Reviews (103)

Beautiful
This is an amazing film that gets better every time I see it. The first time I saw it was in Spain, without English subtitles. I figured I had probably missed a significant part of the movie because my spanish is far from perfect, so I rented it as soon as I got back home to America. I've seen it again, and again, and it never gets old. The reason might be that the concept is so original. Beware all people who like only like safe, conventional American movies, this film is not for you. It's plot centers around homosexuals, transvestites, a pregnant nun, a drug-addicted actress, and just about anyone you might expect to see on Jerry Springer. Any one without a VERY open mind might be frightened, worried, "weirded out" etc. by this movie. Nevertheless, despite it's odd cast of characters the movie is really about concepts that are universal. Funny, shocking, dramatic, disturbing, powerful, this movie hits all the bases. You'll want to read Bodas de Sangre (Blood Weddings), a Street Car Named Desire, and watch All About Eve, just to get more of of thisspectacular movie. Almodovar is a genius, the cinematography is great, the plot amazing, what can I say, I love this movie.

All About Las Mujeres....
I bought this dvd recently at a discount as a previously viewed item. I've always enjoyed Pedro Almodovar's work, especially my favorite, "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown". I had read and heard lots of good things about "All About My Mother" and after watching it, I wasn't let down. Cecilia Roth is excellent as Manela, a mother her loses her only son, Esteban, to a car accident before her very eyes. Grief stricken she decides to run away from Madrid where she lived and return to Barcelona, the city that she left years ago as a young pregnant woman. Once in Barcelona she meets an old friend called La Agrado, a transsexual prostitute, who in turn introduces her to Rosa, a nun, who becomes a new friend. She also finds work with Huma Rojo (played wonderfully by Marisa Paredes) an actress who is touring the country playing Blanche DuBois in Tennessee William's great work, "A Street Car Named Desire". It was this play that she saw with her son the night he was killed, as he was trying to meet Huma Rojo. The story has lots of twists and is always interesting, as you would expect from Almodovar. But it is the relationships between these women that is the real star of this movie. Almodovar explores the depth of friendship and sisterhood between these women but never turns it into a Lifetime Movie. And due must be given to the actresses, in paticular Cecelia Roth, Marisa Paredes and Antonio San Juan. This movie is a great find and I recommend it to all.

It's a womens' world-even the men want to be women!
The death by accident of a mother's much loved son compels her to go to Barcelona and inform the father, who doesn't even know of the boy's existence. Finding the father is not so easy and by going to Barcelona, the mother digs back into a world she had left behind in order to bring up her son. It is a sordid but colourful world with transvestite prostitutes, junkies, an AIDs riddled nun, divas, and the usual associates of one's past. Remember that this is Almodovar, not Ivory-Merchant. However, these people are not displayed as freaks, but portrayed sympathetically. Almodovar celebrates their lives. He does not pass judgement.

Like other Almodovar films, the complex story line shows the strains that pull apart and bring together relationships. The emotional lives of the characters are laid bare. While there may be melodrama, there is a strict avoidance of sentimentality. The acting is wonderful, especially Cecilia Roth, who for some reason reminds me of the British actress, Hannah Gordon.

My only criticism is the use of coincidence. This is also a feature of other Almodovar's films; but here he stretches it a bit far. For instance, first the Cecilia Roth character steps in to take the part of an actress in a professional stage play, to great acclaim, and then when she leaves it, her transvestite friend, who as far as I know has never acted in his life, effortlessly takes over. This is a small criticism. "All About My Mother" is a splendid film by a great film maker. Without being a dreary feminist polemic, it is a celebration of women in all their roles: as mothers, as lovers, as carers; and to those who want to be women. Warmly recommended.

Family Ties
Despite being utterly overrated, "All About My Mother" is still a compelling and well-crafted movie nonetheless. Avoiding the "style over substance" tendencies that marked some of his work, director Pedro Almodóvar delivers a tight and strong cinematic experience with enough drama and comedy to create a relevant achievement. This is a deep story about mothers, sons, and families (conventional or not), with some dysfunctions and problems along the way. The acting is pretty good, the dialogue is realistic and convincing and the direction is adequately intimate and close to the characters. Yet, the movie isn`t as great or remarkable as some seem to claim. Basically, it`s just a well-told story, not a landmark efort. Not great, or even very good, "All About My Mother" is still an interesting melodrama worth checking.

Good enough.

All about What??
The actresses are good. The subject/hidden feeling as explored are also good. However can't the director work out a better, compelling plot line, a reasonable/believable touching story instead of piece together his unconnected dreams?? ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Women, their problems, and more women with their problems...
...typical Almodovar. If you happen to like him for that, then, you will enjoy this film. I like the fact that Almodovar keeps his style unchanged, from working with virtually same group of actors every time to using the same combination of colors every time. This repeatition creates a sence of continuity and familiarity, which allows us to enjoy every film to its fullest.

While this film is not Almodovar's funniest one, it is definitely one of the most exploring, when it comes to the parent-child relationships.

And again, Almodovar, is at his best, when he talks about women... Just how in the world does he manage that? Well, it does not matter how; what matters is that he DOES.

Almodrama
Like all great Almodovar movies, traditional gender roles are subverted in 'High Heels'. In fact for WASP suburbanite America, much of this plot would seem like an episode of Jerry Springer. Mother abandons daughter for singing career, daughter marries mother's former lover, mother continues to have affair with son-in-law while daughter becomes pregnant through a night of passion with a drag queen. How ironic it is then that Almodovar takes much of his influence for this movie from Douglas Sirk. A director noted for his melodramas about late 50's/early 60's family life amongst WASP suburanites in America. In fact this meshing of a traditional film genre with more modern edgy characters has even been given a name - an Almodrama -.

The title 'High Heels' refers to the time when Rebecca was a child and couldn't sleep until she heard the high heels of her mother click-clacking her way home from work outside her bedroom window. Despite being abandoned by her mother, Rebecca never lets go of her love for her and tries all her life to be as 'good' as her in her life and in her loves.

While this movie was critically panned by many critics both in Spain and abroad, 'High Heels' went on to become the then, second highest-grossing film in Spanish history, ('Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown' being the first!)

"I'm whatever you call me."
The Spanish comedy film, "High Heels" directed by Pedro Almodovar is the story of a daughter, Rebecca (Victoria Abril) who reunites with her mother, the famous actress/singer Becky del Paramo (Marisa Paredes) after years of estrangement. The mother-daughter relationship is already severely strained due to Becky's single-minded devotion to her career--and a string of unfortunate relationships with men, but Rebecca's marriage to the shady and rather unpleasant Manuel, her former step-father, makes the difficult reunion almost intolerable.

Rebecca is now a successful television newscaster, but all her success and confidence is stripped away in her mother's presence. Rebecca has never quite managed to overcome her childhood abandonment, and she has yet to resolve many issues about her mother. Rebecca's desire to understand her mother has led to her fascination with Lethal--a female impersonator at a local night club. Lethal specializes in impersonating Becky's Pop years, and performs Becky's songs wearing a mini-skirt, platform shoes and fishnet tights. But is Lethal just another drag-queen or is he something more?

"All About My Mother" is Almodovar's best film, but "High Heels" is my favourite. I have yet to see a film that depicts a mother-daughter relationship quite as well as "High Heels." This film covers all the usual nasty mother-daughter conflicts of rivalry, abandon, selfishness, aging, and jealousy, but these issues are resolved in the most beautiful way by the story. Victoria Abril is amazing (as always) in the role of Rebecca--the abandoned daughter who can't quite forget or forgive the childhood memories of her mother packing and leaving for professional engagements, and Rebecca's wounds are reopened when her mother returns to Madrid. Abril plays the role with vunerability veneered with toughness. Marisa Paredes, as the elegant Becky del Paramo, is the woman who failed as a mother but succeeded as a star. The reunion of the two women as they finally salvage their relationship is perhaps the most touching event I have ever witnessed on film. Almodovar's message is acceptance and forgiveness of the human failings we all share before the moment passes us by and the opportunity is lost forever.

