I'm So Excited!/Los Amantes Pasajeros (2013) - Almodóvar flees with unfavorable comedy

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A colorful, simply animated poster for Pedro Almodóvar's I'm So Excited! that spells fun and debauchery

A flight with a series of colorful characters on it and a crew that work on a mix of sleeping pills, tequila and drugs takes off but experiences problems in the air and has to embark on a risky emergency landing.

 

I'm So Excited! is written and directed by Spanish master filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar (Folle... Folle... Fólleme Tim! (1978)) whose 20th feature it is. The original Spanish title translates to 'the fleeting lovers' or 'the passenger lovers'.

Almodóvar, who at this late point in his career had turned more permanently towards drama, it seemed, here presents a tequila-chucking, (the amounts one of the characters drinks is just ridiculous), lip-sync-dancing round of light doodling mid-air, as if the master attempts to transport himself back in time, back to his wacky, drug-enamored, anarchistic early pictures. The attempt is pathetic and unfunny.

It is neither risque, sexy nor fun that the stewards drink like louts, do drugs or are vulgar in today's world. At least it isn't in this film. I'm So Excited!, with its light-hearted tone, is up against a time that is not light-hearted anymore, and it loses. But it is also a horny picture, a trait that deserves salute, although this generally is a failed recess for Almodóvar.

 

Related posts:

Pedro Almodóvar: 2019 in films - according to Film Excess  

Pain and Glory/Dolor y Gloria (2019) - Almodóvar's 8½ 
The Skin I Live In/La Piel que Habito (2011) or, Almodóvar's Extreme Make-Over
Broken Embraces/Los Abrazos Rotos (2009) or, Mysteries in Love and Life

Talk to Her/Hable con Ella (2002) - Almodóvar's beautiful coma love drama 
Live Flesh/Carne Trémula (1997) or, A Spanish Fix

The Flower of My Secret/La Flor de Mi Secreto (1995) - Paredes star turn in charming Almodóvar work 

High Heels/Tacones Lejanos (1991) - Superficially worthwhile Almodóvar crime melodrama 
Labyrinth of Passion/Laberinto de Pasiones (1982) - Sexual mix-ups in screwball Madrileña style 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 5 mil. €, approximately 5.58 mil. $

Box office: 21.2 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 3.79 times its cost)

[I'm So Excited! was released 8 March (Spain) and runs 90 minutes. Shooting took place from July - September 2012 in Spain, including in Madrid. The film opened #33 to a 97k $ first weekend in 5 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #32 and in 99 theaters (different weeks), grossing 1.3 mil. $ (6.1 % of the total gross). The film's 3 biggest markets were Spain with 6.5 mil. $ (30.7 %), France with 3.7 mil. $ (17.5 %) and Italy with 2.4 mil. $ (11.3 %). The film was nominated for 2 European Film awards, among other honors. Almodóvar returned with Julieta (2016). Javier Cámara (Madrid, int. (2020)) returned in Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed/Vivir Es Fácil con los Ojos Cerrados (2013); Pepa Charro (Mai Neva a Ciutat (2019, TV-series)) in Esposados (2013, TV-series) and theatrically in Presentimientos (2013). I'm So Excited! is rotten at 48 % with a 5.60/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of I'm So Excited!?

The Closet/Le Placard (2001) - Clever direction and fired up stars make bouncy comedy hit

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Three good-humored stars in suits make up most of this fun-teasing poster for Francis Veber's The Closet

A boring accountant is about to get sacked, until his neighbor help him to 'become' a closeted homosexual, - naturally meaning that he then cannot get sacked!

 

The Closet is written and directed by Francis Veber (The Toy/Le Jouet (1976)). The title is a literal translation of the original French title.

It is a blend of a classical mix-up comedy and a sex comedy, which thank God already feels quite antiquated in its way of dealing with people being gay. Everyone behaves more or less hysterically when confronted with the (fake) news, and the story had definitely not gone down nicely if it wasn't for the lovely and very game cast:

Especially excellent is Daniel Auteuil (Happy End (2017)) and Gérard Depardieu (Thalasso (2019)) as the homophobic co-worker, who discovers a new side of himself. 

Although the concept in The Closet is tongue-in-cheek heightened reality, the clever direction and performances succeed in making it screwball-like and a lot of fun.

