Film & TV

DVD Review: I’m So Excited!

Returning to his earlier days of sex-obsessed comedies, acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar’s farce centres on the crew and passengers of an ill-fated flight waiting to attempt a crash landing.

 

ImsoexcitedAcclaimed Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar has every right to be excited by his recent sex comedy which enjoyed the best opening weekend in Spain of any of his previous films.

Returning to his earlier days of sex-obsessed comedies, this straight forward farce centres on the crew and business class passengers of a flight to Mexico City. With economy class drugged and asleep, the forward passengers await an inevitable crash landing when it’s discovered that their landing carriage is damaged and an international summit is preventing them from attempting a landing at any nearby airport.

Almodóvar’s last pure comedy was, I believe, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, more than two decades ago, but this campy ride demonstrates that he hasn’t lost his touch when it comes to unveiling the quirky underbelly of society. On the surface there are laughs aplenty but bubbling underneath are the insecurities and failings of each main character.

Almodóvar rightly refers to I’m So Excited as his “gayest film ever” with bisexual pilots, and an all-gay cabin crew lip-syncing to the Pointer Sister’s song of the same name to keep the passengers calm. The action is…fleshed… out with a virgin who ensures she won’t die as one when she discovers a handsome, sleeping man in economy; a newlywed with drugs up his rectum; a blossoming, aged romance; insecurities; arguments; and a psychic who sees blood in the future. Yet, despite all the carry on, there is genuine tension as the inevitable crash landing draws nearer.

The film stars Spanish character actors Javier Cámara, Cecilia Roth, Lola Dueñas and Blanca Suárez. Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz made early cameos in the film to set up the disaster that will unfold in the air, although the part they play in the crisis doesn’t become clear until later.

While neither rushed nor building to a frenetic climax, the in-flight entertainment of I’m So Excited is nicely paced, with many contemplative moments to balance the more whacky scenes and dialogue. Almodóvar spares us from frontal nudity, preferring to play with what’s not seen, and it works a treat for extra laughs. His usual flair for using colour and style for added impact remain a prominent feature of this film.

While its cinema run was short in Adelaide, I’m So Excited is available from this week on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download.

Reviewed by Rod Lewis

 

More News

To Top