girl in The Good Shepherd), competent direction by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde, and excellent use of New York locales. It's not enough to recommend the film. The story contains implausible twists, vague character motivations, and forced moments of whimsy. The script piles up the cliches, and aims for maudlin sentiment at every turn. Is this what people want? Perhaps, Bella won the Audience Award at the Toronto Film Festival.

FULL GROWN MEN (USA)

There is no character like 35 year-old Alby (a well cast Matt McGrath) in film history. There have been many immature male characters who need to grow up and face adult responsibilities, and kids trapped magically in a man's body, but this guy is truly something else. Unlike the protagonists of Chuck & Buck and the recent The Science of Sleep, this man-child is not recognizably human. All he wants to do is play with his action figurines and have what a typical 9 year-old considers to be fun. Inexplicably, he has managed to marry and have a son, whom he treats like a puppet. When his wife kicks him out, he contacts his boyhood friend Boliche (Cuban for "pot roast"). Boliche is planning an excursion with the mentally disabled kids he teaches. They're going to Diggityland, Alby's favorite place in the world, so he invites himself.Full Grown Men becomes a road comedy full of grotesque characters and zany situations, none of them remotely plausible. Alby proves at every step of the way that he is not only terminally child-like, but also an insufferable jerk with psychopathic tendencies. I do admit experiencing perverse enjoyment out of watching him get his ass kicked by two dwarfs, but just about everything else made me groan. To be fair, production values are excellent, and cameos by Alan Cumming and Miami-born Debbie Harry brighten things up momentarily. Otherwise, Full Grown Men is a dud.