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 14.5 mil. $

Box office: 50.1 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 3.45 times its cost)

[The Closet was released 17 January (France, Belgium, Switzerland) and runs 84 minutes. Shooting took place in France, including in Paris. The film opened #30 to a 180k $ first weekend in 37 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #17 and in 145 theaters, grossing 6.6 mil. $ (13.2 % of the total gross). Its biggest market was France, where it was the year's 3rd highest-grossing home title, making around 25 mil. $ from approximately 5 mil. admissions. Roger Ebert gave the film a 2.5/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. Veber returned with Ruby & Quentin/Tais-Tou! (2003). Auteuil returned in Vajont - La Diga del Disonore (2001); Depardieu in Concorrenza Sleale (2001). The Closet is certified fresh at 85 % with a 7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Closet?

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) - Great musical numbers define cultural cornerstone

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Two long-legged glamour girls look ready to give a show on this colorful, inviting poster for Howard Hawks' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Two show singers take a cruise to Europe, where one of them means to wed her ridiculous millionaire fiancée. Tomfoolery and a lost diamond tiara get in the way.

 

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is written by Charles Lederer (Ocean's Eleven (1960)), based on the same-titled 1949 Broadway musical, and directed by Indianan master filmmaker Howard Hawks (The Road to Glory (1926)), whose 39th feature it was.

It is a vulgar and shamelessly materialistic movie, which probably shouldn't be judged on this, since it is a comedy, but when the laughs don't materialize as is the case here, one feels compelled to note it nonetheless. Marilyn Monroe (The Asphalt Jungle (1950)) is vamped up, and so is Jane Russell (Waco (1966)). There is handsomely choreographed, catchy and good-looking musical numbers, but Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is still a dumb film (with a memorable but unrelated title.) 

Related posts:

Howard Hawks: El Dorado (1966) - Hawks, Duke and Mitchum's great western

The Big Sleep (1946) - The sexiest noir carousel you will ever ride
Top 10: The best adaptations reviewed by Film Excess to date
Top 10: The best B/W movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Bringing Up Baby (1938) - A screwy gathering

  

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 2.3 mil. $

Box office: Reportedly 5.3 mil. $

= Minor flop, some uncertainty (returned 2.30 times its cost)

[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes premiered 1 July (Atlantic City) and runs 91 minutes. Russell was paid 200k $ for her performance, while the then lesser-known Monroe was paid 500 $ a week. Shooting took place in London, England and in Los Angeles from November 1952 - January 1953. It is said that the musical numbers were more or less directed by choreographer Jack Cole (River of No Return (1954)). The film was the 8th highest-grossing worldwide of the year and made 5.1 mil. $ in North America. That leaves only a 0.2 mil. $ gross for all foreign markets, which seems unlikely and hard to believe, - but is nevertheless the numbers that are recorded. Hawks returned with Land of the Pharaohs (1955). Russell returned in The French Line (1953); Monroe in The Jack Benny Program (1952-53) and theatrically in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is certified fresh at 98 % with a 7.86/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes?

The Ladies Man (2000) or, Leon Phelps: Master of Love

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Star Tim Meadows radiates confidence and apparently sits on Manhattan - and cloud nine - on this poster for Reginald Hudlin's The Ladies Man

Leon Phelps is the radio personality 'the Ladies Man' who is nevertheless fired due to his vulgar program as he also falls in love with his producer. - But how can he combine that with his intense love life?

The Ladies Man is written by Dennis McNicholas (Saturday Night Live (1999-19)), Andrew Steele (The Jon Stewart Show (1993-95)) and co-writer/star Tim Meadows (Semi-Pro (2008, actor)), and directed by Reginald Hudlin (House Party (1990)). It is based on a character from long-running sketch-show Saturday Night Live.
It doesn't esteem itself all that well as a film. It is very coarse and sporadically funny, and in fact I still found parts of it very funny, especially scenes with Will Ferrell (Drunk History (2010, TV-series short)), which elevate The Ladies Man considerably. There's also a musical number that's a riot.
Billy Dee Williams (The Visit (2000)) is another welcome co-star here, great with a twinkle in his eye as the narrating bar owner, and finally Meadows is very likable as the foolish Leon.
The Ladies Man is in no way a significant film, - but I wonder if it in any way inspired Ferrell and Adam McKay's somewhat similar but infinitely better Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004). On a late night with low expectations it makes for completely a-okay entertainment.