The film does include one sexually explict scene. Also the soundtrack to the film is simply marvellous, and it was through the soundtrack I discovered the Spanish popstar Luz Casal. She performs two beautiful songs in the film: "Piensa en Mi" and "Un Ano de Amor."--displacedhuman--Amazon.com Reviewer

BECKY DEL PARAMO E HIJA
Although it's not a materpiece, a bit slow in some parts, every Almodovar film is always a gift for the senses, and Tacones Lejanos "High Heels" is not the exception. Exceptional acting performances by Victoria Abril and Marisa Paredes, amazing cinematography, marvelous songs by Luz Casal ("Un año de Amor" and the heartbreaking "Piensa En Mi"), funny impersonators secenes (Miguel Bose aka Letal), and a must-seen for all the fans of the House Of Chanel with big exposure of clothes, jewelry, bags, glasses (eraly 90s collections). At last, i recommend this film for just having a big time with this funny Almodovar.

An intriguing and riveting film.
I watch many foreign films, and have always had trouble getting into the serious dramas, because I have to rely so heavily on the subtitles, which distracts me from immersing myself into the action. Foreign comedies are easy to get into. And, though this does have some humorous bits, it's one of the few foreign dramas with which I really became engrossed. I found myself guessing at every clue of the mystery and calculating every next step of the action. It may be bad form to give away clues to great mysteries, but here's a tidbit to keep you from being frustrated at trying to guess the mystery; the judge and the transvestite are the same guy. Almodovar is a great director. For a lighter fare, with a sadonic bite, try Almodovar's other masterpieces, TIE ME UP TIE ME DOWN or WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN. ... Read more

Reviews (28)

"But I have no regrets."
In "Live Flesh" police partners David (Javier Bardem) and Sancho (Jose Sancho) respond to a call that shots have been heard in an apartment building. They stumble into an argument between a wealthy young woman, Elena (Francesca Neri), and Victor (Liberto Rabal)--a man she's trying to brush off.

Almodovar--the master storyteller of the bizarre twist of fate--picks up the tale 5 years later. Victor is released from prison, and David--now a paraplegic--is married to Elena. Elena has cleaned up her act and devotes herself--and her money--to an orphanage. Victor is bent on revenge, and David, although physically at a disadvantage, wants to protect his wife.

In the midst of all this unfinished business between Victor, David, and Elena, are David's old partner, Sancho, and his beautiful wife, Clara (Angela Molina). Victor's passionate, erotic affair with Clara complicates matters.

No one can begin to make a future until coming to terms with the past, and all five characters collide as blame and retribution exact a heavy cost. "Live Flesh" marks a departure for Almodovar from his usual comedies, and this film deals with some rather painful issues while subtly criticizing the Franco regime. "Live Flesh" is an extremely solid, unflawed Almodovar film--replete with excellent performances from each of the five main characters. Almodovar always creates the most intriguing female characters, and Clara was particularly complicated and interesting to watch. Victor's character was also extremely well done--when he's released from prison and returns to the abandoned hovel he calls 'home', he is immediately a much more sympathetic character.

Almodovar films launched Antonio Banderas into Hollywood, and Javier Bardem was soon to follow the same career pattern. Penelope Cruz appears in a small role as Victor's prostitute mother. Nudity, adult themes, erotic sessions--in other words ... Almodovar--displacedhuman

A brilliant erotic thriller
Almodovar here shucks his tendency to blend campy sexuality and what he calls "screwball drama" for a strong work that instead fuses intense, real eroticism and the violence of a thriller into a powerful drama of fever-pitch emotionality.

Victor, born on a bus in a more typical Almodovar opening sequence featuring Penelope Cruz as his mother, is a loner and a man on the edge. He stalks Elena, a junkie-prostitute-drug dealer and forces his way inside her apartment. When two cops subsequently bust her for possession, they don't count on Victor, there with her, who pulls a gun on the cops in a scene that ends with one of them being paralyzed from a shot to the base of his spine.

Victor is nabbed and sent to prison. On his release, he discovers that Elena, whom he still lusts for, is now married to the paralyzed cop. And of course Victor cannot leave well enough alone.

It's the interplay of the second cop, the second cop's wife, Victor, and Elena that brings the emotional fluids here to a boil. The story development including surprising revelations establishes a momentum that results in a climax more than worthy of the preceding events, and that more than justifies the label of thriller for this film.

Lust, jealousy, murder, betrayal--all the juicy stuff that thrillers are made of--are, in the hands of a unique Spanish director, given a searing life of their own. It's truly a wonder to see this perfect mesh of out-of-control emotions, Spanish culture, and dazzling eroticism.

A brilliant film. Although All About My Mother is superb, it is more a return to Almodovar's sensibilities. Live Flesh is unique and is even unique for Almodovar. This makes it really special.

another reason i love modern european cinema
Besides just simple good film-making, I've figured out WHY European dramatic cinema is better than that found in the U.S.

They make more REAL honest movies about human behavior. Whereas in the U.S, a great percentage of films are juvenile comedies, trash pop culture flicks or shallow horror movies. The more you make the more likely you're able to turn out quality- and this film from Spain is no exception.

My Spanish cinema experiences are few, but I've enjoyed what I've seen... one of which being the wonderfully creepy movie: "The Devil's Backbone"

so, go order this or buy it, turn the lights down, pour your drink, and get comfy for a good quality movie...

and hey, it's one of Penelope Cruz's first movies!

Heady stuff that never compromises - typical Almodovar
"Live Flesh" begins with Victor Plaza being born on a bus in Franco's Spain in 1970 and ends, twenty six years later, with... well, I wont spoil the ending; but typically with Almodovar, it is fitting and poetic. In between, we follow Victor on his journey into manhood, as he learns the hard way about disillusion, betrayal, love, lust, life, death, and tragedy.

As a young man, Victor believes that a one-off sexual encounter with a beautiful Italian junkie is something more than it is, and pesters her to such an extent that she draws a gun on him in order to get him to leave. A struggle ensues. The gun accidentally goes off, and although noone is hurt, it brings the unwelcome attention of two policemen. Another struggle ensues. Another shot is fired. One of the policemen is paralysed from the waist down. From then on, all four of their lives become tragically entwined; with deception and misunderstanding leading towards bitterness and envy. Inevitably, the lies are stripped away, unwanted truths are revealed, and all the various dilemmas are resolved amidst a scene of emotional and actual carnage.

This must sound like heady stuff, almost melodramatic? It is. This is Almodovar, after all. There is the usual complex plotting that reveals the strains that pull apart and bring together relationships while the emotional lives of the characters are laid bare. There is the relentless drive to resolve the emotional dilemmas while avoiding sentimentality. In short, there are all the usual touches that one expects from Almodovar, including the wonderful acting from the cast. Wonderful! A film that will draw you back again and again and again.

Powerful
(Read above for storyline)

Another incredible film from Pedro Almodovar!
He never fails to tell the most incredible, tragic stories with warmth and genuine affection for all of his characters, no matter what they have done, or how they live their lives.
A powerful film and tragic film, with powerful performances from all the leads. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Very funny movie [5]
This is a very funny movie. The characters are very rich. The actors and actresses does a great job. This is one fascinating movie appropriate for all ages. The interaction between all the characters are fantastic and very interesting. I highly recommended it.

Very funny movie
This is a very funny movie. The characters are very rich. The actors and actresses does a great job. This is one fascinating movie appropriate for all ages. The interaction between all the characters are fantastic and very interesting. I highly recommended it.

