Edelman, Amendola good for laughs in NFL film

There is one simple back-andforth during “Going Global: Edelman & Amendola in Mexico City” that speaks to the core of the relationship between the two Patriots and drives home the reason why the NFL Media-produced film works so well.

As Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are cooking with Josefina Santacruz, the Mexican chef asks Amendola a question about his fellow wide receiver, who is acting out a bit.

“Is he always like this?” Santacruz asks Amendola.

The latter responds, without missing a beat, “Yeah.”

The documentary that will premiere tomorrow at 10 p.m. on NFL Network plays up that dynamic throughout the 30 minutes. Amendola acts as the straight man in the comedy duo with Edelman, who is at his best when he is testing the limits of what he can and say or do. The combination leads to a film brimming with moments of silliness and fun as the two traipse around Mexico City to commemorate the Patriots’ game at Azteca Stadium against the Oakland Raiders next Sunday.

Anchoring the story is shots of the two players sitting in an editing room and talking about the various choices they made to build the film. They are given directorial credits at the end, and their banter over which scenes go in and which don’t offer a nice comedic structure.

Their adventures include playing pickup soccer with a group of kids near the stadium, a visit to a sanctuary for lions, jaguars and panthers, a wrestling match as Lucha Libre superstars, and a hot air balloon ride, among other things. One gets the sense that the wrestling excursion was their favorite, but the two have a way of making each segment compelling.

During the cooking segment with Santacruz, Edelman is flirtatious with the chef and Amendola makes eye contact with the camera in a comic device most notably attributed to the TV show “The Office.” It’s one that the two use well to play off each other, and it’s clear their timing on a day-to-day setting translates well to the screen.

In one scene, the players do an autograph session, and the sheer passion of the Mexican Patriots fans catches them off guard a little, but in a good way.

Edelman grabs the microphone at one point and, with a big smile, says, “You guys have been awesome. Tu casa es our casa. Let’s go!”

It’s a very Edelman moment of enjoying the spotlight and having a little fun, one the viewers of the piece get very used to by the end.