Crosswalk.com

Chasing Papi

compiled by Jeffrey Overstreet
from Film Forum, 04/24/03

It could have been called Girlfight, but that title was already taken. In Chasing Papi, three women compete for the heart of Tomas Fuentes (Eduardo Verastegui), an attractive advertising executive. His smooth-talking talent soon has each one believing that she is the sole recipient of his devotion.

Sound familiar? Maybe that is because this story seems to pop up on the big screen every few years—most recently as About Adam and Belle Époque. This version of the story is directed by Linda Mendoza. The gullible girls are played by Roselyn Sanchez, Sofia Vergara, and contemporary Christian music star Jaci Velasquez.

According to Christian press critics, the movie is an empty pursuit—and a bad career move for Velasquez.

Steven Isaac (Focus on the Family) says, "The moral of the story? If he's cute enough, it doesn't matter how much of a cad he is. It's simply not very funny watching three beautiful women fight over a scrap that fell off the XY table. Hardly the message young girls (or guys) need to hear and internalize."

Commenting on Velasquez, Isaac quotes one of her fans: "How can Jaci Velasquez represent the Contemporary Christian Music industry in the skimpy outfits she wears in … Chasing Papi?"

Alan Boyer (Preview) says, "Both the moral content and the entertainment value of this film are low, so you would be better off spending your time on something other than Chasing Papi."

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) says, "Very little of the narrative holds together and the film's strained dialogue and contrived plot devices amount to the worst Latin endeavor since the Bay of Pigs."