El otro lado de la cama (2002)

El otro lado de la cama: Directed by Emilio Martínez Lázaro. With Ernesto Alterio, Paz Vega, Guillermo Toledo, Natalia Verbeke. Two couples entwine on their search for love.

“I liked the WEST SIDE STORY/Umbrellas of Cherbourg combinationu003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003e— the characters exude understated loneliness and passion/longing in their (usually) solitary musings/hallucinations like the doomed lovers in the French film; while the superbly choreographed dances are lively, flamboyant and outrageous, as in the Robert Wise musical classic.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe pictureu0026#39;s quality is so sleek, glossy and crisp- just like the sharply polished characters with their cool jobs and lifestyles. Although they tend to be alienating — so u0026quot;Melrose Placeu0026quot;, they belong to a TV show rather than a movie, theyu0026#39;re just too devastatingly gorgeous, hip and lucky— some characters have the odd, downright pathetic (though emotionally lightweight) predicament that make us somehow care about them (and of course, envy them).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat further heightens my TV soap-opera comparison is the characters being trapped in the little world they created themselves, which, although very exciting, is also very stressful and complicated. Hence, the songs are mostly performed in small, enclosed places and in medium shots and close-ups, unlike in the grand, majestic West Side Story and Umbrellas of Cherbourg musicals.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe highstrung dramatic moments are kept in check by the funny, ironic twists and the charactersu0026#39; amusing weaknesses, and why is it that the men are such cads and a-holes and cute lovable hunks at the same time?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDespite the preoccupation with very personal u0026quot;issuesu0026quot;, the film manages to get some social commentary in. Though the guys in testosterone overdrive just wanna have fun, they acknowledge the warrior-like quality of women and the fact that it is they who control the sexual relationship. Likewise, the characters take u0026quot;marriageu0026quot; humorously and lightly- in fact, even mock it with a naughty grin. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNot a particularly illuminating and substantial film, but its bombastic, wacky dances, sexy anatomies galore and sizzling, riotous swinging-sex-partner-swapping action guarantee that youu0026#39;re in for an enjoyable rockinu0026#39; and bed-rollin…u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBest seen u0026quot;on the other side of the bedu0026quot; with your partner”