"In my own dirty and silent way, I loved you."
"Kika" (Veronique Forque) is a bubbly beautician who has a poor history with men ("I always get the weirdos"). She lives with photographer Ramon who has a few kinky habits. Ramon has never forgotten his mother's suicide, and he has mixed feelings about his sinister step-father (Peter Coyote). Ramon's ex-girlfriend, Andrea Scarface (Victoria Abril) is the bizarre former psychologist-turned-tabloid-crime-TV-host who continues to show a morbid interest in Ramon's life.

"Kika" is probably Almodovar's most misunderstood film. When I saw it in the cinema, many people left during the controversial rape sequence, and I read several professional reviews criticizing this scene. This scene, however, is essential to the film's message. The character of Andrea Scarface exploits tragedy with no respect for the privacy of the victim--the crime against the individual becomes nothing next to the sensationalistic exploitation of the crime converted to entertainment to be enjoyed by the masses. That said, Almodovar fans should enjoy the darkly comic "Kika" but those fresh to Almodovar should start somewhere else.

Guileless, chatterbox Kika is one of Almodovar's greatest characters. Terrible things happen to her, but she remains basically unscarred by events. As with most of Almodovar films, his female characters are more interesting than the males. The darkly malevolent Andrea Scarface--with her fantastic costumes--is a perfect foil for Kika's perpetually sunny disposition. But there are many great minor characters in the film--there's Kika's devoted maid, Juana ("I want to be a prison matron") who would like to be more than just a domestic servant, and Paul Bazzo ("stop drooling on me")--ex-adult film star and prisoner who escapes during a self-flagellation ceremony. Kika is a wild story--dark, wickedly funny, and kinky. Lots of nudity--this film is not for the easily offended--displacedhuman

Very funny movie [4]
This is a very funny movie. The characters are very rich. The actors and actresses does a great job. This is one fascinating movie appropriate for all ages. The interaction between all the characters are fantastic and very interesting. I highly recommended it.

Very funny movie [3]
This is a very funny movie. The characters are very rich. The actors and actresses does a great job. This is one fascinating movie appropriate for all ages. The interaction between all the characters are fantastic and very interesting. I highly recommended it. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Antonio Banderas Was Better When Euro Film Star
I watched Banderas in his European movies before he became an American movie star. I really liked all of his work then whereas now his work is very uneven in quality. "Evita" is the only work of his I've admired since his "conversion." This film was his very best prior to his coming to America. I'll confess that director Pedro Aldomovar's 2 most commerical films, of which this is one, appeal to me more than his other films. The other is "Woman On The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown." Perhaps this is because these two works involve heterosexual love affairs and are also comedic and satiric. They're broadly played but enjoyable for a bigger audience than Aldomovar's work normally gets. Banderas is incredibly sexy in this film as the patient fresh from a mental hospital who wants a regular married life and seeks to find it with a porno star woman. Bringing these two together for a black comedy was a stroke of genius. The Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down in the title refers to the woman's liking kinky stuff and Banderas's literally tying her up and down to the bed. This is a very sexy, romantic even, film and for those who feel Aldomovar's films typically are aimed to please only gays and not straights, this film should convert them to becoming fans of his considerable talent. It will also make them sad that Banderas decided to become an American movie star.

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (¡Átame!) is one of the two movies by renown director Pedro Almodóvar (the other being Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) that got wide attention in the US, albeit in the art house scene. Nothing since Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (made in 1990) has gotten nearly as much attention, despite several efforts since than by Almodóvar. Both movies have a similar style, but Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is a bit more disturbing as it revolves around a kidnapping.

Marina Osorio (Victoria Abril) is a former porn actor and junkie trying to make a more respectable living as a B movie actor. Ricky (Antonio Banderas), is a troubled youth who has just been released from a mental institution where he had spent the last several years due to his constant running away from orphanages and reform schools. Somehow Ricky has decided that Marina is his future wife and after some very lame attempts to get her attention on the set of her new movie, decides to break into her apartment and "kidnap" her until she is convinced to love him as he does her.

This seems somewhat straightforward, but most would assume that this would be a terror-filled, disturbing film about stalkers and people who's reality is warped. It is disturbing, but not for those reasons, but rather for its very light-hearted atmosphere and slapstick comedy in the face of this rather serious situation. One might call it a black comedy, but the mood is generally so light, that a better term might be "gray comedy." Marina, though occasionally showing some terror, seems more angry and annoyed at being tied up and kept captive than in fear for her life. One thing ran through my mind when watching this - that quote from Die Hard with the expert commentator on the news talking about how kidnapped victims sometimes go through the "Helsinki Syndrom" and start empathizing with their captors. Well, it does not take all that long for Ricky to actually convince Marina to love him. This again, leads to the very light-hearted and surreal nature of the film, and everything in the film seems to have this quality, almost as if what is happening is not real, but being acted on stage. This relates to the film that Marina is acting in at the beginning of this movie, where likewise, everything is pretty fantastic and unreal.

Other than the shear oddity of this film, the main other noteworthy quality seems to be in its steamy sex scenes with Abril and Bandaras. The film actually got an NC-17 rating due to this, which shows the hypocrisy of the MPAA which gives incredibly violent films like Saving Private Ryan an R, but because of a little sexual content will brand a film with NC-17 and make it hard to sell at the box office in most communities.

The DVD is lackluster, containing no special features except for a Trailer. The anamorphic transfer is a good one, very clear with vibrant colors. The audio is the original mono Spanish and is very clear for a mono soundtrack.

If you are a fan of the offbeat, you may enjoy this film for the shear "different" quality it has compared to most mainstream movies, but its light treatment of very disturbing theme may be too much for others.

"You can't be that kinky."
Pedro Almodovar's film "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" stars one of the director's favourite leading ladies--Victoria Abril as Marina--a former adult film star with a nasty narcotic habit. Marina is trying to stay clean with the help of her protective, responsible and non-stop talking sister, Lola. Marina has almost finished making a second rate horror film, "the Midnight Phantom." The film's wheelchair bound director, Maximo is obsessed with Marina. There's something about Marina's fragile sensuality that makes men want to protect and possess her. Ricky (Antonio Banderas)--just released from a mental hospital--is also obsessed with Marina. Ricky decides that he will kidnap Marina and keep her tied up until she falls in love with him.

Of course, there's a fundamental flaw in Ricky's plan, but Almodovar's playful script shows how the obstacles to Ricky and Marina's relationship are overcome. Victoria Abril is--as always--splendid, and Banderas is at his best. As with all Almodovar films, "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" is full of great, eccentric characters (the pistol-packing pharmacist, for example), and Almodovar's humour, acceptance and generosity towards human flaws always ensures some sort of good outcome.

"Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" contains a controversial scuba-diving gadget scene, and many Almodovar fans will note a very similar scene in "Talk to Her." (...). I loved the scenes when Maximo's frustration is shown by his endless circling in the wheelchair, and when he dances in his chair with Lola. The film also includes some amazing Spanish music. Almodovar and Abril fans will not be disappointed in this film--displacedhuman

A loving kidnapping drama...
Ricky (Antonio Banderas), a newly released mental patient, enters society with hope of building a family after have convinced the woman in his life that she loves him. This woman is Marina (Victoria Abril), a former heroin addict and porn star, that is filming a horror film with a director who has recently suffered a severe stroke. Ricky enters the film studio and retrieves Marina's keys, which he uses when he breaks into Marina's apartment and kidnaps her. In doing so Ricky wants Marina to get to know him and fall in love with him as they have had a brief affair once before, which changed Ricky's life.

