Eugenio Derbez Through The Years
We all know our iconic comedians that prevail such as Kevin Hart, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and Key and Peele and the much more that create endless laughter for our leisure time, but comedy expands past what we know. Comedy does not have a language, race, or gender. For a long time society didn’t see women as funny, but now we are filled with a whole uprising of female comedians which include Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Melissa McCarthy, and notoriously known for going against everything that was lady-like Amy Schumer. Comedy has the power to make just about anyone laugh and laughter is what brings us together, and comedians are no exception from the wide range of gender, ethnicity, race, and language.
My English class is focused on comedy but specifically on that of North American comedy, but being a Hispanic I was already exposed to two realms of comedy that typically don’t cross paths because of language barriers. When I chose to do my final essay on Eugenio Derbez I figured that most of my classmates wouldn’t recognize the name and it made me nervous writing about Mr. Derbez, because my classmate’s unfamiliarity to him was extensive. When presenting who I’d write about I needed to choose a piece of work that was well known in the English speaking audience and therefore Instructions not Included where Derbez had a leading role made the cut. The moment I showed the trailer to the class a wave of “ohs” and recognition filled the classroom, that’s when I realized that the face was known just not his name.
Eugenio Derbez was a comedian I grew up watching and thus writing about him seemed easy, but as I researched more about him I learned that his career started way before I ever started watching him on Saturdays nights on Univision, a Mexican mass media company. Like I said I grew up watching his shows and a part of me felt like I had formed a connection through the television with him in a way. I had seen him through the years and that’s when I noticed that Eugenio Derbez had maintained himself in the lights and not once had he went unheard of. Most celebrities have their few seconds of fame and eventually never come back after that or have difficulty being brought up again, but not Mr. Derbez. His years in the entertainment industry have always been active and successful and most of the time he’s always coming up with something new and getting new roles, and in my experience, most celebrities don’t tend to have that outcome.
Through one of his shows, La Familia P. Luche (The Plush Family), he’s influenced my life and family in such a distinct way. Thanks to the show my family has learned that the makeup of every family is different and we should appreciate how our own family is set up. The show is about a family with a hilarious set up in a world covered with plush where they live day to day like any family. Slowly my family has picked up series of catchphrases from the show and incorporated them into our daily life. Now every time something happens that relates to the show we burst out into laughter and recite a part of the show. What amazes me, even more, is that it’s not just my family, other Hispanic families have adopted the family sitcom in their own unique way and now every time someone references it, it sparks laughter throughout the room.
A Hispanic Sensation
Eugenio Derbez was immersed into the world of entertainment from the start, his mom, Silvia Derbez, was the queen of soap operas and she starred in one of the very first Latin novelas ever, so he spent a lot of time on set accompanying his mom. Initially, with a plan to be a great actor like his mother Eugenio invested in various acting roles since the age of twelve and from there acquired more with time, but it was not what he imagined and he felt as if he was not progressing (Blair, 2016). Then he landed a role in a show called “Anabel” where he found his calling to be a comedian. The next chapter of his life was about to begin and the rise of his comedy career began to take off. During his time in the Mexican filming industry, he had several shows that made him widely known in the Hispanic community.
Al Derecho y al Derbez (1993–1995)
This was the first show he directed and produced that contained jokes, songs, among other things that made the show entertaining for others to watch. He had various sketches throughout his show where he took on different identities. Of the vast characters he took on some were Eloy Gameno, a character who usually complains about what he buys or acquires, be it products or services. Sometimes, he confuses instructions carefully with what the product or service actually has, so he ends up exhausting the patience of the person with whom he is speaking. El Diablito, a mischievous devil who presides in hell and has a screen and a big red button that can ultimately make anyone on Earth fall or hurt themselves and is a parody of funny video programs like America’s Funniest Videos. Armando Hoyos is a philosopher who asks questions about the world, many of them of a comic nature that are usually misinterpretations of familiar words. Pepe Roni is an Italian chef who always prepares a dish, but with objects instead of ingredients and making puns. Not only was he able to transform himself into the various identities but he accompanied each personal with outrageous costumes that added to the comedic effect.
