Finale a sorpresa - Official Competition

It starts with a not so original theme, a movie about making a movie, but with the quality of the participants you expect something well done and this movie is up to par. It has a good pace with lots of jokes and little twists. It makes fun of everything and everyone without taking itself too seriously.

This movie is marketed as black comedy (it could be blacker for my taste) but it is basically a vehicle for great actors to overact, making fun of their profession but also show facets of their craft (there are many ways to say "Good Day"). On the other hand the movie draws attention to some facets of filmmaking that is usually neglectet, e. G. the importance of how sound is recorded.

We've seen many films about filmmaking and art, and this is definitely not one of the worst of its kind.

This movie criticizes movie actors and directors, but from a funny perspective where satire dominates the entire movie.

This story reflects in a funny way two different types of actors, although they seem caricatured, in reality they can have that personality, it also portrays how ridiculous and pretentious some directors can be, adding some exaggerated ways of directing the actors. The story also tells how to prepare the actors to make a movie, which is interesting and works as a starting point to create an unfriendly environment between the characters. The performances are spectacular, and the script doesn't ramble into unnecessary situations, although at the beginning it may be difficult to connect with the story, the rest of the time it is very enjoyable and funny.

It's a good movie that not only serves as a distraction, but also takes us a little deeper into the process it takes to make a movie, specifically the relationship between the actors and with their characters.

Good Almodovar Film.

Oh hang on its not one of his.

Could have fooled me.

I liked it. Pedro would be proud of his acolytes.

Good cinematography. The full face close ups are exactly like an Almodovar film

The mise en scene exactly like an Almodovar film.

The colour palette, the set design, the location choices, the humour, all exactly like an Almodovar film.

The casting...you know what.

All that being said, it's nice to watch an almost Almodovar film. Beats most other films made at the moment.

Come on, maybe the final joke of this film is the two directors are actually fictional characters, and really the director is Pedro Almodovar?

A very original film with subtle humour. The film makers are clearly afficionados of classic art films and their work is positively influenced by masters like Luis Bunuel and Jacques Tati.

All three main actors (Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martinez) are at the top of their game. The script is brilliant and, without being didactic, is conducive to further meditation on what is acting, what is fiction and what is real. Although many films tackle the subject of "film within a film" showing the process behind the camera and the long preparations before actually shooting, "Official Competition" shows what actors' egos is really like (even the character played by Oscar Ramirez who pretends not to be interested by awards, secretly rehearses a speech in case he wins an Oscar...), and we get a glimpse into the director' s mind and vision and insistence on perfection, with doubt never too far away (brilliantly conveyed by Penelope Cruz).

A treat ! Not to be missed !