After the owner of the beloved Mexican restaurant Casa Bonita filed for bankruptcy and the restaurant faced the threat of closing its doors for good, ‘South Park’ creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone decided to step in and bought the famed restaurant. The documentary ‘¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!’ follows the two as they revive the dying restaurant.
‘¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!’ had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary. The documentary is set to screen at the Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2024.
Release Date
Directed by Arthur Bradford, ‘¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!’ opens in US theaters on September 6, 2024.
Synopsis
The original Casa Bonita opened in 1974 in an unassuming strip mall in CO. The massive “Disneyland of Mexican restaurants” is an Old West and Acapulco-inspired fever dream made famous by its big indoor waterfall, cliff divers, and haunted caves. The restaurant was featured in a classic 2003 episode of South Park (titled “Casa Bonita”). When Trey and Matt learn that Casa Bonita might close its doors for good, they attempt to preserve a crumbling piece of their childhood and Denver history.
Reviews
Edward Frumkin in a ScreenAnarchy review praised the documentary, writing, “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor! is a mesmerizing, albeit foggled, soliloquy of dreams and worship. In true South Park fashion, triumph prevails over the most challenging obstacles in this out-of-this-world objective”
Stephen Saito in a The Moveable Fest also praised the documentary, writing, “the film becomes enjoyable on a whole other level when even taking the specifics out of the equation, you get to see how hard it is to thread the needle of creating something for the public on a massive scale that still has personal meaning.”
Official Trailer
Watch the official trailer for ‘¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!’
Theatrical Dates & Locations
Friday, September 6th:
Denver, CO: Alamo Sloans Lake
Friday, September 13th:
New York, NY: Alamo Brooklyn, Alamo Lower Manhattan
Los Angeles, CA: Alamo Downtown LA
Austin, TX: Alamo South Lamar
Boston, MA: Alamo Seaport
Chicago, IL: Alamo Wrigleyville
Minneapolis, MN: The Main Cinema
Nashville, TN: Belcourt Theater
San Antonio, TX: Alamo Park North
St. Louis, MO: Alamo City Foundry