Truly Dreadful Film

Beautiful, moving film.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

I wonder if previous contributors watched the dubbed mono-lingual Castilian version rather than the original bi-lingual version (subtitles available on the DVD). I have always mistrusted dubbed films, because the dubbing voice always betrays and frequently contradicts the characters, and at times even the actor (it is said that when Humphrey Bogart visited Madrid, fans believed he was a look alike sent to Spain because the pitch of his voice did not match his dubbed Spanish voice). As mentioned by previous post the Castilian dubbed version is painful to watch, saw it last night on International TVE.es. But give the film the chance it deserves. I first saw the film in its original bilingual version and loved it... Under-rated, it is a delightful romantic comedy between opposites, chalk and cheese, emphasised by the Catalan-Castilian contrast of the soundtrack, which all beautifully conveys the contradictions of the relationship that defies all logic (but when was "love" logical?). Ventura Pons keeps us wondering how will this boy-meets-girl will end. Without discussing the implicit details of regional identities and stereotypes, or the tradition of Calderón's sword and dagger plays, where intelligent girls win their inept and incompetent galanes (The House with Two Doors, The Phantom Lady, My Lady First and Foremost, etc), this film has much to offer if only the original version is viewed. The characterisation works. And indeed, Ventura Pons so often manages to stretch his spectators' preconception to see relationships in a different light. And if you do eventually enjoy the story of this looser, who does find a girl, try "O ano da carracha / El año de la garrapata", Jorge Coira's first film –recommended to me in 2005 by the salesman at the DVD counter of the Corte Inglés in Santiago de Compostela, one of the most informed cinephiles I have ever met.

Pere is an idiot, but he is aware about it and acts in consequence. His life is totally boring and he doesn't know how to change it. When his last friend, Nicco, dies. He feels totally empty and he decides to go out to become drunk. When he is returning home, he crashes with a girl that puts advertisements. Although she ignores him, he fells in love and starts to follow her, obsessively. Well the beginning of the film is a bit slow, and can result boring for most people. However, as action begins, it is a little better (not much!, maybe, the best part is the 5 minutes of sex (almost 30 different scenes about it) that you can see in the middle of the movie; it is not good for the erothism, but for the funny and unexpected that is the scene. Probably it is the best of the film. Neither the actors nor the directing is good, and the results is a boring film that that can result funny for some people (not for me). All the film is based on absurd situations (idiot, as the film says), that have anything interesting. I like Ventura Pons, but I have to admit that this is not one of his best films (maybe his worst!), he knows to do it better.

OK another 3 millions dollars toss to dump,in any Spanish movie its necessary put sex,no matter if its a drama,a comedy,a preteen movie,etc etc,you must put any sex scene,but in this movie is too much, the movie its about a jerk who says himself that is a jerk,OK the following 103 minutes of the movie its about jerks ideas of the main actor and about 20 sex scenes,but the main problem of this film ,its too boring,too cheap,and stupid characters(if you see a unknown man at your homes garden, you normally call to police,in Spain you can drink about 8 glasses of Geneva and still driving,)and Its recommended for those that had insomnia or want to see Barcelona on night..

Although the actors do a convincing job playing the losers that parade across the screen, the fact that these characters are impossible to identify with had me looking at my watch a mere 20 minutes into the film (and more than once after that). The plot development is disjointed and slow, the verbal diarrhoea of the main character's only friend is practically insufferable, the base quality of most of the characters actions and the cavalier way in which they are treating is annoying.It is typical of Ventura Pons to put forth crass psychologically handicapped characters. However, this faux sociological analysis is a big step down from CARICIAS or Caresses, where the characters maltreat and despise each other for well founded reasons that play out during that film. In AMOR IDIOTA we are forced to follow the meanderings of a truly subnormal intelligence as he stalks a severely depressed and detached woman. Supposedly this is due to his own depression but the script doesn't support that. I won't give away the rest of the story just in case there are any masochists out there… Is he cured through his obsession or is the woman shocked out of her own depression through his unwavering attention? Even though I watched the whole thing I wasn't made to care even for a moment about either of them.If you can sit through all this prejudice, ignorance, betrayal, BAD dialogue, flimsy philosophy, etc… the camera-work was pretty good and seems to be something inspired by the DOGMA group. The makeup also seemed to aim at showing these players in a raw and gritty light as it is the worst I've seen Cayetana Guillen Cuervo in any of her movies (while in person she is actually attractive).I suppose if the idea is that we should be forced to see the lower strata of society so we can be grateful we are not part of it then Pons has achieved his objective. The barrage of nearly identical sex scenes was a proper waste of film (if the actors had been filmed but once in blue green clothing the background behind them could have been changed in the special effects studio for a pittance). True that I heard much of the male audience squirm in their seats during this but an objective viewing proves that was not the real aim of those scenes.Save yourselves and watch something else.