Pedro Almodóvar knows how to make the absurd feel authentic and in this story he does it well as Marina and Ricky get to know each other. The story is planned down to every last detail as both characters have some heavy luggage from their pasts, which serves as a solid foundation for them to relate and understand one another. Almodóvar uses vibrant colors that improves visual representation of the likes and dislikes between Ricky and Marina as it expands on the audience's understanding of what is going on. There are also several interesting shots that are out of the ordinary as they draw attention to the characters and develop the persona around the characters. Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! fades away from the silver screen with a good cinematic experience, which can be pondered over a glass of sangria.

Subverting types!
When originally writing this film, Pedro Almodovar asked himself the question "Can love be calculated or sketched the same way one could study for an exam?" This is certainly the conviction of the Antonio Banderas character who seeks to capture his former lover and eventually convince her of her love for him. Although one could initially interpret the theme of the film as overtly misogynist - man tries to physically force woman to love him - gender stereotypes are typically subverted in true Almodovarian fashion.

It would seem that the women are the figures of power in this film and both Ricky and wheelchair-bound film director Maximo are at a loss in trying to seduce the object of their desire in any conventional sense. They are both addicted to Marina, but the only thing she's ever been addicted to is heroin. By the end of the film the Antonio Banderas character is almost totally domesticated, making food, cleaning the appartment, making sure Marina has enough drugs etc.

There's also the reference to the Sacred Heart at the beginning of the film and masochism has often been perceived in some of the more archaic rituals of our Roman church.

None of these subtleties were apparantly noticed by the American classification board who initially wanted to give this film an 'X' rating because of playing with toys in the bath! (?) ... Read more

Reviews (30)

A True Classic in International Cinema
Filmed in the style of the screwball comedies of the 1950's, Pedro Almodovar's classic, "Women on the Verge of the Nervous Breakdown," is widely seen as the Spanish director's greatest directorial effort ever, due to his witty script, wonderful use of colors and schemes, and his ability to capture the range of emotions women possess.

The story, which revolves around a jilted woman (Carmen Maura in her final film collaboration with Almodovar) in search of her lover (Fernando Guillen) might sound like a melodrama at first, however if you mix in a bit of zany subplot and an array of classic characters, and you got yourself a comedy classic.

Pepa (Maura) finds out that her longtime lover Ivan has left her for another woman. Pepa, who works with Ivan dubbing foreign films into Spanish, discovers that she is expecting a child, and must convey this important message to Ivan in hopes of convincing him to return.

In her search for Ivan, she discovers that Ivan's ex-wife Lucia (Julieta Serrano) has been released from the asylum that has taken care of her since her breakup with Ivan. She also discovers that Ivan has a son (Antonio Banderas) she never was told about, and due to a series of coincidental encounters, they encounter each other.

Pepa doesn't seem to be the only person having love problems. Her best friend Candela (Maria Barranco) has discovered that her Arab boyfriend and his friends are actually Shiite terrorists planning to hijack the next flight to Stockholm. Scared, confused, and out of her mind, Candela finds refuge in Pepa's penthouse, and along with Pepa, Carlos (Banderas), and Carlos' fiance (Rossie de Palma), the madcap hysteria that will overtake the later half of the film takes place.

Using a wide selection of colors that benefit from the film's use of Technicolor, Almodovar has definitely creating a visual feats of patterns, objects (notice the clocks at the beginning), cityscapes (Madrid's famous skyline), and especially colors (as the main character, Pepa is identified by reds, which probably is Almodovar's tribute to American director Nicholas Ray and his famous use of Technicolor red in the classic "Rebel Without a Cause"). Other eye-catching objects that make this film truly wonderful include Candela's coffeepot earrings (they became a major fashion accessory in Spain and Latin America in the early 1990's) and the campy cab decor that the driver of the Mambo Taxi (Guillermo Montesinos) has adopted for his cab.

Almodovar also adopted a wide selection of beautiful and popular music and songs to tell his story. "Soy Infeliz," by Lola Beltran and "Puro Teatro," by La Lupe are eternal classics thanks to this film. His selection of the rarely heard, yet beautiful compositions by Russian composer Rimsky-Korsakov ("The Story of the Kalandar Prince" from Scheherezade-Symphonic Suite, Op. 35 AND the "Fandango Asturiano," from Capriccio Espagnol. Op. 34) gives the film both a feeling of relaxation and fiery anger.

"Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," marks a totally new direction in Spanish cinema. The end of the censorship that was widely well known during the Franco regime of the past allowed Almodovar and many new Spanish directors to explore filmmaking without any restrictions. This film, which was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards in 1989, went on to win many awards including several Goya awards (Spain's highest film awards) and Maura went on to win Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival. Truly, this was her greatest role, and Almodovar knew that he wanted to give his audience a major overdose of Maura that the audience will likely beg for more. He was right, and Maura's performance is considered to be one of the greatest performances by non-English speaking actress in recent years.

If you're looking for an amazing, funny, and visual film, then "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" is the best choice to fulfill your search. I have seen this movie over 30 times, and I can't get tired of it. It is a true cult classic, and it only illustrates the genius that Almodovar is. The DVD edition contains English, French, and Spanish subtitles and the film's promotional trailers.

Watch it and tell your friends about it!
Hollywood sure doesn't make movies like it used to. For instance, screwball comedies that immortalized the likes of Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Katherine Hepburn in the 30s and 40s were abandoned after Jack Lemmon and Billy Wilder stopped making them in the 60s. But no matter. That grand old wacky tradition continues; it just moved across the Atlantic to get updated with a European facelift at the hands of Pedro Almodovar.

So hop on your motorcycle with your granny or catch a cab, run to the grocery store, grab yourself a glass of gazpacho (hold the sleeping pills!) and watch this hilarious movie. Subtitles be damned, you'll love this no matter what! If you can watch this without huge belly laughs, you're simply not human!

Universal Shennanigans
In 'Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown', Pedro Almodovar subtley overturns traditional gender stereotypes. Outside of the shennanigans she encounters from place to place, Pepa takes stock of her situation in the taxi that carries her between buildings. Its here she recognizes that the mechanics of motorcycles are much easier to fathom than those of male psychology. Ivan's first wife Lucia, remains in the 60's fashion she was wearing when he left her. It's almost as if time stopped for her the moment he left. The array of colours seem to be used as a metaphor for the full and intense emotions of the women involved, compared to the grey and black of Carlos and Ivan.

Apparently Almodovar had to film the balcony scenes in a studio because the downtown skyline of Madrid is now just a sea of office and apartment buildings. Almodovar has never made any secret of the fact that a director should "never borrow, but steal if it is justified" from another director. Witness his homage to Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' when Pepa looks across the street into Lucia's apartment building.

It's ironic that in his native Spain, Pedro Almodovar finally broke free from being described as a 'cult' director to being appreciated by a wider audience with the massive success of this film. Meanwhile in the U.S., the film was specifically marketed by Orion as a 'minority' picture aimed at an Hispanic and female audience. They must have been pleasantly surprised when the audiences for this film crossed racial and gender barriers.

From an Almodovar fan, "like a child with his new toy"
casually, while shopping, i found this DVD in a store... i remember i saw this movie once, a long time ago...the price was fine, a whole new movie for my eyes, i took it home... what happened next, i can't explain by words: just put the disc on the player, turn on the tv and begin laughing, just from the overture to the end!!! The music is excellent, the ideal song for every moment on the movie... the caracters, from the main to the most secondary, has its whole story inside the movie... the camera shows everything important, even smallest details... and the story, classic from Almodovar: a lot of people, that appears to be distant and different from each other, join at the end, to make one of the funniest movies ever!! Only from Almodovar's mind can come a story so complicated to explain by words, so insane and desperating, but that makes you get into it, understand it, and love it. Well, that's my appreciation from "Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios", in its original language, so i hope the translated version makes you feel the same

We can't help but stare
We cannot help but stare in awe as this movie unfolds in all its technicolor glory and darkly twisted wit.
Ms Maura's performance ranks up there with some of the best.
Cinematography and Art Direction are spectacular.

