torremolinos 73

I've decided that I need to go into most movies with no expectations. Case in point: "Torremolinos 73". I had no expectations about it and I enjoyed it a great deal.

Javier Cámara and Candela Peña are perfectly cast in this softcore comedy that begins with the most unlikely of premises. Fernando Tejero is also a great foil.

Alfredo Lopez is a tired encyclopedia salesman, and Carmen is his faithful wife. The lives of this married couple change forever when the Montoya publishing house, in which Alfredo works, makes a proposal to them to make erotic films that will sold in the Scandinavian countries, under the guise of being a false encyclopedia about reproduction. Unknown to them both, Carmen has become an adult film star in the Northern countries, and a Danish crew flies in to help Alfredo make an Ingmar Bergman inspired feature film called "Torremolinos 73." Instead of a career in show business, Carmen is eager to have a baby, and the tension between the artist and his muse grows.

The witty dialogue (counterbalanced with appropriate drama) made this film more than a fun romp. What I like most is the playful manner in which the writer/director, Pablo Berger, celebrates sex and filmmaking. In the end, the interesting characters, complicated situations, and Berger's lighthearted touch left Leo and I with smiles on our faces.