Omar Chaparro works hard to save 'No Manches Frida 2,' and he almost succeeds

Despite some film roles aimed at English-speaking audiences, Omar Chaparro hasn't yet connected in a big way with mainstream movie fans. It's our loss: The Mexican performer boasts movie-star good looks and a sly macho charm, but he demonstrates an all-in willingness to engage in slapstick and agreeably silly antics. As a comic actor, he's pretty fearless. 

That gift sure comes in handy in "No Manches Frida 2," a sequel to the 2016 hit. Chaparro returns as Zequi, an ex-con who becomes a high-school teacher and couples up with meek fellow instructor Lucy (Martha Higareda). If the original was lightweight fun, this one is even more inconsequential. Still, Chaparro almost manages to make the whole thing worthwhile. 

Note the use of the word "almost." The screwball plot is woefully thin and predictable, with inane situations and characters who barely act human. For example, Zequi and Lucy break up at the altar after she learns he got drunk at his bachelor party. (Um, is she Amish?) Then the school gets invited to a competition at Riviera Nayarit, a coastal Mexican paradise.  

The movie hinges on two developments. Will the students, who come from a downtrodden high school named for Frida Kahlo, be able to successfully compete in such areas as volleyball, basketball, chess and dance? And will Zequi and Lucy get back together, a scenario complicated by the presence of her hunky ex-boyfriend (Aarón Díaz)? 

If you're seriously wondering about either outcome, you haven't watched enough rom-coms or inspirational teen movies. Director Nacho G. Velilla, who helmed the original film, doesn't exactly ratchet up the suspense, either. Instead, he relies on gross humor (there are two sequences involving vomit) and lots of loud sex talk (a lot of the supporting cast seems to shout their lines). The screenplay too often moves the action away from Zequi and Lucy to focus on the high-schoolers, which grinds the film to a halt.

RELATED: The 10 best movies from Pantelion

Indeed, the film's pleasures, if you will, come from watching Chaparro do what he does best. Zequi takes an oversexed spinster on the dance floor and almost winds up accidentally choking her. Another time, an attempt to impress Lucy by paragliding goes horribly wrong, as birds crash into poor Zequi's face. The film's finale involves our hero in drag, leading a group of teenagers in a dance routine. 

There is one moment in the film that is both funny and smart. Zequi decides to inspire his students with a story about how the Mayans defeated "the stuck-up Spanish" with a little help from revolutionary Emiliano Zapata. We see Zequi lose himself in the story, and he imagines himself as a Mayan leader. 

Of course, one of the students knows the truth about the Spanish conquest and corrects Zequi. "That’s what they want us to think!" he screams. 

Now, if there were only more imaginative bits like that in "No Manches Frida 2," the film could have improved on the original. Instead, it's as if Bill Murray stuck around for "Meatballs Part II."  

Reach the reporter at randy.cordova@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8849. Twitter.com/randy_cordova. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

‘No Manches Frida 2,’ 2.5 stars

Director: Nacho G. Velilla.

Cast: Omar Chaparro, Martha Higareda, Aarón Díaz.

Rating: R for sexual content, profanity and teen drinking. 

Note: In Spanish with English subtitles. 

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★