Review: ¡CASA BONITA MI AMOR!

Casa Bonita opened in 1974 in an unassuming strip mall. The massive “Disneyland of Mexican restaurants” is an Old West and Acapulco-inspired fever dream made famous by its indoor waterfall, cliff divers, and haunted caves. The restaurant was featured in a classic 2003 episode of South Park. When the show’s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, learn that Casa Bonita might close its doors for good, they attempt to preserve a crumbling piece of their childhood and Denver history.

¡CASA BONITA MI AMOR! directed by Arthur Bradford, Arthur is a long-time documentation for all-things Matt Stone and Trey Parker related made famous by the excellent documentary 6 Days To Air. Like the aforementioned effort, ¡CASA BONITA MI AMOR! details the obsessive fandom Matt and Trey showcase during the reconstruction of their favorite childhood much like (and this is even pointed out by Trey Parker) an episode of Kitchen Nightmares where the duo that seems like that can’t miss when it comes to making TV shows, movies, and Broadway shows appears to have bit off more than it could chew when they take what they thought was going to be a $6.5 million investment ends up being closer to $40 million and that doesn’t take into account the soon-to-be ongoing costs of the project when you factor in the cost of future labor, upkeep, and I’m sure taxes as well.

Of course for South Park fans, there’s enough in here for you as the restaurant eventually reopens with some elements of the classic series’ DNA to remind everyone that the creators of South Park own this place. For me, I happen to love restaurant flip shows like Kitchen Nightmares, Hotel Hell, and Bar Rescue, so this documentary was going to be up my alley regardless, and the journey watching Matt and Trey try and get to where they get to is a harrowing tale that I’m sure put strain on their families, other endeavors, etc., none of which are really further explored here and is probably the one area of the documentary that was probably lacking, the whole story.

Casa Bonita, the Greatest Restaurant in the World, reopened in May 2023 to preview audiences. The restaurant has served over 150,000 guests since and plans to throw open its doors to the general public later this year. But I think Matt and Trey still have a lot more learning to do about having an establishment such as this. Since the filming and release of this documentary, some of the actors at the restaurant have been wanting to unionize so any chance of the boys taking some time off from their bread-and-butter entertainment endeavors may have to be put on the back burner in the foreseeable future as those bills continue to come in, and in the case of the aforementioned potential union demands, increase. The sequel should be interesting!