El otro lado de la cama

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BED is a musical / comedy about two couples. This is the end with any similarity on any American movie in several years.

Here the romance is not the main point. The sex is. The story is simple. Two couples (Javier / Sonia and Paula / Rafa), very good old friends. One day, Paula end his relation with Rafa for another mystery man (who is not other than Javier). They have a friendly break up, but Rafa obsessed tries to find out who is the other guy asking Javier for help. Javier, is not sure about leaving Sonia creating a crisis on his new relation with Paula, plus the problems trying to hide everything to his best friend.

On the other side, as Rafa gets more depressed Sonia gets hook on his tenderness and a few days later they are having an affair. Of course, Javier notices something happens to Sonia and goes to his friend for help. Add to the mess: another couple in a similar situation, a lesbian, a detective, a non stop talking friend plus some songs and dancing.

You can realise that the thing is not a tragedy even if it looks like that. And this is the best thing. Not only there is a lot of humor, but the end is not moralizing or sad; is just what EVERYBODY deep inside wished.

The acting ranges from excellent (almost all men) to very good (Vega, Verbeke and Esteve). Men characters are better developed than women´s, but (I believe) is because men´s reactions on this type of situations are funnier.

As I stated before, this movie is not about romance, is about how little things destroy a couple even when love still exist. And sometimes, the only solution is to clear our moral limitations and look for new things and experiences. That does not mean an orgy or an bizarre sexual experience, but just starting again in a different way.

I am a Christian, and according to my education, everything here is sin. But according to the Bible, who makes de mistake and repents (then learning from them) is the one to be saved.

My hopes are a commercial release for this movie and that the MPAA does not declare this movie NC-17 only because of the subject resolution. The nudity sex scenes are very light.

An engaging song and dance musical about two couples who get off with each other's partners. All very light hearted feelgood adult stuff in the style of many a light Shakespeare or Mozart comedy, but updated to include lots of nitty-gritty. The cast are drop dead gorgeous, they have mottos like "there's not enough f*cking in the world" and are ultimately tolerant enough about each other's misdemeanours and tendency to be economical with the truth. All politically correct, with lots of mixed sexual orientation to keep it bubbling, a private detective who gets it all on video (after solving the mystery of how JFK committed suicide and how Marylin Monroe never really died), unexpected exposures and reverses, and it all turns out happily at the end like some Oscar Wilde farce. Not to be missed.

¨El Otro Lado De La Cama¨ movie , a Spanish blockbuster , was a huge box office success earlier ; packing twisted relationships , comedy , dances with intense sensuality and including agreeable melodies . It is a funny picture dealing with couple relationships , jealousy , lies , family conflicts and many other things . Pedro is really happy and very much in love with his sweetheart , enticing Paula , but things go wrong as Paula leaves her mate Pedro ; as she is having an affair with Javier who treats her a very special way . But that's not all: a new attractive girls appear in their lives and all of them fall in love . Meanwhile ,Javier thinks she is cheating him with her lesbian friend .As various couples entwine on their search for love .Sometimes the game of love requires a little cheating... If love is only a game...Why not cheat?

Romantic Spanish comedy with good actors , spectacular musical numbers singing charming and nostalgic songs from the 80s , and nice direction . A film rich in troublesome loving stories , where love is the central theme seen from various points of view , as temptation , jealously and betrayal . This is an agreeable as well as uneven comedy in less than 114 minutes of length and yet with an air of naturalness and credibility rarely match . The best parts of the movie are the choreographic numbers and known songs adapted in original model with roots in pop music of the eighties ; recreating the essence of the classic songs by body movements accompanying sensual melodies and lyrics . This is an enjoyable musical comedy including love stories in which there is lesbianism , homosexuality , threesome , as well as the ordinary Spanish clichés . Colorful story of loves and jealousy in which predominates songs and musical spectacle . It has some moments of enjoyment as well as amusement and others quite a few embarrassing . Regular and unbalanced , but gaining the sympathy almost at all times . Bad timing results to be the voice of the singers with the actors , it is less achieved . Main actors as Ernesto Alterio , Natalia Verbeke , Alberto San Juan, María Esteve steal the show , interpreters who provided a considerable boost to the result . All of them play and dance wonderful and classic Spanish songs of the eighties from known bands and singers as Tequila, Kiko Veneno , Los Rodríguez , Ariel Rot , Julio Infante Alejo Stivel ,Nacho Mastretta . With only one original song ¨No se que hacer¨ composed by Coque Maya. As famous songs who performed are the followings : Las chicas son guerreras , Echo de menos , Dime que me quieres , Salta , Mucho mejor , Luna de Miel , among others.

Furthermore , dances and choreography by Paco Berdayas are pretty well , following Emilio Martinez Lazaro's ¨El Otro Lado De La Cama" style "Scandalous" or ¨¿ Porque Se Frotan Patitas ¿¨ (2006) by Alvaro Begines and François Ozon' ¨Potiche¨ and ¨Eight Women¨ . Glamorous and colorful cinematography by Juan Molina . And followed by a sequel : sequel that turns out to be an amusing picture "The 2 Sides of the Bed" in which 3 years passed and the boys seem to have matured . It was originally written and professionally directed by Emilio Martínez Lázaro . Initially, this movie was entitled "C'est magnifique" and the numbers were intended to be mimed. This seemed terrible to Emilio Martínez Lázaro and he decided that the songs had to be sung by the actors themselves.He was born in 1945 in Madrid , location in which he often shoots his films . He is a Spanish prestigious cinema director . Emilio is a director and writer, a good filmmaker expert on comedies as he has proved in : Los Peores Años De Nuestra Vida (1994) , El Juego Más Divertido (1998) and Amo Tu Cama Rica (1992) , drama : Las 13 Rosas (2007) La Voz De Su Amo (2001) , Musical as : ¨Al Otro Lado De La Cama¨ (2002) starred by Ernesto Alterio , Paz Vega , Natalia Verbeke , Guillermo Toledo , Ramón Barea , Alberto San Juan , María Esteve Nathalie Poza , Secun de la Rosa , and ¨Los Dos Lados De La Cama¨ (2005) . Being especially known for this ¨8 Apellidos Vascos¨or "Spanish Affair" considered to be the biggest box office in Spanish cinema and he is nowadays shooting ¨8 Apellidos Vascos 2¨ .

Lightheaded romantic comedy about two couples who changes partners and find their own way to happiness and understanding. The movie has the charm, witty and vitality of Latin movies (especially movies produced in Argentina and Spanish) but is far from be a great achievement on the genre or even a memorable piece of work. Mixture of love story, comedy and musical, 'Otro lado de la cama,El' give us a good work from the director, some ingenious scenes (like the scene in the theather, where Pedro(played by Guillermo Del Toro)appear as the 'Melon Kid') and a sympathetic cast, where you cand find the beauty of Paz Vega and Natalia Verbecke. In fact, the movie is a good amusement but don't expect to find the same intensity and impressive ideas thay you can fin in movies directed by Almodovar (at least, some of them) or Alejandro Almenábar.

I give this a 6 (six).

First of all, I love musicals, but I like to know beforehand that that's what I'm getting myself into. Ummm... we were enjoying this one as a fun romantic comedy when all of a sudden the male lead breaks out into song and a bunch of dancers appear out of no where!?! Not that it's bad, it's just that, well, NOTHING was mentioned about it on the packaging [again,do the people who write the blurbs actually watch the movies??]... The songs are in keeping with the overall tone of the film, and the dancing quite funny [hopefully intentionally so], but it's just that when you're not expecting them it can be one of those "Oh...my... we've rented a musical!?!?" It's a fun and funny movie, just be warned.