Ocho apellidos vascos

This is indeed a very funny Spanish comedy, with good acting by all the leads, a solid script boasting plenty of amusing situations and dialogues that never become too over- the-top or superficial, and some beautiful shots of both País Vasco (Basque Country) and Andalucía (Andalusia).

A word of warning, though: This film plays with local accents and stereotypes, current and past Spanish politics, and memes that you will have to be familiar with ahead of time to understand the gags. It is also heavily reliant on how Spaniards envision Basques, thus limiting its comedic effect to Spanish audiences (or at the very least, people familiar with the aforementioned themes).

I, being a Spaniard, had no problem having fun with this film. As enjoyable as it was, however, I can't help but find it undeserving of being the most successful film at the Spanish Box Office of all time, considering all the great cinema and the superior films this country has created in the past. But perhaps it's not so much the quality but the timing of this film that has led to its success: This film makes you laugh and sends a message of unity and love despite our differences. This may just be what Spaniards need in such hard times.

This movie was a huge box office event in Spain, but is not an interesting film at all, especially if you aren't Spanish. It's basically a dull Romantic Comedy full of current jokes about local topics. Directing is even worst than script, with some really poor acting performances (others are quite good), and shooting, cinematography and sound typical of a soap opera.

Excellent movie, really humorous when you can understand Spain and very good acting ! Bravo!

I really enjoyed this. I'm a big fan of romantic comedies even though most provide many eyeroll moments. They can put a smile on my face, and this did. Very lighthearted. It plays into every romcom trope! From "we have to pretend to kiss" to "we have to share a bed", they had it all. Nothing is even close to realistic, and there's very little depth, hence 6/10 despite my enjoyment.

As an American, I took some time beforehand to read up on Basque country which really helped me get the jokes more. I would recommend this if you like romcoms, foreign films, and getting a taste of other cultures. (Really what WAS up with her hair though?!)

The fact that we can play with the most extreme topics homelands identities (Andalusian and Basque) no one should be shocked or put the outcry indicates much of our maturity as a nation (no matter who). Well, I correct: the fact that we can play and derision and mockery of the topics on the Basques and Basque nationalism, no one should be shocked or put the outcry, indicates much the degree of standardization of certain issues before open sores were always willing to bleed. And I make this correction because the Andalusians have always been a source of banter and nothing ever happened.

For this reason, the approach of "Ocho apellidos vascos" is brave, is timely and is opportunistic.

Surely this is one of the main reasons that the Spanish have been flocking in a mass almost unprecedented theaters to see this product sponsored by Tele 5. Along with the successful release date That (between Oscar and summer blockbusters) and the brutal and exemplary marketing campaign, which I applaud and celebrate. That's all I can conclude from this nonsense, much to my regret.

I always say and I repeat that from "the dark pleasure of watching bad movies and enjoy them," and always insist that "we must not forget that the main purpose of film is to entertain." I say and I stand. The problem is that "Ocho apellidos vascos" is not bad enough, nor sufficiently geek, not crazy enough to be a "Bad Movie" (as Sharknado or Xanadu or Condemor). And unfortunately it is not entertaining enough to forgive their mediocrity (always from my point of view).

That is precisely the word that best defines "Mediocrity". It is painfully mediocre. It is simple, not easy. It is impersonal and worst: it is done reluctantly. The movie works because the interest, not original (remove an element of your environment and place in a completely alien and hostile is one of the basic arguments in comedy since the cinema is cinema), but which explained at first. but all the other elements just fit, or do not at all. The entire film is a sheer drop from a promising start to a shameful end, through all the "comic" situations manual and all the hackneyed topics sitcom.

But yes, I know, "all the stories are already told." You're absolutely right, but they are still have some ways, not original, but convincing.

And back to the main issue of much patriotic film (and many foreign): the script. Most managers confuse the argument with the script. The argument is the approach, the script, the development. There is an interesting approach, albeit clumsily presented, and at the inability (or unwillingness) of its director to develop a convincing (or crazily convincing) way takes refuge in a tangle of beginner, which does not know how to get out, although all intuit (and fear) from the beginning how he will do it: using force without lubricant.

What saves this product is the total collapse monologue speaker Dani Rovira, with his inspired monologues and brash, and Karra Elejalde giving life the only believable character in the whole story.

But it hurts me to think that this is what the public is waiting to fill the Spanish cinema halls. It hurts to think that film too, as almost all spheres of power, is in the hands of the mediocre. And it hurts me to think that they are the by-products like this that are going to save the Spanish film of water that it's been submerged by itself.

Stealing a quote: "It's not the same make films that make movies"

inspired by piensaencines