Pretty great movie. Penelope Cruz shines as always and it's easy to understand why men fall for her. I loved how the story was told. I especially liked a little scene where Diego's mother (who was one of the highlights of the film) told him who his real father was and his reaction to it. In a different film this would have been blown out of proportions and dramatized (is that a word?) to no end. But my favorite scene was probably when Ernesto and the lip-reading woman watched the 'documentation' and Cruz enters the room. B+

8/10 -> B

The movie is a bit of a mess and is far from Almodóvar's best. But it's enjoyable, intriguing (despite being a bit too naive) and Almodóvar's direction is always very joyful.

Quite disappointing. I was never sure what type of story Almodovar is trying to tell here. It had a tone of a thriller film in the middle when dealing with Lena and Ernesto, and then it becomes Mateo and Lena, and it turned to Judit and Mateo, and you got a couple of sons in between. It also feels really plain the way the story is told. 2/3 way through, I felt as if I was watching a TV series episode. There are many small scenes or conversation that don't seem to have any impact or association to the main story line.

On the positive side, Cruz gave another stellar performance, and the cast was pretty good as a whole. Wish the story could've been more engaging. C+.

Out of the Almodovar films I've seen, this is my least favorite so far.

6/10 (B-)

Actually one of my favorite Almodovar films (I haven't been as impressed by his film record as most, mind you). This is one of his most plotting and structure emphasized films, the meat of the film doesn't rely on his colors and directorial touch. Though as always he's superb there as well.

It's a movie about a story. Thus there is a lot of attention paid to how we are set up to the real story and then Mateo's and the way the mystery of sorts unravels, and about how this all gives closure to Mateo's personal story as well. Also love how the plot and affair unfolds in a movie like way. Almodovar knows this is a story - Both Mateo's telling and the present day overall picture.

It's also about consequences and the balance of chance and intention. After the movie I ended I wondered why we were shown 3 times+ the one scene in Girls and Suitcases where the red haired woman explains how she ended up catching a guy's eye on the street and it all led to having a suitcase of cocaine in her room, with the events of that film soon to follow. I believe it's because that one moment of chance for the red haired woman coupled by a choice (sleeping with him) altered the path of her life - and set up the plot of the film. This is echoed in the real movie. Lena's father getting discharged led to her learning about Ernesto wanting her, and led her to sell herself to this rich life. Lena auditions for Mateo by chance, but he brings her back intentionally because he's attracted to her and they start the affair on their own doing. When the car hits, it's by chance, but they put themselves in that position in Famara by their own actions and especially by Lena putting her career ahead of safety earlier. When Judit blames herself for Ernesto Jr.'s taping somehow leading to the crash, this is wrong because he had nothing to do with it, but she still feels with some alternate action like answering the phone changing the moment it could've been all avoided. When Diego has the wrong drug mix, it's by chance, but his act of doing drugs put him in that position. You can blame things on chance, but ultimately everything can be reverted to your own actions leading to it. Everything in Mateo's story leads to the car crash which happened by chance, but the entire story behind it is full of actions he could've done differently, and frankly taking that kiss makes it his own fault. And you can let these actions in your story burn in you and kill you or accept it and move on

wow this is a great moral lesson, Shack!

much ambivalence on this one. it's extraordinarily well made (like Coen brothers level) but can't help wishing he had done Chicas y Maletas instead. I think that explains where this movie went wrong -- too much reverence for "movies" (down to The Criterion Collection's Greatest Hits sequence), and too little for his women. Still, can't hold this little cinephiliic detour of a film against Pedro A.

10 points for Cat Power, 100 points for Can. hey yooooooooouu

And the score is incredible! I need to get the film's soundtrack. The Chicas y maletas bit is incredible. It's amazing how he remakes Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, though I don't understand why he didn"t keep it about Shiite terrorists but instead made it about a bag full of cocaine The comedy is simply out of this world so I should not complain but you can't help but feel he shied away.