Perhaps not understood by all, Aldomovar's films borrow from those mundane moments of life and gives us all the range of human emotions that many films strive for but fall short. ... Read more

Reviews (106)

Psychopaths Need Love Too
Once again, Pedro Almodovar has delivered yet another complex movie mended together by his visual style and great actors.
The story is triggered off by Lydia (Rosario Flores, musician) , who as a female bullfighter, gets mauled in the coliseum during a fight, which leaves her in a coma. At her side, her lover Mauricio, stays uncomfortably with her at all times. Here we meet Benigno, a male nurse appointed to take care of Alicia, in a coma as well. Throughout the story, we sense that Mauricio seems to be attracted to the emotionally starved, which leads him to form a bond with Benigno, who apparently lives for Alicia.

Once again, I give my hat off to Almodovar for creating a movie made by the characters, rather than situations. From the beginning, Pedro gives us outcomes first, then the causes, a style that works so well that by the end, you feel the characters truly exist. By doing this, our minds begin to actually feel FOR the character, even if by theory, the character deserves no mercy. THAT is the incredible and unique style of Pedro Almodovár, which I love.

This film made me want to see more of Benigno, which, without spoiling anything, I'll have to say that I SHOULDN'T want to see more of him, since he is the "antagonist" in this picture. Is this sounding odd? Contradictory? YES! one must see this piece of work to appreciate, 2 years in the making and well worth the wait.

A compelling and tragic masterpiece
"Hable con Ella", as they say in Spain, follows the tragic paths of four people: Marco and Benigno, Lydia and Alicia. Marco falls in love with Lydia, a female bullfighter, who is gored by a bull. Benigno becomes obsessed with a dancer, Alicia, whom he can see from his apartment window practising in a studio. A car knocks Alicia down and Benigno becomes her nurse. Both women slip into a coma and it is in the hospital that the two men meet. Without giving too much of the plot away, they both lose the woman in their lives, but they find friendship with one another. This is the bare bones of the story. As with most of Almodovar's films, there are subtle depths that require repeated viewing to appreciate them fully. Almodavar deftly weaves the separate strands of the complex relationship of the four leading characters into a tightly focused and compelling piece of story-telling. Sad and uplifting, ironic and sympathetic, touching and unsentimental, this is a wonderful film. The acting is first-rate; Alberto Iglesias' score is enchanting, and Javier Aguirresarobe's cinematography is easy on the eye.

Pedro Almodovar's most captivating film yet
Any fan of Pedro Almodovar recognizes the sheer complexity of his work. He brings filmmaking to a level rarely experienced in U.S. American cinemas, mixing the use of the photographic frame with cultural truisms and scathing commentary on sex, gender and love. Among all of his truly phenomenal works, this film is his best to date. The love affairs that Almodovar presents in this film make us, the audience, at once enthralled and uncomfortable. We are, after all, witnesses to a rape that we believe came from a place of love, of a faithful male nurse feeling tiny in comparison to the power of his beautiful comatose patient's inviting organs, calling him in. Pedro Almodovar does what so few directors dare to do: he blurs the lines between love and violence, and asks us if we can still support this tragic, comical and kind man, and whether our more refined protagonist is guilty by association. This film is a gem, and among the best films to be released in the past five years.

"Nothing is simple."
Pedro Almodovar's "Talk to Her" is a disappointing follow-up to the director's much-superior "All About My Mother." While this outing aims for the same emotional bullseye that the previous film hit, it misses its mark by incalculable lengths. The end result is a mess of a film that is just all over the place.

Writer Marco Zuluaga (Darío Grandinetti) meets male nurse Benigno Martín (Javier Cámara) after Lydia González (Rosario Flores), a famous female matador, is gored. Staying at Lydia's bedside, he notices that one of the other patients on the same floor is a ballerina named Alicia (Leonor Watling) who has been in a coma since she was involved in a traffic accident. As Marco spends more and more time at Lydia's bedside, he starts to develop a deep friendship with Benigno who displays a similar devotion toward Alicia. Both men speak of their innermost feelings to their comatose companions which helps them to bring their lives into better focus. However, the friendship between the two men is severely tested when Benigno's relationship with Alicia takes a dark turn.

"Talk to Her" offers a unique take on the nature of companionship as its two male leads find some meaning in their lives by spending time with companions who may never be aware of their presence. It also explores the more feminine aspects of the male persona as both men assume the caretaker roles typically assigned to women and find satisfaction in it. However, when "Talk to Her" begins to examine the obsessive turn of one of the relationships, it becomes muddled. Instead of just being content with chronicling the nature and dynamics of male-female relationships, the film introduces a moral dilemma into the proceedings that adds a sinister undercurrent to the story. In essence, a strong character study film transforms into a morality tale that asks the viewer whether a wrong can be truly considered a wrong when it produces a positive outcome. This strange turn is not for the better. In the end, watching "Talk to Her" just feels like watching two disparate stories clumsily edited together.

Amazing!
When I heard the description of this story, I thought it sounded boring, and even a bit silly. But I saw it on friends' recommendations, and I was blown away! I don't buy many movies, but after renting this one, I was more than happy to make this purchase.

It is difficult to describe the appeal of this film. The acting is great, and the story is very well told, but I think the thing that sets this film apart is the characters. Almodovar somehow brilliantly manages to make you feel admiration, pity, and even anger at these people (often simultaneously).

This is absolutely one of the best films I've seen in a long time. Rent it, buy it, borrow it, but whatever you do, WATCH IT! ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Pedro Alomodóvar made this misfired, rambling comedy about a romance novelist (Marisa Paredes) whose crumbling marriage has left her depressed and unable to work. At a low point, she writes a scathing indictment of her own books (which are penned under another name), with no one realizing critic and author are one and the same. Almodóvar (Law of Desire) has the start of a great idea here, and for once, he's direct about his sympathy for a character. But nothing else about The Flower of My Secret is so clear. Despite its unusual allegiance to the straightforward "women's films" of the 1950s, this movie blows it by becoming needlessly complicated over extraneous junk, forcing one to grope in the dark for Almodóvar's point. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Quiet restrained Almodovar with love to Spanish Culture
A quiet restrained Almodovar movie, rich with symbols and style (artistic shots made through different patterns - mirrors, straw chair patterns, etc.). This movie is also a tribute to the Spanish culture - dance, food and various elements of the folklore which appear in lace making, landscape and portrayal of "country people".
This is the story of Leo (Marisa Paredes) who is a writer. Leo writes her stories under a pseudonym as she is not proud of the sugary love stories she writes. This "real/unreal love" is one of the main themes and conflicts of the movie. Leo, under again another pseudonym attacks her own love stories while Angel, her new boss and friend writes in favor of the sugary author. Should we believe the dramatic love story which always comes with a happy ending but is somewhat untrue or should we write / or dream about everyday truthful life where love, like other achievements comes after hard work?
In the opening scene Leo has trouble getting her boots off - the boots are a present from her husband and she wears them although they are so tight she cannot breath. In what is later understood as a very symbolic act she tries to take the boots off in various ways but succeeds only after her friend Betty manages to help her. Betty works in the transplant section of the hospital (transplants and the detailed process of explaining the death of a dear one to his relatives also appear in Almodovar "all about my mother" and Almodovar is definitely doing a great service to this matter). Leo drinks a lot. She is very miserable and misses her husband who is in the army. Leo knows they are having problems but it seems that the viewer is in a better position to understand the nature of their relationship. Leo is both aware of problems yet blind to several facts that are presented to her face (blindness is another motive - as Leo's mother who was brought from the country to live with Leo's sister in the city is half blind, yet there are several things she can "see" very well). When Leo finally understands the truth - she falls apart and is aided back to life by her family and new friend.
This is first of all a love story, but more then that this is a story of loyalty vs. infidelity (on the one hand we have Blanka, Leo's faithful maid and on the other side her close friend), city vs. country, and once and again the question of truth - in relationships, in writing, and maybe in art in general (through the story of Blanka and her son dance group).
Marisa Parades is convincing and is aided by a lovely group of actors of which I would like to mention Leo's sister, Rossy de Palma whose face is so memorable you cannot forget. This actress has also participated in Almodovar movie "Kika" and makes a strong impression.

