¡Buen viaje, excelencia!

I saw this movie because of insomnia - just woke up in night, turned on TV - and there it was. Must say, I was quite charmed and watched it with great interest. Do not know so much about Spanish history but the story seemed to be quite universal- a depiction of autocratic ruler's last days, when he is unable to perceive reality adequately, but still is been kept firm for public eye because he is symbol of state and the inner circle of his companions want the leader to look good for their own needs. The depiction of Franco in this movie reminded me late Brezhnev, Soviet leader who slowly sank in dementia, but was not allowed to retire because of political reasons. The movie can be considered a comedy in the same sense as Buñuel's last films can - bitter irony combined with surrealistic approach.

¡Buen viaje, excelencia! (2003) is a Satiric project of film by one of the best Dramatic Group in Spain: Els Joglars.

This group born in the sixties but their Theater screen became to be famous in the late seventies.The Director of the company is Albert Boadella who is a very original Screenwriter/Director

The problem is that this film has not that kind of Quality.¡Buen viaje, excelencia! (2003)falls in the easy joke and most of the gags are not funny.

If you want see the Els Juglars,Go to the Theater to see them,but not in the cinema Because it is not their ground.

The theatre group "els Joglars" have made a satiric film about the last days of the life of dictator Franco. As he is totally ill, their subordinates decide to contract a new foreign doctor, that, as her only interest is to heal a patient (not a famous person) quickly receives the favor of Franco. Drawin all the characters as mad and stupid, Joglars not parodies the society of the moment, only mocks them to make bad joke after bad joke which result in a bad movie. Actors are bad, the history is stupid, the scenes are bad filmed... it has everything to be terrible, but, it has some (one or two) absolutely funny jokes (if you knew about Spanish history, you could understand them) that saves a little the result. There are better things to see.

I'm not Spanish, but I'm well aware of Spanish culture (or cultures) and very curious about the themes that tend to divide this country in two since the civil war! "Buen viaje excelencia" tries to depict the situation of Spanish government during the last years of Francisco Franco, when the dictator was showing strong signs of mental and physical illness, although until the day of his death he was presented to the world has a strong and in perfect shape leader. It's a satirical piece presented by one of Spain's most celebrated comedians "Els Joglars", a Catalan group that started on the sixties, and that tries to take to the cinema something that seems it would work better on stage, as a play!... Although funny at times, the film is unbalanced leaving a sense of broken pieces glued to each other. A curious document that portrays an age of changes in modern Spain, in the tradition of Italian political 'satyra'... Exaggerated but funny to watch at least if you're aware of Spain's 20th century history.