Tacchi a spillo

A very enjoyable, intricate tale that elevates its somewhat mundane plot by turning things in a new direction whenever it starts to get stale. It's got a lot of the usual Almodovar stamps: high melodrama mixed with black comedy, insane coincidences, twisted relationships and of course dazzling use of color. Early on the theme of mother-daughter rivalry reminded me of AUTUMN SONATA, so I was quite tickled to hear the relationship being directly compared to that film later on. The movie doesn't have the magic of Almodovar's best works, perhaps because the performances as a whole aren't that impressive. However, even second-tier Almodovar is better than most stuff out there... it's got some really good laughs and an engaging series of twists and reversals. The out-of-nowhere prison dance scene is delightfully offbeat (although I felt like Almodovar was actually holding back a bit).