¨As Luck Would Have It¨ (La Chispa De La Vida) deals with an out-of-work publicist (Jose Mota) and once popular ad exec can't catch a break, until a freak accident at a Roman theater located in Cartagena puts him at the center of a media frenzy, he hires an agent (Fernando Tejero) to help him cash in on his life-or-death situation in an attempt to provide money for his family . Roberto's loving wife (Salma Hayek) tries to convince him he's worth more alive than dead .
Dramatic comedy follows an unemployed advertising executive as he looks for work , ultimately becoming the focal point of media attention when he falls into a precarious situation . This is a full-on surreal psychotronic black-comedy that blends emotion , thrills , comedy , tension as well as an interesting script full of dark humor ,outrageous drama , odd /selfish characters and exciting situations . This satirical melodrama explores the greedy nature between the media and public consumption . Eloy De La Iglesia moves out from under the literal big top and sets his sites on the mass media , probably as close to a modern circus as you can get . De la Iglesia reigns in his style this time around and delivers a utterly watchable takedown of ambition and media obsession that certainly delivers a few madly inspired moments . But while he tips his hat knowingly to films like Network and Billy Wilder's ¨Ace in the Hole¨, the end result is curiously toothless, and far less outlandish , intense and angry than either of those media-satire hallmarks . The film works on various levels and is constantly reconfigured , however contains some embarrassing , contriving moments and also certain excess . Acceptable performance by José Mota as an executive who has been out of work for a long time and suffers an accident and attempts to sell the exclusive interview rights to the highest bidder . A real standout by Salma Hayek , Mexican-born actress certainly makes up for her short stature with her performance in the film, receiving much praise for her role . Excellent plethora of secondaries such as the recently deceased Juan Luis Galiardo , Joaquin Climent , Juanjo Puigcorbe , Blanca Portillo and Alex De la Iglesia's ordinary actors such as Santiago Segura , Manuel Tallafé , Fernando Tejero , Enrique De La Torre and Carolina Bang whose partner is the director . Colorful and glimmer cinematography by Kiko De La Rica . Thrilling as well as emotive musical score by Joan Valent , the soundtrack flows great with the film in every way, and creates enjoyable atmospheres in every moment.
The motion picture was well directed by the king of black comedy , Alex De La Iglesia , though failed at the Spanish Box office . He's a cool director has got much success as ¨Accion Mutante¨ ,¨Dying of laughter¨ or ¨Muertos De Risa¨ , ¨Baby's room¨ , ¨Oxford murders¨ and ¨Balada Triste De Una Trompeta¨ and winner of several Goyas (Spanish Oscars), however his movies have not yet reached box office in USA, but he has strong followers . Nonsense, ridicule , laughters , absurdity , disturbing scenes .. and many other issues ; you can find everything in this flick . The movie is a lot of fun, especially for those who enjoy surrealist humor . This is without a doubt a thrilling and enjoyable movie to be enjoyed for dark humor buffs and Alex De Iglesia fans.
