Mi gran noche

"My Big Night" from 2015 is a very funny Spanish film about the attempts to tape a New Years Eve program. Outside there are dozens and dozens of angry protesters due to a recent firing of 500 people at the studio. When part of the set falls on an extra, another one, Jose (Pepon Nieto) is called in just as his sister is en route to Disneyland and he has to take care of his mother. The woman (Bianca Suarez) he is sitting next to throws herself at him, but he's warned she's some sort of a jinx.

The rest of the extras have been there forever and some have formed romantic attachments. Meanwhile backstage teen idol Adanne (Mario Casas) is having some romantic attachments of his own, one from a woman who steals his semen as part of a blackmail plot. Another, over the hill super divo Alphonso (Raphael), is torturing his assistant, who turns out to be his adoptive son Yuri, with demands. Little does Alphonse know, but Yuri has brought in a hit man - a disgruntled fan - to get rid of Alphonse once and for all. During a sound check, the hit man stands in for Alphonse, as he knows every word of the song. Then Jose gets a call - his mother has set fire to the apartment building where she lives with her daughter, and the police deliver her to the set.

All of this, combined with the hilarious musical numbers, makes for a very funny movie with some wild performances, particularly from Raphael and Mario Casas. I have seen some of these variety shows done in Spain and Italy, and they are enormous productions done on huge sound stages.

I love these chaotic comedy films, and this one was a lot of fun. Highly recommended.

The story takes place in Madrid , 2016 Christmas , altogether restricted in one night , during the never-ending TV taping for a New Year's Eve program. Then , botcher Jose (Pepon Nieto) is called in just as his sister is en route to an abroad journey and he has to take care of his mummy (Terele Pavez) . José is sitting next to other guests as Yanire ( Ana Polvorosa) , Josua (Luis Fernández) , Antonio (Luis Fernández) and the gorgeous as well as goofy Paloma (Blanca Suárez) who unexpectedly falls for him . Then , José is warned by his partners she's some kind of a jinx . Meantime , teen idol Adanne (Mario Casas) takes on the jealous as well as veteran star singer Alphonso (Raphael) , a super divo who is harassing his helper Yuri (Carlos Areces) . At the end all of them clash and eventually explode out into a bustling confrontation each other .

De la Iglesia's bewildering comedy ¨My gran noche¨ about a TV broadcasting programme , it blends intriguing elements with humor , tongue-in-cheek and thrills ; so, the tone of the film is light-hearted as well as stirring . The movie is developed in a marvelous crescendo that turns into rapidly the situation from a fun party into a bloody battleground that reveals the surprising as well as busy aspects , top-shelf comedic flair and naturalistic theatrics . A wonderful and talented plethora of actors, the mainstays of current Spanish cinema, implements a totally noisy comedy interspersed with songs and dances perfectly choreographied . The picture pays tribute a great Singer : Rafael , he plays splendidly an old singer called Alfonso . Alphonso's songs are real themes sang by Raphael, including the own title of the movie. Rafael has a long singing career from more than forty years ago , acting around the world , European and Eastern countries , Russia , the United States : Miami and New York's Carnegie Hall . He played a lot of successful films such as : Volveré a nacer , Sin un adiós , Al ponerse el sol , Cuando tú no estas , El ángel , El golfo . Last years he had an extreme illness , after recovering from a liver transplant early this year, Raphael has recorded a new album, "Raphael, de vuelta" ("Raphael is back") and will go on a world tour, starting in Madrid (Spain) on september 25, that will take him, among other places, to Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panamá.

It packs an adequate and moving musical score by Joán Valent . And a colorful and appropriate cinematography by Ángel Amorós . The motion picture was well written (along with his usual screenwriter Jorge Guerricaechevarría) and directed by De La Iglesia , though results to be inferior than his former films , including some flaws and gaps . De La Iglesia is well known as the Spanish king of black comedy . He's a cool director has got much success as ¨Accion Mutante¨ ,¨Dying of laughter¨ or ¨Muertos De Risa¨ , ¨Baby's room¨ , ¨Oxford murders¨ , ¨Balada Triste De Una Trompeta¨ and ¨Perdita Durango¨ is probably the weirdest Javier Bardem film ever made . And , of course , ¨Day of the beast¨ and ¨La Comunidad¨ obtained the unanimous praise of both the critics and the public and result to be a lot of fun¨, especially for those who enjoy surrealist humor , they won several Goya prizes and and resulted to be a turning point in his meteoric career ; from then on he became his own producer, beginning with '800 bullets' (2002) through the Pánico Films company . Winner of several Goyas (Spanish Oscars), however his movies have not yet reached box office in USA, but he has strong followers , as his films have a kind of comic edge to them . Nonsense, ridicule , laughters , absurdity , disturbing scenes and many other issues ; you can find everything in this flick . ¨My Big Night ¨ captures the essence of the best Alex De La Iglesia, a filmmaker who, at this point in his own story, is respected and admired worldwide and has the most committed fans in the film universe . This is without a doubt an enjoyable movie to be enjoyed for comedy buffs and Alex De Iglesia fans .

An honest-to-God funny comedy, with interesting characters, several intertwining zany engaging stories, great production, great sound score and even better cast, what else is there to wish for?! It even has a meaningful message! Pop this one in and get ready to cry out laughing!

'My Great Night' (Mi Gran Noche) is Álex de la Iglesia's latest dark comedy romp where a TV taping for a New Year's Eve special is happening (in October) and the people inside are slowly going insane from the monotony of it all. Plus, constantly dealing with personal issues and other madness behind the scenes make up for a collection of entertaining stories that eventually clash.

Iglesia keeps his typical pace of quick comedy going, with quick exchanges and constant surprises; it is rare that you are waiting for something to happen. He brings back the majority of his common cast, along with Spanish singing sensation, Raphael.

While most of Iglesia's films can be somewhat sadistic and violent, this film lacked a lot of that typical content. However, he managed to replace it with more racy/sexy humour. Don't worry -- he levelled it out with some violence for the fans. Regardless, this decision made the film a lot better than anticipated. His previous film, 'Witching and Bitching' (Las brujas de Zugarramurdi) fell flat on its face. This film bounces back in fantastic form. Plenty of laughs for everyone!

For a bit of a gauge, this film is somewhat similar to 'The Perfect Crime' (El Crimen Ferpecto), only a wider cast and more controversy.

Definitely give this a watch if you're a fan of Iglesia!

This film is a hilarious, well shot, glorious mix of every kind of mayhem you can imagine. Super over the top, yet full of endearing moments and an attention to detail that blew me away. I loved it! One of the better Alex de la Iglesia films.