Cha-cha-chá

The film shows a brilliant acting by Eduardo Noriega, who plays the role of a model who finds a very special job. He will have to conquer Lucia's best friend, Maria, to leave her a free way to Maria's boyfriend. It's a funny comedy based on the efforts of Antonio to make Maria to fall in love with him. He will have to learn about the intellectual hobbies of Maria, including the dancing lessons where she is the teacher. The plot and the acting (the four main actors belong to the elite of the Spanish acting) are the best things of the movie, which was filmed in Madrid. The soundtrack of the movie has been quite successful in Spain, including some Cha Cha Cha songs and a very good version from Rosario Flores of the popular song "Lucia", originally from Serrat. It's the perfect film to watch for a funny relaxing evening.

"Cha-Cha-Cha", a slick Spanish entry in the light romantic comedy genre proves that Hollywood has not cornered the market on inconsequential fluff. There are not many surprises here...it falls short of screw-ball comedy and lacks the bathos and quirkiness of Almadovar. However, a patient viewer will be rewarded with more than a glimpse of the marvelous Mr. Noriega who seems born for the camera and should have a long, distinguished career ahead of him in international films and the reborn post-Franco Spanish film industry. The closer the camera gets to him, the more astounding he is. Let's hope that some of his better performances will get across the Atlantic, although his last major film "Alatriste", a big budget opus starring Viggo Mortenson no less, has still not done so more than a year after its Spanish release.

Antonio, a model, is a good looking man who under the right management can go places. When Lucia, who works for an advertising agency falls for her best friend's fiancé, Pablo. She decides to hire Antonio to pretend he is in love with Maria, Pablo's girlfriend, an intelligent woman who is highly cultured and has a lot of common sense to believe in all what Antonio tells her. Lucia wants to separate them at all costs; she schemes to have Pablo all to herself. Lucia doesn't know she will be making a fatal mistake: she is falling for the handsome Antonio herself.

This silly, but moderate entertaining comedy, will not win any awards, yet, it produces a few laughs with its quick dialog and funny situations. Antonio del Real, the director, captures these people in their schemings and machinations well. Best of all is the cast, which, in the case of Eduardo Noriega, has done better in other things. As Antonio, Mr. Noriega is the best thing in the movie. Ana Alvarez, who plays the scheming Lucia, has some good moments in the film, as well. Maria Adamez, is seen as Maria. Jorge Sanz, appears as Pablo.

The film is moderately entertaining, but don't expect too much, just sit back and relax watching these people in action.

I would say it's a funny film, nothing likely to win any awards, but still highly entertaining. Although, I would like to correct some comments above. First, these actors are not in the "elite", as some one put it. Eduardo Noriega is a very popular actor and well respected,and maybe Jorge Sanz is quite well known. María Adánez is a good actress, but she's usually doing TV. Ana Álvarez is OK, but she's hardly famous in Spain. Maybe the most respected actor in the film, although not as popular as handsome Noriega would be Gabino Diego, who plays the stupid rich nerd in the beginning of the film. Sorry if my English isn't perfect...

So many things were taboo when Franco ruled: but here we are with an imitation of the sopless silliness of the Franco years, but just simply adding in the sexy bits and other previously frowned-on ingredients. Using actors who should have stayed where they were, doing rubbishy TV series on the different national and regional channels, here is a cooked up waste of time and effort by all concerned: there's nothing new. There was no message. Just paltry little situations which were neither funny nor led to anywhere or anything else. Contrived, the same as the too well-known faces who are mostly capable of only filling up 30 minute weightless TV series with ham interpretations. Just nothing going for it - not even the abused selection of pieces of Tchaickovsky did anything to add a little dignity to the trash. No, if you want to see where decent Spanish cinema is going, forget this stupidity with an intellectual level of around zero (the same as my vote), and I'll recommend other worthwhile titles elsewhere on IMDb for more serious cinema-lovers.