It was nominated for an impressive 20 Goya Awards just a couple of years ago, but it has never been easier to watch. This is the case of ‘The Good Patron’, a Spanish film directed by Fernando León de Aranoa that premiered in 2021 and was the great winner of the Film Academy Awards, winning 6 big heads, including Best Film, Best Director , Best Screenplay and Best Actor for a stratospheric Javier Bardem in his business(u)rio role. It arrived in the Netflix movie catalog at the beginning of this month, June 2024, and it has not taken long to establish itself in the Top 7 of the most viewed on the platform, but it is not the only way to enjoy one of the best Spanish movies of the 21st century, since you can also watch them online for free. And of course legally.
The story of ‘The Good Boss’ revolves around Julio Blanco (Javier Bardem in one of his best films), the charismatic owner of an industrial scales factory in a small Spanish town. Blanco presents himself as a kind and paternalistic businessman, concerned about the well-being of his employees and committed to perfect balance in his company. However, as we get to know him better, Blanco’s true nature is revealed, as he does not hesitate to manipulate, lie and exploit those around him to maintain his image as a “good boss” and ensure that his factory receives a prestigious business award. .
Along with Bardem’s boss Blanco we have Miralles (Manolo Solo), the production manager whose personal life is in ruins; Liliana (Almudena Amor), a young intern who becomes the object of Blanco’s desires; and Fortuna (Celso Bugallo), a former employee who stages a protest in front of the factory after being unfairly fired. Offering an incisive and scathing look at labor relations and contemporary capitalism in Spain (and in the world), ‘The Good Boss’ is not only a devastating black comedy but also a profound reflection on power, ethics and justice in work place.
FOTOGRAMAS’ review of ‘The Good Patron’ qualifies Bardem’s performance as “dazzling”, while admitting that “The resulting x-ray of labor relations is atrocious, even though the genius of León de Aranoa gives it to us wrapped up.” in the air of a very funny black comedy, which, without a doubt, would have pleased who is still one of the greatest references in the Madrid director’s cinema, the great Ettore Scola, of course…, but also. the rictus that you get when you see that you are almost laughing at yourself.”
If you were not able to see it when it was in theaters and you are not subscribed to Netflix, don’t worry because there is a solution. RTVE Play, the streaming platform of Spanish public television, has it available in its catalog completely free of charge along with films of the caliber of ‘Alcarràs’, ‘Pacifiction’ and the recently added ‘Espíritu sacred’, the debut in the long by Chema García Ibarra that has all the earmarks of being a cult classic in the making.
Fran Chico is an expert in cinema and series, specialized in cultural dissemination and film criticism. He is a recognized critic on Rotten Tomatoes and Filmaffinity. Although his favorite genre is horror, the same thing tells you about the new blockbuster from Marvel’s MCU and about an auteur film to claim from the festival circuit. There is no series from Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video or Disney+ that escapes its radar, delving into the catalog of each platform to recommend and analyze its best content.
Fran has been writing in Fotogramas for more than a year, but his beginnings date back almost two decades ago in film forums and blogs such as Planeta Claqueta or Moviementarios. He was founder and part of the board of directors of the digital publication of film criticism and analysis Revista Mutaciones and a member of the Association of Cinematographic Informants of Spain (AICE), the organization that awards the Feroz Awards, as well as a voter for the Blogos de Oro al indie movies. After completing the Master of Film Criticism at the Madrid Film School (ECAM) taught by Caimán Cuadernos de Cine, he has collaborated and/or covered film festivals such as San Sebastián, Sitges and Filmadrid as a specialized press for more than 10 years, along the way interviewing relevant directors, actors and actresses from the national industry such as Penélope Cruz, Carlos Saura, Ana de Armas, José Luis Cuerda or José Sacristán and internationally such as James Wan, Edgar Wright or Dario Argento.
His knowledge and experience have led him to be a film video blogger for Fnac Spain and director and host of the podcast Holocausto Zinéfago, with more than 150 programs broadcast and available in which cinema and humor are mixed from a unique and original.
