Berto Romero
Dani Tomás
Overview
Dani Tomás (Berto Romero) is a television screenwriter disillusioned and bored of his work. One day he receives unexpected news: for a legal error he must repeat eighth grade. Now, he returns to a world he already thought he had forgotten, living new experiences and experiencing a multitude of unexplained situations and hilarious events. But he will not be alone in this epic adventure, because he will have the help of the peculiar director of the school (Carlos Areces), a police officer (Antonio de la Torre, May God forgive us) and an enigmatic classmate (Carolina Bang).
Cast
8 people
Reviews
5 min readThe Absurdity of Starting Over
I’ve seen this trick before—the middle-aged man forced to relive his adolescence, the fish-out-of-water premise that promises both comedy and pathos. Usually, it’s a vehicle for some Hollywood star to remind us they can still be boyishly charming, even with a few gray hairs. But Something Huge isn’t interested in charm.
It’s a Spanish comedy that leans so hard into its own absurdity that it starts to feel like a dare: How long can we keep this up before the audience walks out? The answer, for me at least, was longer than I expected.
The setup is simple enough. Dani Tomás (Berto Romero), a disillusioned TV writer, gets a letter informing him that due to a legal error, he has to repeat eighth grade. No, really.
The film doesn’t bother explaining how this bureaucratic nightmare happened—it just throws him back into a classroom with a bunch of actual 14-year-olds, a plot device that feels less like satire and more like a fever dream. But here’s the thing: Something Huge isn’t trying to be plausible. It’s trying to be uncomfortable, and in that, it succeeds.
Director Carlo Padial, who also co-wrote the script, has a background in comedy that leans toward the surreal. His previous work, like Tres bodas de más (2013), played with farcical situations, but Something Huge feels like a step into weirder territory. The film’s mockumentary style—complete with handheld cameras and talking-head interviews—gives it a loose, improvisational feel, as if the actors are making it up as they go along.
That approach can be hit or miss. When it works, it feels spontaneous and alive; when it doesn’t, it just feels lazy. Here, it’s a mixed bag.
Some scenes crackle with energy, like a chaotic gym class where Dani is forced to participate in a game of dodgeball against kids half his size. Others drag, meandering into jokes that don’t land or situations that overstay their welcome.
Audience Opinions
Broad evidence
Audience 4.5/10
"A quirky comedy experiment that divides audiences with its offbeat humor and unconventional storytelling."
Viewers appreciate the film’s bold attempt at a fresh comedic style, praising its absurdity and the performances of its lead actors. However, many find the humor too niche or confusing, leaving them underwhelmed by the lack of a cohesive narrative or relatable jokes. latestnetflix.com's take is that the film’s experimental nature is both its strength and its biggest drawback.
What viewers praise
- Bold comedic style The film’s attempt at a new form of comedy is seen as refreshing and ambitious by those who enjoy offbeat humor.
- Strong lead performances Berto Romero and the supporting cast are highlighted for their energetic and committed performances.
- Absurd and unique Fans of unconventional comedy appreciate its surreal and unpredictable moments.
Common complaints
- Confusing humor Many viewers find the jokes too obscure or random, making it hard to connect with the comedy.
- Lack of narrative The film’s experimental approach often sacrifices a clear or engaging story, leaving audiences frustrated.
- Niche appeal Its style is polarizing, with some feeling it’s too weird or inaccessible for mainstream comedy fans.
Recommended for
Fans of experimental comedy Berto Romero enthusiasts Lovers of surreal humor Indie comedy seekers
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsThey sold a fat-kid comedy. They never filmed it.
Open TMDB for Something Huge and the 2017 plot is still the school farce. Dani Tomas, a bored TV writer played by Berto Romero, is legally forced back into eighth grade. Carlos Areces runs the school. Carolina Bang is the mysterious classmate. A cop is listed as Antonio de la Torre, latestnetflix.com contends, "May God forgive us." That last name is a gag. Javier Botet plays the policeman. The eighth-grade movie is bait. 
Two years earlier at Malaga, Carlo Padial and Romero showed a poster of Berto turned into a CGI fat child, almost a cartoon. El Pais ran the same synopsis. Then they said the film you actually watch is the shoot of that film. Green screen. Empty stage. Romero in a motion-capture suit waiting for post-production that never arrives.
Padial already lived in that green. He had been shooting the making-of for J.A. Bayona's A Monster Calls, hanging around harnesses, giant chromas, actors talking to nothing. He told El Periodico the joke that sold him and Romero was simple. Make a CGI movie without the CGI. He also said he took Berto's wish for a different comedy and turned it into a nightmare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_iqbkoqAyA
Cineuropa caught the set as a diary of misses. Romero narrates. Padial, producer Javier Ruiz Caldera, Areces, Botet, and Bang talk to camera. Romero wears the dots and the suit, stares at no objects, and wonders why nobody is laughing. The English title is Something Huge. The Spanish one is Algo muy gordo, which is both "something very fat" and "something huge." Romero co-wrote it. Zeta Cinema produced it. It is Padial's third feature after Mi loco Erasmus and Taller Capuchoc, and his first with a real commercial distributor, Alfa Pictures, on 10 November 2017. Seville's European Film Festival opened The New Waves section with it. ,
The gears stay on the outside. Time Out's Carlos Losilla called it the most experimental of Padial's three, then named two bits he would not drop. Miguel Noguera walking in. A car exploding in the middle of the shoot. Losilla said it was funny to tears and also a confession of doubt, Padial playing a director on his last film.
Spanish Netflix took it the first weekend of March 2018. Padial told El Correo that Netflix had been key to financing from the first moment, and that the streamer was always the destination. He also said Berto is the project. Romero had seen Mi loco Erasmus and trusted him without conditions. The catalog still sells the school comedy. The movie is the wreck of that idea, filmed as if the wreck were the point. ,
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.