Amor de hombre

For one thing, I found the movie terrible verbose, dialog heavy. I was going crazy trying to read the sub-titles and watching the sexy stuff going on the screen at the same time. And in the end, I didn't feel much empathy towards either of the lead characters, especially the guy, who seemed one hell of a selfish pain in the ass to have as a friend. And it seemed weird having one single straight woman and every other character in the movie (including the one guy she's shown dating) turning out to be gay. In the final analysis, the best part of the movie was the birthday cake that was so lovingly baked during the titles - I drooled.

The Spanish dramatic sit-com, AMOR DE HOMBRE (Is translation necessary?) is a fresh and (for non-Spaniards) foreign take on what is becoming a deluge of "the perfect gay man as a girl's best friend" movies. To be objective, one must remember this movie was released before THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION, MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING, and RELAX, IT'S JUST SEX (to mention but a few) and two years before Madonna and Rupert Everett started playing the story out in the "real" world, and on film next year. The plot of AMOR has just the right number of interesting (stereotypical can be interesting) characters, and believable situations (the gay caracters DO have sex lives) to make the movie work on comedic and dramatic levels. The unusual depiction of gay men as "normal" yuppies (doctors, lawyers and teachers; no hair dressers or designers here), who like straights, have lives of their own, lends crossover appeal to the arthouse crowd.

This film shows the rainbow of relationships among gay men. It ranges from the long-term to the hustler looking for a partner to take financial advantage of. But most important, it portrays the yearning of most gay men to find a lifelong partner and to simply be loved.

AMOR DE HOMBRE is a smart, snappy, fast-paced, entertaining little film which considering its release date of 1997 was a precursor to the now frequent appearance of films that deal with tender relationships between gay men and straight women ('My Best Friend's Wedding' and all the spin-offs). It is a smart script, well cast and acted and directed and scored and should be given the chance for a theater release now, in more expansive gender-friendly times.

Ramón (Andrea Occhipinti) is a handsome, successful lawyer in Madrid who happens to be gay and unlike most of his friends has not settled into a partnership. His closest friend is Esperanza (Loles León) who is a divorced school teacher, just turned 40, who love Ramón and constantly tries to help him find the 'right man' while Ramón tries to help her find her 'right man'. They party together with all of Ramón's professional friends - doctors, businessmen, teachers - and Ramón is hedonistic enough to have a different be partner every evening. After an automobile accident in which Ramón is injured, Esperanza moves in to care for him, a care that includes asking one of her fellow Phys Ed teachers Roberto (Armando del Río) to offer physical therapy and massage to the ailing Ramón. Because Roberto seems to rebuff Ramón's growing obsession with an unattainable straight man, the therapy ends when Ramón is able to walk. A twist occurs once Ramón is well and Roberto changes roles and is seductive to Ramón, a romance that comes to a tragic ending. In the end it is the quality of friendship between Ramón and Esperanza that provides the lasting nucleus of this tale.

It is refreshing to see a film that focuses on healthy men who happen to be gay instead of a series of beleaguered victims of the usual stereotypes who end up with hopeless tragic lives. Yes, the circle of friends seems always on the watch for the 'new man on the block', but the cruising is healthy and fun. The movie works so well because of the fine writing and direction by an amazing team - Yolanda García Serrano and Juan Luis Iborra - who seem to have pared down life in Madrid's professional sector with a fresh eye on variety! The cast is superb with special kudos to Loles León and Andrea Occhipinti. This is a light and very entertaining comedy with a message. Recommended. In Spanish with English subtitles. Grady Harp

The directors of this film wanted to present a funny take on a serious subject. Yolanda Garcia Serrano and Juan Luis Iborra, who also wrote the screen play, show us a side of the gay life in Spain, which depicts their life as a mature way for them to interact in their world and lead social lives that appear to be rewarding.

Into the equation, the directors have thrown a woman, Esperanza, who is a typical "fag hag". Her friendship with Ramon, the man at the center of the story, is an uncommon one. Ramon basically depends on "Espe" as a means of support and friendship. In fact, their friendship seems to be deeper than what it appears on the surface, and Esperanza is a true friend that will be there for Ramon all the time, something that he takes for granted, as proved when he gets involved with Roberto.

The film has a few laughs because of the humor the creators have given the production. Loles Leon makes a fun Esperanza. Andrea Occhipinti is the hunky Ramon. Armando del Rio appears as Roberto, who undergoes a change from not being interested in Ramon, and suddenly throwing himself into his arms, but he has an agenda that will be revealed at the end.