Watch a 1-minute clip from the film here

Cost: 24 mil. $
Box office: 13.7 mil. $
= Huge flop (returned 0.57 times its cost)
[The Ladies Man premiered 10 October (USA) and runs 84 minutes. Shooting took place from August - October 1999 in Toronto, Ontario and Chicago, Illinois. The film opened #4, behind holdover hits Meet the Parents and Remember the Titans and fellow new release Lost Souls, to a 5.4 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its 2nd week and grossed 13.6 mil. $ (99.3 % of the total gross). The 27k $ rest of the paltry gross came from Australia and Germany. The film was released in at least 4 more markets, but these don't figure on its Box Office Mojo, (they may likely have been even smaller than those for Australia and Germany.) Roger Ebert gave the film a 1/4 star review, translating to 3 notches harder than this one. Hudlin returned with Serving Sara (2002). Meadows returned in 6 TV credits prior to his theatrical return in Wasabi Tuna (2003). The Ladies Man is rotten at 11 % with a 3.22/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Ladies Man?

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972) - Allen's curious sex comedy is a riot

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This upbeat poster for Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) invites us to its free-minded vagaries

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) is a kind of anthology of various sex-related topics, based on Dr. David Reuben's (Any Woman Can!) same-titled 1969 book, written and directed by New Yorker master filmmaker Woody Allen (Crisis in Six Scenes (2016), TV-series), including:

What is Sodomy? Gene Wilder (The Frisco Kid (1979)) is a sheep-loving man in free fall. Why Do Some Women Have Trouble Reaching an Orgasm? Allen conjures up an homage to Italian cinema as the title issue is broached. What Are Sex Perverts? Perversions are put under the magnifying glass in a mock TV show. Are the Findings of Doctors and Clinics Who Do Sexual Research and Experiments Accurate? John Carradine (The McMasters (1970)) is a madly funny mad doctor conducting sexual experiments, and a giant tit attacks. What Happens During Ejaculation? A look into the male internal system leading up to an intercourse and ejaculation.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) is a crazy-funny movie full of hilarious absurd comedy. My favorite segment is the one with Carradine as a sex research doctor. The film investigates sex without taboos and serves its truths with a childlike glee concerning its topic, which is coupled with great intelligence. SPOILER Its end is blunted, but the film is great.
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) is unique and elevated madness. - You have to see it!

Related posts:
 

 

Woody Allen: 2016 in films - according to Film Excess

Café Society (2016) - The greatest living American filmmaker hands us another splendid gem

Irrational Man (2015) - Allen's pleasant morality tale divertisement

2014 in films - according to Film Excess

Magic in the Moonlight (2014) - Allen's irresistible French Riviera romance

2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2013 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Blue Jasmine (2013) - Allen presenets Blanchett, a woman under the influence

Fading Gigolo (2013) - Turturro's pleasant turn as a high-end NY prostitute  (as actor)

To Rome with Love (2012) - Woody Allen's slightest film to date  

2011 in films - according to Film Excess

Midnight in Paris (2011) - Allen's zany (and a little depressing) crowd-pleaser  

Cassandra's Dream (2007) - Allen's well-laid but inconsequentiel English cul-de-sac  

Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date  
Anything Else (2003) - Perfect contemporary relationship comedy  

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001) - Allen's hypnotic, noirish shenanigans 
Celebrity (1998) or, Stars in New York
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) - Sin and guilt up for laughs and rumination in unspectacular Allen work 
Broadyway Danny Rose (1984) or, Keep Your Heart   
Annie Hall (1977) or, My Relationship with Alvie Singer   
Bananas (1971) - Woody Allen's South American misadventure is still a barrel of laughs   
Casino Royale (1967) - The packed spy spoof frontrunner, a film very much of its time (as actor)   

Watch a short clip with Gene Wilder from the film here

Cost: 2 mil. $
Box office: 18 mil. $ (North America only)
= Mega-hit
[Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) premiered 6 August (New York) and runs 88 minutes. Shooting took place from January - March 1972 in California. The film reached #1 in North America on its second week of release, rocking Deliverance from the honor for a week. The film became the 13th highest-grossing movie of 1972 in the US. It also seems to have been a hit abroad with 2 mil. admissions in West Germany, 1.7 mil. in France and 1 mil. in Spain. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) is fresh at 89 % with a 7.3 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)?

