Emilio has a crush on Jacklynne, the snobbiest snob in the whole school, but she’s never going to notice him. He decides to run for Student Council President to get her attention, and his friends offer to help him campaign. Unfortunately, Jacklynne is the only other candidate! If he still wants to win the girl, Emilio must decide whether to drop out of the election, continue to campaign, or try to rig the election. The wicked school principal already has a grudge against Emilio and his friends, and all will be lost if she discovers their plan.

Emilio’s small group of friends will each play an important role on the day of the election. Monica is always studying, but she gets ill if she gets too nervous. Alfredo is a class clown, always making a joke or a distraction. Natalia is silly too, but she always bravely sticks up for herself and her friends. Maria works in the school office, and teachers trust her because she is so responsible. Angel doesn’t even go to their school, but he sneaks in to help (and play dominoes) whenever he can. Emilio is completely focused on Jacklynne, but will he really risk everything and everyone just for a chance with his dream girl?

There’s nothing more enjoyable than a good caper film, especially one with a tagline like “All’s Fair in Love, War and High School.”  The film takes place in Puerto Rico and the actors speak Spanish throughout the film, but the subtitles of the dialogue are so hilarious that you’ll barely notice you are reading them. You won’t believe that this film was made by first-time filmmakers and cast with many students who had no acting experience unless you watch the awesome DVD bonus feature “Unschooled: the making of Casi Casi” to see how they accomplished it. The title of the film  "casi casi" translates as "nearly" or "very nearly" which captures the spirit of this film perfectly. Emilio and his friends are very nearly getting the girl, very nearly winning the election, very nearly getting caught, and very nearly surviving their adventure.

Check out Casi Casi from the library, watch the trailer, or read more about the film here.
in Spanish with English subtitles, 93 minutes, PG for language and some crude humor