Hooray for Hollywood
You either love or hate Aldomovar films. This one may win over a new legion of fans but is very unlike most of his movies. So which is the real Aldomovar, the straight romanticist or the outrageous dierctor? Probably both but more bizarre than stright considering his style leans more to wacky characters verses isn't she sweet characters. This movie is different from any of his previous works in that it is, well for lack of a better word, mundane. This is not one of my favorite Aldomovar movies. The plot is simple, a woman is in crisis in her life, unhappy in her marriage, writing (romance) novels that are about everything she is missing in her life, and her denial of what she needs, real romance. Marisa Paredes, who has beeen hilarious in other Aldomovar films is just ok as the novelist in the story, Amanda Gris. Her full talents are not utilized though as she is not as funny in her depiction of Amanda, it's just not in the character I guess. Check out some of her other roles and you'll see what I mean, she's better in the other movies. Her husband is consumed with his career and other "projects". It is a bit of a sad story and maybe too close to real life, that is why some will love it and others not. More women will like this than men, translation dare I say, chick flick. This is more of a mainstream movie that departs from Aldomovar's usual flair for the unusual usual suspects. For me this movie and the performances were just to ordinary. That said many will love it.

My favorite Almodóvar
I agree with what the second reviewer says about this sensitive, passionate, lyrical portrayal of a courageous, strong, disciplined woman whose nemesis, as always, results from the heart. The betrayals she suffers are as profound as her love is and Marisa Paredes comes through as one of the half a dozen or so most important film actresses of the decade. One particular scene, the mother returning to her native village, provides one of the most exquisite moments in film: the background text and the sight and the voice becoming a separate moment of intense recollection and joy. Nothing misfired about this genuine masterpiece. ''Mamadoc'' s.marie

Perfect story about people's search for love and comfort...
This film is perhaps especially telling to people in their 40's and 50's, because character's search for love and comfort can only be fully appreciated by people of this age, who are more or less in the same situation as this woman-novelist with numerous emotional problems and no solution to them.

She does find a solution eventually, but you have to wait until the end of the film to see that. It will not dissapoint you at all; in fact, it might surprise you a great deal...

Wonderful supporting characters (e.g. novelist's mother and sister) make this film an outstanding thinking piece about human life. Very deep!

Lovely and Touching . . .
. . . and maybe those aren't words fans normally associate with Almodovar, at least when not linked to words like "junky," "transvestite," or "porn star." I disagree with the reviewer who termed this a misfire--it's simply a more thoughtful film by this usually over-the-top director. Visually, one of his most arresting films, Almodovar chooses to focus this time on the distance between true love and idealized love as seen in romance novels and how they sometimes intersect in surprising ways. Marissa Paredes shows stunning range as the main character--at times both critically stung and deeply needy and yet passionate and cocky . . . boy, do you root for her. And the scene in which she is literally pushed by a mob of protesters into the arms of the man she could be truly happy with is one of the best in movies. NOT a disappointment at all. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Hysterical, hot, and naughty.
This film is an immersion into the topsy-turvy world of Pedro Almodovar and post-Franco Madrid, with plenty of explicit and subtle sexual ambiguity. Carmen Maura is first rate as a transexual actress/actor down on his/her luck, and Antonio Banderas is downright delicious as a young man obsessed with Maura's hedonistic and selfish brother (Eusebio Ponseca). There is great music here, and the movie is fun!

"KILLING CURIOUS URGES.........."
BOLD WORK, direction and then ACTING too by our young hero - ANTONIO BANDERAS. The opening sequence alone snaps you up right away......[you're not too sure if you entered the "wrong" theatre]

A tormented tale of about a very curious and persistant young man seeking clarity, wanting direction [?] about the alternate life styles in Modern Spain. It almost plays along the lines of a '60 ties "B" movie and maybe that's the intention - something along the lines of the Bergman, Montand and Perkins "Goodbye Again" vehicle, EVEN a male "Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone".

This one is darker, and Mediterranean passions ignite. An elegant scenario about an older man, pursued by a young, eager, uninitiated lad. Quite graphic too in its love-scenes, and draws a few tears for the sentimentally inclined. For the cynic? There are very funny lines, [subtitled] a little too bold for print, but it is very worth watching [maybe it's just in the translation].

Weak-points - the Hitchcockian slant on the story, and the transvestite sister [unwise, unaccurate casting].

It's an earlier work by PEDRO ALMODOVAR, still fresh, must be added to DVD heaven and paired with "Matador" - another splash of salsa!

It goes beyond intrigue of sexual perplections
Though the movie has its simplicities, the conotations are not missed: dual sexual identities, strange bed fellows, and the altamate sacrifice -lost of one's original identity to satiate anothers desires.

A wonderfull film about our desires
The love and desire are showed in this movie with great characters and unebeliveble history. Carmem Maura and Antonio Banderas are perfect. Only Almodovar in the recently cinema do films so sincere. ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Antonio Banderas Was Better When Euro Film Star
I watched Banderas in his European movies before he became an American movie star. I really liked all of his work then whereas now his work is very uneven in quality. "Evita" is the only work of his I've admired since his "conversion." This film was his very best prior to his coming to America. I'll confess that director Pedro Aldomovar's 2 most commerical films, of which this is one, appeal to me more than his other films. The other is "Woman On The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown." Perhaps this is because these two works involve heterosexual love affairs and are also comedic and satiric. They're broadly played but enjoyable for a bigger audience than Aldomovar's work normally gets. Banderas is incredibly sexy in this film as the patient fresh from a mental hospital who wants a regular married life and seeks to find it with a porno star woman. Bringing these two together for a black comedy was a stroke of genius. The Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down in the title refers to the woman's liking kinky stuff and Banderas's literally tying her up and down to the bed. This is a very sexy, romantic even, film and for those who feel Aldomovar's films typically are aimed to please only gays and not straights, this film should convert them to becoming fans of his considerable talent. It will also make them sad that Banderas decided to become an American movie star.

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (¡Átame!) is one of the two movies by renown director Pedro Almodóvar (the other being Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) that got wide attention in the US, albeit in the art house scene. Nothing since Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (made in 1990) has gotten nearly as much attention, despite several efforts since than by Almodóvar. Both movies have a similar style, but Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is a bit more disturbing as it revolves around a kidnapping.

Marina Osorio (Victoria Abril) is a former porn actor and junkie trying to make a more respectable living as a B movie actor. Ricky (Antonio Banderas), is a troubled youth who has just been released from a mental institution where he had spent the last several years due to his constant running away from orphanages and reform schools. Somehow Ricky has decided that Marina is his future wife and after some very lame attempts to get her attention on the set of her new movie, decides to break into her apartment and "kidnap" her until she is convinced to love him as he does her.

This seems somewhat straightforward, but most would assume that this would be a terror-filled, disturbing film about stalkers and people who's reality is warped. It is disturbing, but not for those reasons, but rather for its very light-hearted atmosphere and slapstick comedy in the face of this rather serious situation. One might call it a black comedy, but the mood is generally so light, that a better term might be "gray comedy." Marina, though occasionally showing some terror, seems more angry and annoyed at being tied up and kept captive than in fear for her life. One thing ran through my mind when watching this - that quote from Die Hard with the expert commentator on the news talking about how kidnapped victims sometimes go through the "Helsinki Syndrom" and start empathizing with their captors. Well, it does not take all that long for Ricky to actually convince Marina to love him. This again, leads to the very light-hearted and surreal nature of the film, and everything in the film seems to have this quality, almost as if what is happening is not real, but being acted on stage. This relates to the film that Marina is acting in at the beginning of this movie, where likewise, everything is pretty fantastic and unreal.

