As a native Coloradan, the smell of chlorine-infused sopapillas and sight of gorilla-trodden, orange-tiled floors are ingrained in my nostalgic brain. Casa Bonita was the most shameless, self-proclaimed spectacle in Denver, and the bad food was the beloved affirmation.
My parents surprised my brothers and I with a limo ride to the pink wonder when I was a kid.
I later visited as an adult around 2010, and this new documentary just confirmed that it was around that time when the foundation of the restaurant and the food could have killed me.
Casa Bonita Mi Amor! (2024) is a self-congratulatory promo, indeed, but it’s also a remarkable recollection of the exorbitant events that turned the decrepit Gen Xer memory into a multisensory restaurant for your kiddos to enjoy today.
The free seven-day trial on Paramount+ (to cancel before seven days) is worth the hilarious journey from outlandish concept to forking over an extra $30 million. Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park could quite possibly be the only human beings on the planet to fathom resurrecting such a monument.
Beware the ghastly footage of the decaying pipes, soiled air ducts, shoddy HVACs, pigeon carcasses, and the moldy soda stream tube that leaked on to the floor (and into my belly unbeknownst to me in 2010). “Have you ever seen Kitchen Nightmares? It’s the very, very worst one of those you could possibly ever imagine.”
How much do Trey Parker and Matt Stone “change nothing but improve everything?” How much should tradition be cherished at the expense of one’s safety? How good should the bad food taste?
I don’t want to give away too much, but I will say that my visit to the revamped Casa Bonita last summer was beyond satisfying—practically transcendent. The child in me wandered into Black Bart’s Cave with the same innocent trepidation, my jaw dropped at every cliff dive, and my belly enjoyed the experience through the next day. I felt fantastic.
Whether you know anything about Casa Bonita or not, this is a doc worth checking out. Thank you to my sister-in-law for the rec, and thank you to Trey Parker and Matt Stone for their generosity and dream realized.
Casa Bonita Mi Amor! (2024) **** out of *****
Reely Bernie 
I just looked it up and read about the place. Sounds like a dream to go to as a kid… I would like to see this…it sounds like Trey and Matt will do good things with it. If I were rich as they were…there are things in Nashville I would bring back…like Opryland the theme park.
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My mom reminded me they took us on a business account trip with the limo. It was a thank you gift for my dad. Such a great place, even for an adult. When did Opryland close down?
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That is so cool about your trip. The only time I rode in one was when we hired one when we went to Orlando to Disney (I wouldn’t go today!) in 2009.
Opryland closed on December 31, 1997…they replaced it with a huge Mall…it’s still there and thriving but who wants another mall?
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This sounds amazing, hope this goes to Paramount in the UK!
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Gosh, you would love it. If I could share one piece of shameless Americana with you, this would be it. Happy Sunday to you!
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