massimocrispi

At first it's a film for a multilingual and multicultural public. Then it's a film with several levels. Actors are simply fantastic. The idea of the three kingdoms of the World, Hell, Earth, Heaven, everyone with a specific language (English for Hell, Spanish for Earth, French for Heaven) and Latin for the Court, is very hilarious and suggestive. More: the idea of a snobbish, Forties, b/w Heaven, where the good angel Lola (Victoria Abril) is a star of the stage in the Paradise, a stylish theater/restaurant, singing AND DANCING (!!!) "Meditação" by Jobim (white dressed) and later "I wanna be evil" (black dressed), both in Rita Hayworth style, is only one of the thousands engaging details and quotes that fill the film. Also the opening is very hilarious: the good angel, Abril, and the bad demon, Cruz, masked while robbing the supermarket, are debating about the theological and philosophic reasons of Good and Evil. Rarely a film is so clever, surrealistic, funny, well played, well turned and balanced like this one. If you forgive me the analogy, it's like a drink with Cukor, Capra, Hitchcock, Fellini, De Palma, Risi, Brooks, Truffaut, Oury, shaken and served with a perfume of Almodóvar. Excellent.