Other than the shear oddity of this film, the main other noteworthy quality seems to be in its steamy sex scenes with Abril and Bandaras. The film actually got an NC-17 rating due to this, which shows the hypocrisy of the MPAA which gives incredibly violent films like Saving Private Ryan an R, but because of a little sexual content will brand a film with NC-17 and make it hard to sell at the box office in most communities.

The DVD is lackluster, containing no special features except for a Trailer. The anamorphic transfer is a good one, very clear with vibrant colors. The audio is the original mono Spanish and is very clear for a mono soundtrack.

If you are a fan of the offbeat, you may enjoy this film for the shear "different" quality it has compared to most mainstream movies, but its light treatment of very disturbing theme may be too much for others.

"You can't be that kinky."
Pedro Almodovar's film "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" stars one of the director's favourite leading ladies--Victoria Abril as Marina--a former adult film star with a nasty narcotic habit. Marina is trying to stay clean with the help of her protective, responsible and non-stop talking sister, Lola. Marina has almost finished making a second rate horror film, "the Midnight Phantom." The film's wheelchair bound director, Maximo is obsessed with Marina. There's something about Marina's fragile sensuality that makes men want to protect and possess her. Ricky (Antonio Banderas)--just released from a mental hospital--is also obsessed with Marina. Ricky decides that he will kidnap Marina and keep her tied up until she falls in love with him.

Of course, there's a fundamental flaw in Ricky's plan, but Almodovar's playful script shows how the obstacles to Ricky and Marina's relationship are overcome. Victoria Abril is--as always--splendid, and Banderas is at his best. As with all Almodovar films, "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" is full of great, eccentric characters (the pistol-packing pharmacist, for example), and Almodovar's humour, acceptance and generosity towards human flaws always ensures some sort of good outcome.

"Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" contains a controversial scuba-diving gadget scene, and many Almodovar fans will note a very similar scene in "Talk to Her." (...). I loved the scenes when Maximo's frustration is shown by his endless circling in the wheelchair, and when he dances in his chair with Lola. The film also includes some amazing Spanish music. Almodovar and Abril fans will not be disappointed in this film--displacedhuman

A loving kidnapping drama...
Ricky (Antonio Banderas), a newly released mental patient, enters society with hope of building a family after have convinced the woman in his life that she loves him. This woman is Marina (Victoria Abril), a former heroin addict and porn star, that is filming a horror film with a director who has recently suffered a severe stroke. Ricky enters the film studio and retrieves Marina's keys, which he uses when he breaks into Marina's apartment and kidnaps her. In doing so Ricky wants Marina to get to know him and fall in love with him as they have had a brief affair once before, which changed Ricky's life.

Pedro Almodóvar knows how to make the absurd feel authentic and in this story he does it well as Marina and Ricky get to know each other. The story is planned down to every last detail as both characters have some heavy luggage from their pasts, which serves as a solid foundation for them to relate and understand one another. Almodóvar uses vibrant colors that improves visual representation of the likes and dislikes between Ricky and Marina as it expands on the audience's understanding of what is going on. There are also several interesting shots that are out of the ordinary as they draw attention to the characters and develop the persona around the characters. Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! fades away from the silver screen with a good cinematic experience, which can be pondered over a glass of sangria.

Subverting types!
When originally writing this film, Pedro Almodovar asked himself the question "Can love be calculated or sketched the same way one could study for an exam?" This is certainly the conviction of the Antonio Banderas character who seeks to capture his former lover and eventually convince her of her love for him. Although one could initially interpret the theme of the film as overtly misogynist - man tries to physically force woman to love him - gender stereotypes are typically subverted in true Almodovarian fashion.

It would seem that the women are the figures of power in this film and both Ricky and wheelchair-bound film director Maximo are at a loss in trying to seduce the object of their desire in any conventional sense. They are both addicted to Marina, but the only thing she's ever been addicted to is heroin. By the end of the film the Antonio Banderas character is almost totally domesticated, making food, cleaning the appartment, making sure Marina has enough drugs etc.

There's also the reference to the Sacred Heart at the beginning of the film and masochism has often been perceived in some of the more archaic rituals of our Roman church.

None of these subtleties were apparantly noticed by the American classification board who initially wanted to give this film an 'X' rating because of playing with toys in the bath! (?) ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Dark Humor Gives the Film its Edge
As a North American, one is subject to films which are essentially shallow, mindless and repetitious. Rarely is there a film that comes as a surprise. However, Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto offers a completely different cinematic experience. Pedro Almodovar's use of dark humor in Qué he hecho yo is what I found most appealing. The film takes a peek into the lives of the members of a poor working class family and explores their many problems in a tragic but comic way. The film opens with a shot of an enormous apartment complex similar to "the Projects" of the United States defining the films dark aspects and the tragic situation of the family. Soon, the close up takes us into the tiny apartment which is decorated in humorously bad taste, "kitsch". This allows the audience to relax and laugh as it reveals the film's dark humor. Furthermore, the film deals with subjects such as prostitution, child molestation, adultery, murder, drug addiction, and poverty. What I found most interesting was the way in which Almodovar manages to poke fun at these issues. A North American film would never even dare to mention child molestation unless it suggested that the criminal would end up dead, however Qué he hecho yo presents a mother who allows her young son to live with his homosexual dentist after he makes advances towards the boy at his practice. Interestingly, it is one of the films funniest moments. Hence, the film is truly a must see for anyone wishing to escape the monotony of American cinema and who enjoys an unconventional dark comedy.

"No-Doz" are caffeine pills
In Pedro Almodovar's fourth film "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" Gloria (Carmen Maura) lives in a tiny high-rise flat in Madrid which she shares with her boorish, lazy taxi-driver husband, Antonio, their two sons--one is a drug pusher and the other is a teen male prostitute, and Gloria's selfish mother-in-law who hoards her own supply of mineral water and cakes in a locked cabinet. Gloria scrapes by with a pittance doled out to her by her begruding husband, and she cleans homes and businesses to supplement their meagre income.
Gloria exists to serve and clean up for those she lives with, but underneath that harried housewife exterior boils a woman of passion--the film makes that clear very quickly, but will Gloria ever have the opportunity to be more than an unpaid maidservant? Gloria looks around at the four walls of her squalid tiny kitchen, and wonders how her life got to this point. She copes with her miserable, joyless existence thanks to an addiction to caffeine pills, but when she runs out of tablets one day, Gloria explodes.
Almodovar films always include deep friendships and loyalties between women, and "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" is no exception to this rule--Gloria's best friend and confidante is Cristal (played with great good humour by Veronique Forque). Cristal is a chatty prostitute who dreams of going to America. Her free-spirited ways are a threat to Antonio who can't really contemplate a woman like Cristal--a woman who may rent her body out temporarily, but she still remains owned by no-one. Cristal is Almodovar's prostitute with a heart of gold. She finds extra work for Gloria, and Gloria's friendship with Cristal eventually leads to trouble. Some of the best scenes in the film involve Cristal--her open approach to life is hilarious, and some of the scenes with her clients are priceless--the professor who is doing 'research' and the exhibitionist who needs more than Cristal to make up an adequate audience. This is darker than some of his later films, and the bleakness may prove difficult for some viewers to see the film. But the comedy is there--black comedy, but comedy nonetheless. The juxtaposition of the television romances next to the squalor of Gloria's real life are marvellously laced throughout the film. Keep an eye open for the dentist who wants to "adopt" Gloria's youngest son, Miguel. Due to themes and language ... this film is not for the kiddies

Classic Almodovar
This Almodovar classic from the early 80's is an excellent dark comedy. Great characters such as the next door prostitute, the little redhead girl with telekinetic powers, the cheap grandma, the impotent policeman, the gay dentist, the two writers, and so on make for an interesting watch. Many classic lines are found in this one, like the newlywed who gets her face burnt from her husband spilling coffee on her "I'll never forget that cup of coffee" and "I'm diabetic? oh, I always forget at dinner time?"
This film is not really driven by plot, but rather by the characters' lives. Like all Almodovar movies, it is a piece of art, a meditation and a comical look at life, sexual orientation, coincidence, destiny and love.

