Lana Cruz (del Castillo) is something of a diva, demanding take after take while filming a fight scene, which irritates her director. She's the star of Special Crimes, a TV crime series that's a smash hit despite its miserable, generic title (so I bet it's on Netflix!). She finishes her day, leaves the studio, signs autographs for a crowd of adoring fans, and accidentally backhands one of them. Oops! I mean, the girl was on the wrong side of the barrier and grabbed Lana from behind, and Lana just reacted on instinct, and now she's been canceled. She's completely overwhelmed by an avalanche of shitty videos and harsh social media comments. It's incredibly stupid, but not entirely implausible, and will make you shake your fist and shout "BE REASONABLE, STUPID WORLD!" into the void.
A year later, Lana is moping on the couch, surrounded by bags of Cheetos. The network canceled "Crímenes Especiales," and her daughter Greta (Dariana Delbouis) was bullied after the non-controversial film—yet another reason why she thinks her mom is terrible. Lana's career is in the doldrums, which is ridiculous because Mel Gibson just directed a piece of crap starring Mark Wahlberg, but you have to accept it, folks.
Director: Maria Torres
Writers: Maria Torres, Enrique Vázquez
Stars: Kate del Castillo, Diana Bovio, Gabriel Nuncio
Finally, some good news: Lana's agent leaves her a script. It's an art house film. Tomorrow, she'll have to leave for Mexico for a 40-day shoot. She'll miss Greta's graduation. But if all goes well, her career will be defibrillated. So Lana apologizes to Greta and hops on a plane. Upon arriving at a remote villa where she'll be staying, the first person Lana meets is a sociable, well-intentioned idiot named Polly (Diana Bovio).
She's the pool girl, but also a Lana superfan, and before you judge her, keep in mind that she's reasonable enough to accept Lana's mishap a year ago as a mistake. Polly gets a job as Lana's PA, who's a bit reticent, but seems to think Polly is harmless. Plus, Polly has a knack for social media—... Long days dealing with a boastful co-star (Hugo Catalan) and a fussy, dim-witted director (Gabriel Nuncio), whose direction consists of telling Lana to imitate animals and burning the script so she can't prepare in advance. Meanwhile, Polly discovers the set is "a temple," gets along with the rest of the crew, and makes sure Lana has her favorite tea between takes. Something has to go wrong in this ramshackle plot, and of course it does, because without it, there simply isn't enough to justify the film's existence. And so it goes.
The Biggest Fan is a car that looks nice, but when you open the hood, it keeps running like, I don't know, a broken toy windmill. It just swings along lifelessly, a description that applies to this plot, which occasionally gains momentum but never really goes anywhere thanks to the script's chaotic structure. It establishes the protagonist's dilemma and then staggers between vaguely interesting episodes: a crazy interaction here, a misunderstanding there, a glimmer of hope for Lana's future career, all held together by the ebb and flow of public opinion via social media. Eventually, it delves into a romantic comedy arc with a breakup and a make-up, and a moment where Lana misses the last day of shooting, which is about as lame as a third-act improvised conflict can be.
Suffice it to say, all of this feels rather disappointing and insubstantial, save for two or three thoughtful interactions between del Castillo and Bovio, which suggest this film could have been a touching portrait of an unusual friendship. But as it stands, it wastes talent left and right, as well as the potential chemistry between its leads. You may find yourself trawling through its various absurd and comical scenes for information on celebrity worship, being the child of a famous person, or the creative process that drives filmmakers of all kinds—from stars to body doubles, personal assistants, and directors—without finding anything that contributes to intellectual thought. Veteran del Castillo seems reluctant to channel the truth of her experience in show business and public opinion into her character, or else tied to a script that simply doesn't seek to be anything more than superficial escapism. In any case, The Biggest Fan doesn't hold much promise.
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