| Review |
“Musical Beds” would be a better title for this comedy-with-music about Madrid couples that rotate partners to supposedly humorous effect. When “The Other Side of the Bed” sticks to narrative, what it offers is Almodovarian wackiness without that director’s attempt at something deeper. And when it breaks into song and dance, it’s like VH-1 with a Spanish soundtrack. Neither element is especially impressive on its own; together they’re even less so.
Emilio Martinez-Lazaro’s movie opens with sad-faced, bedraggled Pedro (Guillermo Toledo) being dumped by his luscious girlfriend Paula (Natalia Verbeke). Pedro visits his chum Javier (Ernesto Alterio) for sympathy and support, but it’s soon revealed that Javier is the other man in Paula’s life, although he’s still living with long-time squeeze Sonia (Paz Vega) and is reluctant to leave her. Eventually Pedro and Sonia will link up as well, of course. But the complications don’t end there. Javier suspects Sonia, an enthusiastic member of a theatrical troupe, of having a thing for lesbian actress Lucia (Nathalie Poza); he also tries to fix Pedro up with Pilar (Maria Esteve), an oddball colleague with a crush on Javier. And another pal of the guys, Rafa (Alberto San Juan), discourses loudly on his philandering, but is an emotional wreck when his girlfriend leaves him, too--for a man whose identity will be apparent to all long before it’s revealed as a surprise.
There are amusing moments in “The Other Side of the Bed” (a story thread involving a private investigator with a love of conspiracy theories is actually fairly witty), and it’s reasonably colorful and energetic. But ultimately it’s just too empty and ephemeral to matter. The characters are a largely uninteresting crew, neither very personable nor especially likable, and while the cast does decent work, none of them really stand out--with the possible exception of Toledo, whose frizzy hair can’t help but catch the eye. It’s especially disappointing that the musical interludes, which ought to be a highlight, seem like intrusions instead. The songs are uniformly bland pop pieces, and they’re not very well sung; even worse, the choreography is nondescript, giving the numbers an almost amateurish feel. The picture might actually have been better without them, even if it would have been less distinctive.
“The Other Side of the Bed” is the introductory offering in the Sundance Film Series, which has been created to bring foreign and independent product to venues where such pictures are rarities. That’s a great idea; it’s a pity that the first picture is unlikely to encourage viewers to come back for more--and, one hopes, better--ones. |
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