La Familia P. Luche (2002–2012)
A family sitcom that follows a dysfunctional family in a plush-covered world characterized by color-filled cartoonist sets and pop-up bubbles as well as over-exaggerated sound effects. Eugenio Derbez plays the father of the family, Ludovico P. Luche, who is characterized by laziness and lack of intelligence. He is portrayed as unhappy with his wife and family and usually wears a blue plush suit and tie.
Federica de P. Luche, Ludovico’s wife is known for being aggressive and overdramatic with her kids and husband. Her character is promiscuous and flirts with other men which explains her pink plush closet filled with provocative clothing articles.
Together they only have one real kid which is Bibi, and she’s considered the “strange” one because she’s polite and has manners. She also is extremely studious to which her parents dislike and beg for her to act “normal” even though she’s the only one with actual common sense which everyone disregards and they say their catchphrase “Por Que No Eres Una Niña Normal?” (Why Can’t You Be a Normal Girl?) Bibi is the only family member who does not wear plush covered clothes and the color associated with her is purple.
The other two children are not necessarily theirs, Ludoviquito P. Luche Dávalos is Federica’s son with the milkman but Federico is unaware of this and then there’s Junior P. Luche, who is a former cop but was run over by Federica and suffered from amnesia to which they used to their advantage and made him believe he is their son to avoid incarceration.
Bajo La Misma Luna (2007)
This film really enhanced Derbez’s career in the film industry as it became known in the U.S as well. The overall message is about the struggles of illegal immigration, where Carlitos a nine-year-old and his mother Rosario try to reunite after four years of being apart when Rosario came to the U.S in search of a job to provide for her son. Through the journey, difficult circumstances arise but both Rosario and Carlitos never lose faith in seeing each other once again. Eugenio plays Enrique who casually meets Carlitos on his journey to cross the border and although they have a rough start and dislike each other they end up bonding. The heart-touching film was really impacting and it was a small start-up for Eugenio Derbez and recognition in the United States.
From Televisa/Tvaztec to Hollywood
Moving from Mexico to L.A was a huge step for Eugenio and his family and this meant that his career had the opportunity to flourish in the U.S as well since he already had captivated the attention of the Latino community. Being part of a minority group makes everything more challenging and brings more obstacles to face, becoming a recognizable face and name in Hollywood meant a lot of hard work. He worked rigorously and was able to star, produce, and direct several movies in Hollywood.
Jack and Jill (2011)
Eugenio played a minor character in this movie by Adam Sandler, but the way he got this part was outstanding. Adam Sandler asked his gardener who was Mexican to tell him who the funniest Hispanic he knew was and they said Eugenio Derbez (Blair, 2016). That’s how he landed the part. Sandler didn’t even know who Derbez was but from word of mouth he came to know him.
Instructions Not Included (2013)
This iconic film directed by Eugenio himself became a hit across Hollywood. It gave Eugenio a lot of recognition in the world of American actors which really boosted his career even more. It became one of the top-grossing films both in the U.S and Mexico. Derbez portrayed a bachelor in the movie that gets hit with reality when a past lover drops off his child and Derbez’s character is forced to mature and change his ways in order to raise the child.
Miracles from Heaven (2016)
Although he did not have a major role in this film the character he did play truly captured the person that he is outside of the screen. Derbez plays a doctor that believes laughter is helpful to help kids that are sick to get better which relates to him in reality. Eugenio Derbez uses his comedic skills for good and to help in any way that he can.
Crossing International Entertainment Borders
Eugenio Derbez has been in the entertainment business for roughly 37 years and he continues to be at the top of his game. Film after film, show after show Eugenio always comes out with unique things for his audience. It’s great to see a Mexican be able to stand with the stars in a society where it’s been predominantly white recognition. On or off screen Derbez has natural comedic attitude, one time while on Jimmy Fallon he gave a tip on how to pronounce his name for those that had trouble pronouncing it, “youregenious thebeast” and it brought laughter throughout the audience simply because it’s Eugenio being the funny person he is and playing with words. Through the years he’s never settled down and only last year was he awarded a star on the walk of fame. He’s had various awards and all types of success to where he was titled the most influential Hispanic male in the entertainment industry in 2014. Starting from small roles in soap operas in Mexico to producing a top film in the U.S Eugenio has come a long way but beyond that, he’s stayed relevant throughout his entire career.
