Starring Javier Cámara, Raúl Arévalo, Carlos Areces
Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Whereas 2011s sinister and subversive The Skin I Live In saw Spanish provocateur Pedro Almodóvar putting his perverse twist on the classic mad scientist tale, this farcical follow-up largely amounts to his version of Airplane! for the art house set.
While its apparent that the screwball comedy here is intended to satirize the scandalous state of affairs in Spain, Im So Excited! is too burdened by broad camp and dull quirk to ever really get off the ground.
In a clever set-up that establishes the entitled/encumbered divide between the films characters, its a pair of glamourous superstars who make life miserable for a trio of working stiffs. Preoccupied with their own ongoing soap opera, two ground crew staff (Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz) inadvertently damage an aircrafts landing gear right before takeoff. With the problem only detected once airborne and an emergency landing required, the flight attendants Joserra (Javier Cámara), Ulloa (Raúl Arévalo) and Fajas (Carlos Areces) are charged with keeping the passengers distracted.
Of course, airlines time-honoured class system ensures unequal treatment. While the commoners in coach are unceremoniously knocked out, the affluent eccentrics in first class drink and drug in excess, spilling their tabloid-worthy backstories in the process. However, when you find yourself focusing on how the aesthetics of a commercial aircraft lend themselves well to Almodóvars fetishistic touch, its safe to say that these lurid secrets are failing to fascinate.
Ultimately, Im So Excited! is the equivalent of being stuck on a transatlantic flight next to someones whos not nearly as funny as he fancies himself to be. Curtis Woloschuk
