After the death of his wife, a promising singer's career is put on hold as he tries to cope with the loss and take care of his young daughter, Maria. Depressed and not believing he is doing enough for his daughter, Alejandro (Jaime Camil) decides to send her to her grandparents in the United States. Unfortunately when he goes to get a visa at the US Embassy his application is rejected by an unsympathetic embassy employee, Rachel (Laura Ramsey), who meticulously follows the rules for granting visas, leaving Alejandro out in the cold. Bitter, Alejandro blames Rachel, who he complains 'wouldn't even look at him,' for all his troubles.

Rachel, who is about to accept a promotion to a position in London, is shocked when her colleagues throw her a going away party that night. With his career in the dumpster, Alejandro is relegated to playing in a mariachi band, and is shocked when he finds himself playing for Rachel at the going away party. Inspired by the chance meeting he decides he's been given a second chance to get his visa, so he concocts a complicated plan to gain Rachel's favor.

Although Alejandro's scheme is a bit over the top, he takes Rachel on such an enchanting ride that she can't help but rethink her feelings about Mexico and Alejandro. Although Rachel is rather naive for a diplomat, she is refreshingly honest and trusting which paints her as anything but a cold-hearted American. Strong performances by Jaime Camil, Laura Ramsey and Omar Shaparro brought this heart-warming romantic comedy to life and made it a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

I saw Pulling Strings today, knowing little about it and having seen no trailers. It sounded like something I'd enjoy, and I did. The male and female leads give pitch perfect performances; you'll know right away they are made for each other. The male lead (a single dad with an adorable young daughter) has a very funny sidekick - you'll love the sound effect his car makes. The female lead has a fun "buddy," too.

The story is set in Mexico City. It begins at the immigration window at the US Embassy and takes off from there. A missing laptop is a major plot point. Mariachi music is another. I loved the romantic elements in the movie and the comic elements made me laugh out loud many times. All of the characters are wonderful.

This is a great "date night" movie, but obviously, singles will like it, too. I had a ball. One more thing: Much of the dialogue is in Spanish with subtitles, but please, please, don't let that put you off. You'll have great fun watching Pulling Strings!

Fun. Alejandro, a Mexican citizen, applies for a travel visa to get his daughter to the US, but is denied by the consulate visa employee. Oddly enough, that same Mexican dude helps Rachel (Laura Ramsey), the consulate worker when she gets drunk and passes out in Mexico City. Alejandro (Jaime Camil) is caring for his daughter, and is missing some of the required documents for a travel visa, so that's not going well. His mariachi band performs at Rachel's company party. An odd juxtaposition. Some funny moments -- Alejandro's daughter says and does some pretty funny things. Tom Arnold and Stockard Channing are in here with supporting roles. Turns out that this is really a "caper", as Alejandro carts Rachel all over town trying to prove that he is worthy of a travel visa. One scene that was a little odd was when he buys her lunch, and she seems to be horrified at buying a tostada on the street; one would think that someone who lives and works in Mexico City would be pretty familiar with how things work there. You'll want the captions turned on, unless you are pretty fluent in Español, but its a fun tour of Mexico city. Some VERY beautiful songs performed by Jaime Camil... some done with the mariachi band, and some done solo, but just Beautiful ! According to IMDb, he began his career as a professional singer, releasing two music CDs, so that explains why his singing is so professional. A fun adventure, with some lessons learned along the way. Directed by Pedo Ibarra.