Perfecto amor equivocado

Julio, a Cuban writer, returns home from Spain to find his teen aged daughter, Millie, has been seeing an older Spaniard, Manolo. Like others of her generation, Millie, thinks the older man will be her ticket out of the country. On the other hand, Julio, and his wife, Miriam, seem to be part of a privileged citizens. After all, he has been abroad for a while and his wife is a doctor. Their house doesn't seem to lack all the material comforts only afforded for bourgeois socialist classes.

This novelist, who seems to be having a case of writers' block, has no problems in the bedroom department. No sooner does he arrive in Havana when he resumes an affair with a beautiful teacher, Silvia. In turn, his own situation with his wife suffers because Miriam finds a kind soul in the man that would have been her future son in law. In the meantime, Julio has bedded a luscious young television reporter and has made a mess out of his relationship with his mistress.

Gerardo Chijona, the director and co-writer of this film, has done better. While this is by no means, a horrible film, it's just not believable. As a comedy, it has some moments. There is a lot of gratuitous nudity in the film.

Luis Alberto Garcia, who plays Julio does good work as the man who can't commit to his wife, or his mistress. Sancho Gracia is seen briefly. The excellent Susana Perez and Beatriz Valdes are the best asset of the film. Both actresses are convincing and help to the overall enjoyment.

More of a bedroom farce than anything, this is the story of Julio, a one book famous writer, who returns to Cuba after an absence of two years to discover his daughter Mily is engaged to be married to Manolo, a man his own age. Julio has been having a longtime affair with Silvia, who is having an affair with David, who is having an affair with Diego. Interviewed by TV reporter Ana about his one famous book, Julio commences an affair with Ana after Silvia dumps him. When Julio's wife Myriam discovers he has been having an affair with both Silvia and Ana she steals Manolo from her daughter and leaves Julio, who is dumped by Ana and proposes marriage to Silvia when he discovers she is pregnant (by David). Mily, Julio's daughter, then becomes engaged -- to David.

This is a very good looking movie that makes terrific good use of Havana as backdrop. (Nice to see it and recognize a lot of the locations.) What it doesn't do is show the deprivations that the average Cuban undergoes in their daily life. All of the characters seem to live a comfortable lifestyle with no financial problems. Having said that, this is an escapist comedy which should be accepted on that level. The twists and turns of the plot are loopy to say the least and the sly comedic digs at life under the socialist system are hilarious. The revolving door of bedroom characters are not altogether believable but the movie has enough pace and unexpected twists to hold one's interest. The cinematography and general look of the movie is excellent.