The Doom Generation (1995) - Araki's violent, sometimes sexy, not that good 5th

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The in-your-face style poster for Gregg Araki's The Doom Generation

QUICK REVIEW:

A young couple drives out on an adventure and picks up a sexy stranger to go with them, who, however, soon gets them involved in several bloody murders.

You can't really blame adults in the mid 1990s for being slightly uneasy about the younger generation with films such as this. Great LA writer-director Gregg Araki (Mysterious Skin (2004)), in this his 5th feature and second film in his Teenage Apocalypse trilogy (also consisting of Totally F***ed Up (1993) and Nowhere (1997), shows us a depraved and deeply unhealthy youth, utterly lacking any moral compass while navigating in a manufactured, mediated type reality.
Som sexy scenes and stars James Duval (Donnie Darko (2001)), Rose McGowan (Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008)) and Johnathon Schaech (Broken Horses (2015)) light up in the general nihilist-apocalyptic mood of Doom Generation, a film that wants to be a lot more than it is.
SPOILER Unfortunately, it also ends in an unnecessarily vile scene of violence, in which Duval's genitals are mutilated. Yuck! Poor, sweet Duval...

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 0.8 mil. $
Box office: 284k $ (North America only)
= Uncertainty (but likely at least a big flop)
[The Doom Generation premiered January 26 (Sundance) and runs 83 minutes. It was shot in January 1994 in LA and was Araki's biggest movie to date. At its Sundance premiere, many critics reportedly walked out. Roger Ebert was among the harshest critics of it, giving it a zero star rating. In North America, it received small public reception, probably heavily influenced by its being released unrated, peaking in just 20 theaters. It was released in at least 16 countries besides the US, so without a world gross, it is impossible to ascertain its theatrical status, however, it was likely at least a big flop. McGowan was nominated for the Best Debut Performance at the Spirit Awards, losing to Justin Pierce from the great Kids. The Doom Generation is rotten at 47 % with a 4.8 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Doom Generation?

Klown Forever/Klovn Forever (2015) - A raunchy laugh smash

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+ Best Los Angeles Movie of the Year

Casper Christensen and Frank Hvam on what must be the year's most outrageous poster, for Mikkel Nørgaard's Klown Forever

Klown Forever is the sequel to the huge Danish comedy hit Klown/Klovn: The Movie (2010), which was based on the TV-series Klown/Klovn (2005-09), in which Danish comedians Casper Christensen (Player (2013)) and Frank Hvam (What's Wrong with This Picture?/Tid Til Forandring (2004)) play themselves in their celebrity-studded, clownish Copenhagen lives.

Frank has become a henpecked father and husband, and his old best friend Casper, now single, is living in another universe and consequently decides to leave Frank and Denmark to pursue his dreams of making it big in Los Angeles.

For us who have laughed hysterically at Klown before, - TV-series and/or the movie, - Klown Forever is like a box of candies. - It's just a lot of fun. Christensen and especially Hvam, who also co-wrote and executive produced the film, are back in top shape, comically if not physically, and they go all in once again, resulting in awkwardness and uproarious laughter aplenty.
The plot may be a bit thick at some points, but it generally works, even though it doesn't have the major narrative drive of the first film, (the journey of that film isn't comparable to the one here, which is cut short.) To get out the other few problems of the film, debuting actress Simone Colling looks fine but she comes up a bit short acting-wise here as Casper's daughter, a quite big part. The film also has a couple of effects-shots that unfortunately simply don't look good enough.

Mia Lyhne (All Inclusive (2014)) is spectacular, and looks as good as ever, or even better, and I am hoping for a more Mia-centered plot if a proposed third movie happens.
Lars Hjortshøj (Journey to Saturn/Rejsen til Saturn (2008)) and Tina Bilsbo (Langt fra Las Vegas (2001-02)) are hilarious as Frank and Mia's overly loving friend couple, and Iben Hjejle (High Fidelity (2000)) plays a bitchy version of herself (again.)
Klown Forever introduces to the Klown universe Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones (2011-16)), Adam Levine (Begin Again (2014)) and Isla Fisher (Bachelorette (2012)), who plays herself in the scene that I found to be the outrageous film's absolute funniest. - Although there are many to choose from.
The hilarities are once again directed by Mikkel Nørgaard (Klown/Klovn: The Movie). 

