Novios

Wow! Right after you think you have seen every possible reworking of the modern, intelligent yet hilarious Spanish sex farce, NOVIOS comes out of nowhere! That is, at least for us in the US. What a pity this superb piece of film making with the latest technical enhancements, and excellent English subtitles (obviously for UK audiences)never gets released here beyond a few festivals. No wonder ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER gets such attention! As deserved as that attention is, Almodovar's competition at home is fierce. NOVIOS features former two Almodovar leads (from WOMEN ON THE VERGE... and ALL ABOUT...), as well as veteran male leading men, and in particular, young Argentine born, Spanish heart throb Juan Diego Botto (MARTIN H with Cecilia Roth, and IN THE ARMS OF OLDER WOMEN with Faye Dunaway). And that's just four of the leads, and all at their peak. The across the board excellent performances, highly intelligent social satire of Spanish and European social customs at the turn of the century, beautiful, colorful cinematography, with a tremendous soundtrack of Spanish and Latin romantic music used to great effect, all contribute to make this a comedy that will blow you away in laughter, and high humor. This highlight of the 2000 Hispanic Film Festival was somewhat foreseen, as it was originally scheduled for ten different performances on two different days. However, it is surpassing the other Juan Diego Botto love and sex farce "I Will Survive" with Emma Suarez, another fabulous modern comedy, in popularity. This is no small feat since "I Will Survive" is also brilliant, and the two are against another dozen critically and popularly acclaimed Spanish comedies presented this year. My recommendation may come too late for Florida movie buffs, but festival lovers in North America, and foreign cinema buffs in Europe, en garde! Keep your eyes out for NOVIOS, and don't miss this gem.