XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

felipe23 That's an excellent movie. It shows that Brazil has achieved a mature level when it comes to movies. It exploits Brazilian culture and social problems, just like the great productions made in our country. It worries those that care about our cinema, because our directors always use this kind of plot, what may be dangerous. We should vary our themes. But that's a higher degree, and we gotta take one step after another. However, it is, in my personal opinion, the best comedy ever made in Brazil. A must see film. If you're not from Brazil and, occasionally or not, found yourself in this web page, be sure that's a good sample of contemporary Brazilian productions. I recommend also "Cidade de Deus" (but this one you should have already seen), "O Homem que Copiava" and "Dois Filhos de Francisco". If you like comedy, Os Normais (this one may be more difficult to find outside Brazil) is a great choice. Oh, coming back to O Auto da Compadecida, it's an adaptation of a very famous Brazilian book and the acting is great, just like the direction and the photograph (the film takes place in the Sertão Nordestino, like many others, and, like I said, shows Brazilian poverty in a satiric way.

m-heintz1 O Auto de Compadecida is a funny film, in more ways than one. At first, I was baffled by the storyline, or rather, by the lack of a storyline such as I'm used to. If you expect the first five or ten minutes of a film being devoted to introducing the characters, their backgrounds, and their passions, you'll find yourself puzzled by this flick. There is hardly any introduction or explanation, and such as is offered appears exactly at the appropriate moments. The film is also funny in content. The main characters are a teller of unlikely stories and a schemer of impossible schemes, who never reach the third dimension, but then, there's no need for that: the burlesque quality and speed of the scenes thrive on these two men being cartoon characters rather than real people. And truly, an in-depth character would be highly out of place in a scene which involves Jesus, Mary, and Lucifer doodling in the margins of a book--using blood as ink, naturally. Highly enjoyable.

fabiogaucho When the 4-chapter mini-series was announced by Globo network, few people expected it to be THAT good, for the simple reason that nothing that good had been done in Brazilian television in the previous 15 years. The adaptation is efficient, departing very little from Cabral de Mello Neto's text and mood, the direction, scenography and art direction are beautiful, the humour is well balanced with adventure and drama, everything works well. But the real treat you get watching this is Nachtergale's performance as Joao Grilo. This is the production that made everyone agree that he is the best actor of his generation by a mile. Let me talk a little of what the story is about. It is not really a 'fantasy' of the writer as some American viewers (understandably) thought. The play's proposal is to be an adaptation of several texts from the tradition of 'cordel literature', typical of the Brazilian northeast (where the play is set). Those texts are mostly long poems that translate the folklore of that region. It is, of course, a very catholic area, but in a very peculiar way. Jesus ('Manuel'), Mary ('the Merciful') and the devil ARE common characters of those folk stories, and they are as 'accessibile' to people as the movie shows in Brazilian Folklore. Also from 'Cordel literature' comes the character of 'Joao Grilo'. Anyone who sees this movie and don't know Grilo should watch for Shakespeare's 'Henry IV' (the character Falstaff) and Moliere's 'Scapino'. It is sort of a universal character – the court's fool, and doesn't belong to Arraes, Mello Neto or even to Brazilian Folklore. So it is not really someone's fantasy – it is the fantasy of an anonymous collective, the people from Brazil's northeastern 'sertao'. It is a great movie anyway, I just thought people would like to know the background.

patygirl_df ***SPOILERS***Imagine a fantastic tale about two unique characters in a not so expounded Brazil. Now add the most intelligent and splendid humor and the most talented performances of the always great Selton Melo and the phenomenon Matheus Nachtergaele. Don't forget that the funny Denise Fraga and Diogo Vilela are in the production, as the wonderful Lima Duarte, Marco Nanini and Rogério Cardoso. If you are still not convinced that this is just one of the best movies ever made, remember that the only Brazilian actress ever nominated to an Oscar is priceless as the Compadecida.I guess I've convinced you all, haven't I? So, have a lot of fun, watching one of the most inventive, original and authentic Brazilian movie. I know that a lot of jokes will be untranslatable and it will be very hard to related with that reality, but I know that it isn't impossible because I know that there's poverty in everywhere in this world and I know that there's corruption in Catholic churches in everywhere in this world and I know that people cheat their husbands in everywhere in the world.The unique Brazilian touch is the humor of the two protagonists, one is the most creative liar and the other is the most sprightly illiterate guy. While Chicó spends his time getting trouble and telling the most incredible things that "happen" to him, João Grilo uses all the briskness that he has to take them out of the trouble and just survive.The thing is that Chicó's last trouble was huge and João Grilo ended up being killed by a bandit. That's one of the most funny scenes, he has to be solved in a trial, so that he can goes to Haven. Since he used to commit a lot of sins, the only way to get out of this is with Mary's help.It's really rare to find a comedy that succeeds criticizing important groups of the society, making us reflect, criticizing concepts (Jesus is black) and that also make us don't stop laughing during the entire movie. Just great! Don't miss it!