Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Better Late Then Never

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

A lot of fun.

the music. the inspired delicacy to give honest, direct portrait of an unique age. poetry of a summer holiday of few teenagers. words, temptations, desires, gestures. and a surprising director who does more than a good adaptation but a touching message about the fragility of small things who become support of the next ages. this is the most important detail of this modest film. a film about ordinary aspects of the lives of teenagers. it is not a great film. only useful. for remind. for explore. for propose a way to self definition. characters. and the air of summer. and the dreams. and need to escape from a too small universe. from yourself. so, see it !

I approached my viewing of this film with trepidation. The preview description I had read filled with me little confidence that I would enjoy it as I was expecting something quite sentimental. Also, films directed by actors often disappoint as their focus is usually on the acting performances and not the appearance of the film. But, to my surprise, what was most impressive about Summer Rain was the strong visual style of the director Antonio Banderas. His use of vibrant colours, striking vistas, dream scapes and powerful, haunting imagery made the film a true delight. Based on a prize winning Spanish novel and set in Banderas' home town, Malaga, it is apparent that the novel resonated deeply with Banderas. His passion for the work is evident in every scene. The cinematography is superb and the use of the widescreen aspect ratio contributes significantly to the rendering of what must have been rich source material. I now long for an English translation of the novel. Based on what I've seen Banderas attempt to do in this film, it seems that the book must have been a challenging adaptation. Voice-over is something I don't care for normally, but the elusive nature of the voice-over text in Summer Rain was a major factor in making this film such a pleasure. Rather than explain actions and motives, the periodic comments by the narrator (called Throat) heightened the atmospherics of the film. The choice of actors was excellent and all turn in performances that serve the themes of the film. Special mention has to go to Victoria Abril, who has played opposite Banderas before so many years ago. She is marvellous and lights up the screen with her evocation of the alluring older woman. I hope Antonio Banderas can find more projects to immerse himself in. His passionate rendering of Summer Rain suggests that he is a director to watch out for.

We were delighted to be able to see this at Sundance 2007. Antonio Banderas came to the screening and introduced the film, which was very nice. He was very gracious and we were happy to hear what he had to say about his film. However, the film itself was hard to follow. There were too many characters and it was hard to keep them straight. The main character has a serious illness, which added to the many plot devices. I had a hard time understanding why the title of the film was "Summer Rain" while the Spanish title was "The English Road". I guess maybe they both make sense, but "The English Road" seems to be a little more descriptive.Perhaps it doesn't translate well.This film was just all over the place and a bit too artsy for the "normal" film-goer. I can't see this film attracting a wide audience,sorry to say. The acting was top notch, however! Unfortunately, that wouldn't be enough to recommend this to anyone.

This movie tells the story of a group of young friends facing the end of their teen years during a fateful summer.Although it is a Spanish film set in the seventies, the topics and the way they are portrayed make it a whole universal experience (I am Spanish but I can't recall any localism of notice). You can tell that this movie has been made with all guts, heart and soul, or passion if you like, it sparkles all over the frame.The suffering and pain of teen years (and the joy of friendship, love and sex) are portrayed in a very poetical way.Both visual and acoustic poetry (the movie is narrated by the character "el garganta" as if reciting a somewhat complex yet beautiful poem). I've got only good things to say about this second directorial effort of Mr Banderas; lush cinematography, good music, nice pacing, and an ensemble cast whose performances shine like gold. This film is a true joy to your senses, brain and soul.