# Argo: Good Film, Not Great Film \[Argo reviews thread\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627 "2012-10-13T17:06:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/141 "2013-02-27T21:24:42Z")
> [@Moonchild](#): > > And which Latino would they have cast that had the box office mojo to support a period piece that most of the world doesn’t really care about? The decision to cast Affleck was certainly not purely financially driven, but Hollywood counts beans more than anything in the decision-making process (and foreign box office significantly eclipses domestic box office). I think the decision to cast Affleck – well, Affleck to cast himself – was not a bad choice. I started to post this exact same thing yesterday, except for the last sentence. I think Edward James Olmos would have been good, even though he’s a lot older. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/142 "2013-02-27T21:26:42Z")
Yeah, I’m not saying that it would make business sense to have a Latino star - just that I was surprised I wasn’t hearing more blowback for it. I’m sure its there but it hasn’t gotten as much press as the pissed-off Canadians out there. Someone like [Michael Peña](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0671567/) wouldn’t have been a bad choice though. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/143 "2013-02-28T04:14:01Z")
Tony Mendez is of French, Irish and Mexican decsent. He has also stated that he is not Hispanic. I don’t know the controversy here. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/144 "2013-02-28T07:42:49Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Tony Mendez is of French, Irish and Mexican decsent. He has also stated that he is not Hispanic. I don’t know the controversy here. To clarify, he has said that because his father died when he was quite young, he was raised without any Hispanic heritage active in his life. And FWIW, Affleck has a darker [complexion](http://www.voxxi.com/argo-tony-mendez-hispanic-controversy/) than Mendez. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/145 "2013-02-28T13:37:53Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Someone like [Michael Peña](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0671567/) wouldn’t have been a bad choice though. Compared to Benjamin Bratt? ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/146 "2013-02-28T13:42:49Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Someone like [Michael Peña](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0671567/) wouldn’t have been a bad choice though. As opposed to, say, Ben Affleck, who happened to be available to star in this important drama. ---
**Author:** ![Kepler1571](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/db5fbb/32.png) [@Kepler1571](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kepler1571)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/147 "2013-02-28T14:01:02Z")
Once Charlton Heston played a Mexican, everything was fair game. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/148 "2013-02-28T14:05:45Z")
_De mis manos fríos y muertos!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2013, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/149 "2013-03-01T03:30:49Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Jennifer Lopez, obviously. That’s crazy talk. She was in Gigli and it totally bombed! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ChrisMax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@ChrisMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisMax)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2013, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/150 "2013-03-03T01:24:51Z")
The only basis in reality is that six Americans got out of Iran on a Swiss jet! All else including Mendez’s family life is fantasy. The film couldn’t even give the Canadians the credit for buying the airline tickets. Argo is an average action flick not even on par with the Die Hard series. Indeed if one knows the true story Argo becomes somewhat of a comedy at times! ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/151 "2013-09-20T19:43:21Z")
If you want to see the true story, may I recommend the documentary ‘[Our Man in Tehran](http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2013/09/19/our_man_in_tehran_sets_the_historical_record_straight.html)’? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2013, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/152 "2013-09-20T21:55:12Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Honestly, I’m not sure why there isn’t more backlash against Affleck playing the lead character - who was Latino in real life, and I think would have made the events more interesting to watch if they’d cast a Latino actor in the role. Because that’s what actors do. They pretend to be other people. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627/153 "2013-09-20T22:02:32Z")
Well, given the clear point being made immediately above, yeah, Affleck was hugely convincing as a “pretend” Latino. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argo-good-film-not-great-film-argo-reviews-thread/637627.md?page=7)