It was a tough opening weekend for “Clika,” the first música mexicana film produced by Jimmy Humilde, founder and CEO of Rancho Humilde.
Directed by Michael Green, the film stars trap corrido singer Jay Dee as Chito, whose journey from a Yuba City farmworker to the frontman of Herencia de Patrones helped inspire the storyline and formally introduced the sound of corrido tumbados to Hollywood.
But it appears that Humilde’s vision for the success of this film may have fallen short of his own expectations.
Writing for The Times, film critic Katie Walsh notes that the issues with “Clika” come down to the script itself, which Humilde co-wrote alongside Green and Sean Sullivan McBride.
“The film tells without showing, its emotional stakes aren’t legible and the characters explain to the audience what to think and how to feel without setting up the foundation or allowing us to get there ourselves,” Walsh writes. “Some plot points make very little sense.”
In an era when Latino Americans are deliberately targeted by the Trump administration, Walsh does believe “Clika” is a “noble endeavour,” though it is filled with tired tropes that take away from Jay Dee’s natural artistic presence, among them a storyline in which his character Chito must transport marijuana for cash in order to avoid the foreclosure on his home.
“Corridos are about storytelling, and the innovation of trap corridos is incorporating new stories and sounds into traditional music,” Walsh writes. “It’s a shame, then, that ‘Clika’ feels so stale, not matching the skill or style of its subject.”
When the film was first announced last year, Humilde championed it as an opportunity for more representation for Mexican American creators in Hollywood, especially as Latinos are one of the most avid moviegoers per capita in the United States but lack representation in film. Green, the film’s director, is not Latino, and “Clika” is his biggest directorial effort to date.
Drawing inspiration from the likes of “Friday,” “8 Mile” and “Boyz n the Hood,” Humilde got the green light from Columbia Pictures and Sony Music Latin, who supported the project.
According to IMDb, “Clika” grossed over $1.27 million on opening weekend between its release on Jan. 23 and Jan. 25.
Box office stats coming out of this weekend rank “Clika” right under the top 10 films.
In an “All Facts! Podcast”interview, Humilde said that there was never an expectation that the film would ever compete for a Golden Globe or Academy Award. Rather, he hoped the movie would open more doors for Latinos in Hollywood just as his label Rancho Humilde had done for young corrido tumbado artists in the late 2010s including Fuerza Regida, Natanael Cano and Junior H, who pioneered the traditional Mexican ballads with elements of trap music.
But it appears that Humilde has not taken criticism of the film well. In the same podcast, uploaded Jan. 18, Humilde balked at haters who judged the film prior to its release, calling most people in the community haters and using racialized language.
“I’ve seen on the [movie] post and I’ve seen everybody [say], ‘this is a whack ass movie,’” he said. “Man, you haven’t even seen it, foo.”
“You’re just speaking out of you a— because that’s what you’re used to,” he continued in an obscenity-laced harangue.
In a follow-up post by the Foo Community promoting the film, which received criticism from hundreds of social media users, Humilde doubled down on his podcast remarks, writing in the comment section: “Sheeeesh but if it was a negro movie all you foos will be the first one theres [sic].” ”
The Times reached out to Sony Pictures for a comments on Humilde’s remarks but have not heard back as of this publishing date.
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