Pedro
Almodóvar's new movie is a pretty silly sex comedy. Imagine
"Airplane!" meets "Priscilla". It was fun to
see Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas in the first scene, explaining the
plane's later predicament. It's definitely a lot lighter than the director's
other recent work.
As usual it looks gorgeous - striking colours and design. The
setting - a Business Class cabin staffed by three outrageous queens while the
whole of economy sleeps (due to mass doses of "muscle relaxant") -
was nutty and quirky. But after that, I didn't get a whole lot of
chuckles.
Loads of sex, boozing and drug use. The galley's concoction -
"Valencia Cocktail" - champagne, OJ, gin and mescaline and the
mincing cabin crew's Pointer Sisters' dance number were the highlights.
No great character development, even though all the
pointy-end passengers go through their back stories.
I sometimes wonder when I'm watching a foreign film - do the
subtitles tell my brain: "Oh, this has subtitles, it must be more
arty" (and worthy of my respect, than if I was watching a Hollywood
flick).
