Reinas

I must confess that the mixed IMDb reviews were the main reason I actually decided to watch the movie. I was expecting a typical wedding drama, only instead of a hetero-wedding, this would be a gay-wedding. But this movie is much more.

The lives of five mothers and a father whose gay sons are getting married in a mass wedding ceremony, are interconnected and interwoven in totally hilarious, believable and fantastic situations. Like it's name suggests, the true heroines of the day are the mothers "Reinas - the Queens of the ceremony". The women, so totally different from each other, had one bond that would knowingly or unknowingly connect them in so many ways. The dog moving from one person to another, gave the impression of that connection.

The direction was amazing, and the back and forth of the timelines gave it a unique feel. What happened that lead to the other happening that lead to the "now"... it was classic.

The only thing that bothered me was that one unresolved issue, which constituted the final scene. But, I thought it was better to keep the issue unresolved than to acknowledge the destroyed relationships.

It is a truly great film.

Manuel Gómez Pereira was one of the finest Spanish directors in the 90's, with such comedies as "Boca a Boca" or "El Amor Perjudica Seriamente la Salud". His latest projects, however, tanked ("Off Key" was a failure both economically and artistically) or simply didn't deliver ("Cosas que Hacen que la Vida Valga la Pena" was plain and average).

"Reinas" is Pereira's return to top form, with a clever and engaging plot which uses the celebration of the first gay wedding in Spain as a macguffin to tell the story of six gay men who are about to marry and their parents, especially their mothers. The film avoids clichés in an intelligent way, so the gay sons are portrayed as people from different social strata and conditions. The actors also avoid the affected mannerisms with which gays are often portrayed in cinema. Special mention to Gustavo Salmerón in a fine performance, although the rest are also very good.

However, the film belongs to the mothers. They are in fact the "queens" the title refers to. Pereira has been lucky enough to assemble a bunch of our greatest actresses: Carmen Maura, Marisa Paredes, Mercedes Sampietro and Verónica Forqué. Betiana Blum, an unknown Argentinean actress, is, however, the standout with her over-the-top character, Ofelia.

The story is very nice plot-wise and treats gay love stories in the same way it treats straight love stories. The screenplay manages a few laughs from the audience, and it is so action-packed that you never loose your attention from the film. The only flaw I can find is that it ends so abruptly that some of the story lines are left unexplained and some character arcs end up being implausible.

In any case, I found the film highly satisfying and very entertaining, so if you like spending two hours with a good comedy you won't feel disappointed.

Overall rating: 8/10

In Spain, a couple of days before a collective gay wedding, the lives of five mothers, whose sons will get married, are entwined: Judge Helena (Mercedes Sampietro) is in charge of the ceremony; the entrepreneur in hotel business Magda (Carmen Maura) is hosting the guests in her hotel and is responsible for the banquet, while facing a strike leaded by her lover and chef; the nymphomaniac Nuria (Verónica Forqué) is facing problems due to her uncontrollable disease; the wealthy Reyes (Marisa Paredes) is having a crush for the father of her son's mate and her gardener; and the Argentinean cooker Ofelia (Betiana Blum) is facing financial problems and difficulties in the relationship with her son's mate. Along three days, they have complicated relationships with their sons and mates, ex-husbands, lovers and employees.

"Reinas" is a nice movie based on a fashionable theme, the marriage of gay couples, being a great entertainment. There are funny and dramatic situations, but they are satisfactorily resolved in an optimistic way. The controversial and unthinkable affair of Magda and her married chef Cesar is probably the weakest point of the story. I was particularly impressed with the beauty and elegance of Ms. Mercedes Sampietro. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Rainhas" ("Queens")

I loved this movie.

The production values, acting, and directing are all first-rate. Unlike too many gay-themed movies, this was clearly expertly made.

The pace is fast and the mood light. The humor is absolutely hilarious. I don't think I stopped smiling, and there were a few times I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my seat. It was an absolute riot.

This is a great movie for gay and straight audiences alike. It's an even better film for families to see. The movie is all about guys getting married and their crazy (but believable) mothers. No matter what your mom was like, one of these mothers will probably remind you of yours. There's just so much great family humor that everyone would anyone would enjoy.

Highly recommended.

I too saw this movie in Spain when I was at school in Barcelona.

I saw it 3 times actually because I was learning Spanish and since no subtitles in spain of course it was a great exercise in learning. Plus it's so funny! I can't wait to buy it on DVD (of course subtitles optional for my English friends) THIS movie is funny. The Spanish really do believe viva como tu quieras (live as you want) Though yes some of the mothers don't fully understand homosexuality you can see how they simply want their children to be happy.

This is a great movie about finding happiness and letting go of prejudices.

Go see it at the artsy theatres when it comes here or rent it when it's on DVD.