"Wouldn't happen to have a whip, would you?"
In Pedro Almodovar's fourth film "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" Gloria (Carmen Maura) lives in a tiny high-rise flat in Madrid which she shares with her boorish, lazy taxi-driver husband, Antonio, their two sons--one is a drug pusher and the other is a teen male prostitute, and Gloria's selfish mother-in-law who hoards her own supply of mineral water and cakes in a locked cabinet. Gloria scrapes by with a pittance doled out to her by her begruding husband, and she cleans homes and businesses to supplement their meagre income.

Gloria exists to serve and clean up for those she lives with, but underneath that harried housewife exterior boils a woman of passion--the film makes that clear very quickly, but will Gloria ever have the opportunity to be more than an unpaid maidservant? Gloria looks around at the four walls of her squalid tiny kitchen, and wonders how her life got to this point. She copes with her miserable, joyless existence thanks to an addiction to "no-doze" sedatives, but when she runs out of tablets one day, Gloria explodes.

Almodovar films always include deep friendships and loyalties between women, and "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" is no exception to this rule--Gloria's best friend and confidante is Cristal (played with great good humour by Veronique Forque). Cristal is a chatty prostitute who dreams of going to America. Her free-spirited ways are a threat to Antonio who can't really contemplate a woman like Cristal--a woman who may rent her body out temporarily, but she still remains owned by no-one. Cristal is Almodovar's prostitute with a heart of gold. She finds extra work for Gloria, and Gloria's friendship with Cristal eventually leads to trouble.

Some of the best scenes in the film involve Cristal--her open approach to life is hilarious, and some of the scenes with her clients are priceless--the professor who is doing 'research' and the exhibitionist who needs more than Cristal to make up an adequate audience.

While "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" isn't my all-time favourite Almodovar film, nonetheless, I do re-watch it from time to time, and it really is a great film. It is darker than some of his later films, and the bleakness may prove difficult for some viewers to see the film as a comedy. But the comedy is there--black comedy, but comedy nonetheless. The juxtaposition of the television romances next to the squalor of Gloria's real life are marvellously laced throughout the film. Keep an eye open for the ... dentist who wants to adopt Gloria's youngest son, Miguel. Due to themes and language ... this film is not for the kiddies--displacedhuman--www.Amazon.com Reviewer.

Great dark comedy
Almovodar's Best! (Terrible first date movie, however, with the opening sex scene). Humor along the lines of "Eating Raul". ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Very funny movie [5]
This is a very funny movie. The characters are very rich. The actors and actresses does a great job. This is one fascinating movie appropriate for all ages. The interaction between all the characters are fantastic and very interesting. I highly recommended it.

Very funny movie
This is a very funny movie. The characters are very rich. The actors and actresses does a great job. This is one fascinating movie appropriate for all ages. The interaction between all the characters are fantastic and very interesting. I highly recommended it.

"In my own dirty and silent way, I loved you."
"Kika" (Veronique Forque) is a bubbly beautician who has a poor history with men ("I always get the weirdos"). She lives with photographer Ramon who has a few kinky habits. Ramon has never forgotten his mother's suicide, and he has mixed feelings about his sinister step-father (Peter Coyote). Ramon's ex-girlfriend, Andrea Scarface (Victoria Abril) is the bizarre former psychologist-turned-tabloid-crime-TV-host who continues to show a morbid interest in Ramon's life.

"Kika" is probably Almodovar's most misunderstood film. When I saw it in the cinema, many people left during the controversial rape sequence, and I read several professional reviews criticizing this scene. This scene, however, is essential to the film's message. The character of Andrea Scarface exploits tragedy with no respect for the privacy of the victim--the crime against the individual becomes nothing next to the sensationalistic exploitation of the crime converted to entertainment to be enjoyed by the masses. That said, Almodovar fans should enjoy the darkly comic "Kika" but those fresh to Almodovar should start somewhere else.

Guileless, chatterbox Kika is one of Almodovar's greatest characters. Terrible things happen to her, but she remains basically unscarred by events. As with most of Almodovar films, his female characters are more interesting than the males. The darkly malevolent Andrea Scarface--with her fantastic costumes--is a perfect foil for Kika's perpetually sunny disposition. But there are many great minor characters in the film--there's Kika's devoted maid, Juana ("I want to be a prison matron") who would like to be more than just a domestic servant, and Paul Bazzo ("stop drooling on me")--ex-adult film star and prisoner who escapes during a self-flagellation ceremony. Kika is a wild story--dark, wickedly funny, and kinky. Lots of nudity--this film is not for the easily offended--displacedhuman

Very funny movie [4]
This is a very funny movie. The characters are very rich. The actors and actresses does a great job. This is one fascinating movie appropriate for all ages. The interaction between all the characters are fantastic and very interesting. I highly recommended it.

Very funny movie [3]
This is a very funny movie. The characters are very rich. The actors and actresses does a great job. This is one fascinating movie appropriate for all ages. The interaction between all the characters are fantastic and very interesting. I highly recommended it. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Dark and Perverse and Funny....Ole, Almodovar!
...."Matador" goes places that the typical Hollywood fare will never go.

Let's see "Matador" in DVD. Let's see if I could titulate you with my interpretation of the story.

Diego is a matador unable to get back into the ring after having been impaled by a bull. He, therefore, is reduced to teaching the arts of bullfighting to younger folks...including a fan, Angel, (Banderas) who is a little twisted. See, he can't stand the sight of blood...like what's produced from a successful bullfight.... His Ma may have ruined him for life and he has these intense visions/dreams of reported murders thru-out the city. He figures he must be the murderer. But he is not. Still, he confesses and turns himself in. His story line is one of several here...

Meanwhile, we find out that the lawyer assigned to Angel, Maria, (Serna) has a penchant for death and eros....she is like what you'd imagine a black widow would be. And, in the height of passion, the stickpen.

But see, Diego also is a little twisted. "To stop killing is to stop living", he says, and he has his own passion and murder psychosis going. As with Maria, Diego searches out for the ultimate sensual experience and he goes through young women as if he's objectified them like he has bulls during a bullfight....but...!

Maria meets Diego. And it is like they have been there before and they realise what each has done and it just is as it is and what must be done must be done...it's like Peck and Jones in that "Duel in the Sun" moovy they end up both being hypnotised by.

And the ultimate love, the ultimate sensuality, is the unquestioning willingness to die for another. To me it is why "Matador" in all it's perversity and darkness, turns out to be an unforgettable and beautiful film. What will you give to have love and passion like that...?

Now, I gave you the thumbnail sketch of the story to get you to see when you see the moovy, no one can quite capture the true essence of an Almodovar. You really have to experience his films. Thru out "Matador" (as well as many in his great catalog) there are images and insinuations, symbolism and absurdities that are going to stick with you loooong after you've viewed the film. The cinematography is stupendous, the mood just takes you. Initially, there is a disconnected feel, but it speeds up and there are scenes and edits you're going to rewind to and since it is subtitled