‘Clika’ review: Jay Dee stars in a rhythmless movie about his own story

The title of Michael Greene’s coming-of-age music film “Clika” refers to the slang word for “clique” in the terminology of the corridos tumbados musical genre — or trap corridos, a distinctly American evolution of the Mexican storytelling ballads. This blending of musical cultures takes the narrative quality of traditional corridos and incorporates rap and hip-hop stylings, as well as uniquely modern Mexican American stories, as pioneered in large part by groups like Herencia de Patrones, a band out of Yuba City, Calif. Frontman Jay Dee makes his acting debut in “Clika,” a film based in part on his own life story.

The film’s producer is musica Mexicana record exec Jimmy Humilde, CEO of Rancho Humilde, and his intent with the project is to prove Mexican American stories worthy of the big-screen treatment. It’s a noble endeavor, and an important one in this moment, in which Latino Americans are being unfairly targeted by the Trump administration. If Humilde and Greene get anything right with “Clika,” it’s asserting the importance of these stories in film, as Latino representation in cinema is often woefully lacking.

It also introduces Jay Dee and his music to a wider and more mainstream audience. With a unique sound all his own, he will be a true discovery for some viewers, and an exciting screen debut for his already established fans.

That’s the good news about “Clika.” The bad news is that they probably should have made a documentary or a concert film to tell Jay Dee’s story instead. Toward the end of “Clika” we get a few clips of real concert footage, as Jay Dee’s character, Chito, finally finds the musical success he’s dreamed of, and it’s so much more compelling than the hackneyed gangster tale they’ve reverse-engineered into Jay Dee’s life story.

The problems with “Clika” fundamentally come down to script issues. Written by Greene, Humilde and Sean Sullivan McBride (cinematographer and producer Ski-ter Jones also has a “story by” credit), the film is a grab bag of clichés we’ve seen before, with an overreliance on dialogue and voice-over narration that exposes the inexperienced actors. The film tells without showing, its emotional stakes aren’t legible and the characters explain to the audience what to think and how to feel without setting up the foundation or allowing us to get there ourselves. Some plot points make very little sense.

It’s a standard hardscrabble coming-of-age story — kid from a small town with big dreams wants to escape a life of farm work (Jay Dee did pick peaches in Yuba City like Chito does) and pursue his goals. When his Tío Alfredo (Cristian E. Gutierrez) learns Chito’s mom (Nana Ponceleon) has fallen behind on the mortgage, he enlists his nephew for interstate marijuana deliveries to make the money to pay off the bank, and the young man gets too caught up in the fast life, rising to a point that will always be followed by a fall. The message that he ultimately takes away is that there are no shortcuts to success.

The script is filled with tired tropes and doesn’t set up Jay Dee in a way that showcases his natural presence or way with words. Comedian and podcaster DoKnow, who plays his friend and producer, is the only performer whose natural ease and charisma in front of the camera translate, and he’s only given fairly corny and dated material, like ogling a sexy fellow peach-picker (Paola Villalobos) who is presented with her hair blowing in slow-mo like it’s an ‘80s college sex comedy, not a gritty rags-to-riches tale.

There is a way that this could have been done better, utilizing visual storytelling, establishing atmosphere and a sense of place that could have given a sense of the music, its large appeal and the circumstances that shaped it, while also allowing Jay Dee to shine in his own way. As it stands, he seems out of his depth here.

Corridos are about storytelling, and the innovation of trap corridos is incorporating new stories and sounds into traditional music. It’s a shame, then, that “Clika” feels so stale, not matching the skill or style of its subject. Representationally, “Clika” is an important and worthy film. Cinematically, it can’t find the beat.