Related posts:

Mikkel Nørgaard: 2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]  
The Keeper of Lost Causes/Kvinden i Buret (2013) or, GRumpy and Ethnic Find a Woman in a Pressure Chamber

Watch the official trailer here, - unfortunately, it is not currently available with English subtitles

Cost: 27.1 mil. DKR/4.1µ$
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertainty
[Shot in 2014 in Los Angeles and Copenhagen, Klown Forever is produced by Hvam and Christensen's Nutmeg Movies, TV2 and with 4 mil. DKR in support from the Danish Film Institute's market arrangement. The film was shown in Cannes for selling purposes and released in Denmark on September 24th. It has so far drawn 308k admissions in Denmark, which is quite strong, but still far from the stunning 850+ thousands that paid to see the first film. It opens in Iceland and Norway on Friday 10.9.]

What do you think of Klown Forever?

Trainwreck (2015) - Amy Schumer's breakthrough is a lot of fun

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Amy Schumer and Bill Hader want your attention on the poster for Judd Apatow's Trainwreck

If you haven't heard of Trainwreck by now, you can be certain that you're not an in person. You don't know what's going on today; you're not hip, you're not riding the hip-train. Because the hip city folk of today have heard of or seen Trainwreck already.

Amy is a New Yorker single woman, who works on a trashy gossip magazine and has so far been following her father's advice of mistrusting monogamy. But as she now meets and falls for a grounded sports doctor, she begins to reevaluate her life choices.

Trainwreck is written by its star Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer (2013-15)) and directed by master filmmaker Judd Apatow (Knocked Up (2007)), and in a way it's the story of a Carrie Bradshaw-like woman (of Sex and the City (1998-04) fame), without the alleviating friends, and told in a different humorous tone.
Some of the critics and pundits who seem to bellow out 'gender revolution' across the plains at the arrival of Trainwreck may have forgotten this show and a long list of other woman-lead comedies before it. That being said, Trainwreck does turn some relationship dynamics on their head, - compared to their traditional depiction, - and that is part of the film's attraction for sure.
Trainwreck is a raunch comedy and a romcom. - I think it pushes its raunch label too squarely for its first about 45 minutes (of 124); Schumer and co-stars squeeze a 'fuck' and a 'tits' in whereever possible, and it stretches some of the realism a bit, (and doesn't always result in laughter or amusement.)
But Trainwreck is still a lot of fun and an event comedy that should be seen now, as it's in its full, fresh bloom.

The details:

Schumer jumps into the major spotlight in a rare way here, and even if you hold reservations towards her going in, they will most likely come down in the course of the film. As Trainwreck came to a close in the cinema where I saw it, SPOILER audiences certainly held no laughter back as Schumer presented her cheerleader/basketball abilities. - The scene is a heart-stealer.
Trainwreck is bolstered by Bill Hader (Inside Out (2015)) as Schumer's likable new boyfriend. Other funny actors include surprisingly strong supporting performances from John Cena (12 Rounds (2009)), who puts himself out there in a part that both includes nudity and implicit homosexuality. LeBron James (Entourage (2009) TV-series) is also a lot of fun here in his big screen debut. Tilda Swinton (Broken Flowers (2005)) is more mean and sociopathic than fun. She is rejoined with Film Excess favorite Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)), who has a memorable, sexy and strange scene towards the end.
Trainwreck is Apatow's 5th big screen movie to date, and though I really like it, I still like his four other movies more.

Related reviews:

2011 in films - according to Film Excess 
Judd Apatow: Bridesmaids (2011) - Subversive comedy with laughs a-plenty (producer)
The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005) or, Let the Sunshine In
The Cable Guy (1996) - Stiller's dark comedy is a riot (producer)

 Watch the trailer for the movie here

Cost: 35 mil. $
Box office: 137.7 mil. $ and counting
= Big hit
[Trainwreck was filmed in May-August 2014 in New York and on Long Island. It premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival and opened to stellar reviews and a 30 mil. $ opening weekend, Apatow's second-best to date, behind Knocked Up with 30.6 mil. $. It has grossed 108.7 mil. $ in North America to date, the large majority of its gross. Schumer has established herself in America, but the surrounding world is still hesitant, (or just slow.) Trainwreck is 85 % certified fresh with a 7.2 average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Trainwreck?