Like the popular television series it is based upon, A Grande Família - O Filme, directed by Mauricio Farias, is about a colorful family that embodies a lifestyle, though exaggerated for the sake of comedy, that is typical of the Brazilian middle class. I've only seen small parts of the series, but I've heard nothing but good things: funny, well-acted, and fresh. The film version only confirms what everyone says about the cast -- it's excellent, and the characters come alive in a showcase of considerable ensemble talent.

The actors go to an admirable effort to make the material work, but A Grande Família - O Filme's script suffers from serious problems. Most disappointingly to fans of the series, the movie simply is not funny, and due to a bizarre contrivance the same plot developments literally repeat themselves not once, not twice... but three times. (Honestly, it's really annoying.) The story ostensibly revolves around matrimonial misunderstandings, like the dad Lineu losing his wedding ring and the mom Nenê suspecting her husband of betraying her, but the script is such a mess that it's hard to decide if there is any single concept that's meant to tie everything together.

Late last year Walter Salles complained that Brazilian filmmaking has been taken over by a television aesthetic. I don't necessarily have a problem with tv-film crossovers, but A Grande Família - O Filme illustrates exactly the point Salles was trying to make. In a bid for success at the box office, it's a rehashed product that makes no effort to adapt the episodic nature of the series to a feature-length format. Add the fact that the frames are composed with the standard closeups and stationary shots that beg to be cropped to a television-friendly format, and I come to the depressing conclusion that cashing in was the only reason A Grande Família made it to the big screen.