El milagro de P. Tinto

No doubt, this is one of the most memorable spanish films ever made. The oddball sense of humour is entwined with what actually is a touching story which will not be easily forgotten; (and if you're the type to appreciate this kind of wacko-hilariousness, the four-seconds time reversal scene is one the greatest momentos that could come to mind!)

It was the highlight of Göteborg Film Festival the year I saw it (around 2002 I believe) and I have been looking for it in stores ever since, but not yet found it (though I had mistaken one of the words in the original title so that may explain why).

It is in the same spirit as such weird comedy masterpieces as Jeunet & Caros Delicatessen and City of Lost Children at in no way less than those two.

I'm sad that it doesn't seem to have reached a larger audience. It really deserves to be a classic.

If you can see this film, don't you miss it!

Funny flick plenty of offbeat characters , haunting mood-pieces , slapdash ,fun scenes , Kafkian situations and sense of style . Entertaining picture, fundamental for lovers of absurd humor and it has a high budget for its spectacular digital special effects . It deals with Wafer factory-owner P. Tinto (Luis Ciges) and his spouse blind Olivia (Silvia Casanova) , both of whom really wish a son of their own more than anything else in the world . Years of trying , however , have left them with nothing but a couple of strange extraterrestrial midgets (Javier Aller , Emilio Gavira) living in the spare bedroom . A series of disconcerting events result in an escaped adult mental patient who fled from an asylum ruled by a nasty director (Pepe Viyuela) ; he is called Joselito (Pablo Pinedo) and suddenly arriving at their door . P. Tinto and Olivia accept this without question and welcome him in as their wanted child .

This entertaining film packs amusement , slapstick , thrills , comic situations , tongue-in-cheek , surrealist comedy including conventional pitfalls and many other things . Sitting in a strange middle ground between the completely absurd and the stylishly cool . This is a fast crazy movie with lot of fun situations , antics , bemusement and with a bunch of very hilarious roles . Sensitive film full of good feeling , offbeat characters , haunting mood-pieces , diverting scenes and sense of style but not totally satisfactory , including some flaws . Wonderful protagonist couple , Luis Ciges/Silvia Casanova , an enjoyable marriage who become involved into problems when they decide to try adoption, then take place a series of misroutings and rare encounters . It turns out to be pleasantly fun that offers no intellectual stimulus whatsoever ; an exercise in pure amusement in which entertainment and fun are guaranteed . The amusing characters are quite odd , grotesque and weird and the film races on at incredible speed . It is a light , wistful comedy , easy to watch , and easier to love . It is as beautifully filmed as it is written and acted . The actors faithfully represent their characters and not to leave out of place the viewer at any time . Exaggerated accidents in a nonsensical world created by the writers/director : Javier/Guillermo Fesser brothers , embarrassing situations , miracles , shaking , falls, and other highlight sequences , all of them through some breathtaking special effects . In addition , a spotless pictorial cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe and a willingness , almost perfect of the elements of each shot , every sequence , every space ; being filmed in La Revilla, Burgos, Castilla y León . Aguirresarobe subsequently would make a prestigious career in Hollywood such as ¨Fright night , ¨The twilight saga: eclipse¨, ¨The road¨ , ¨The others¨ and many others . And an evocative musical score by Suso Saiz , adding songs of the 50s and 60s , including Eurovision Festival. Suso had composed nice soundtracks for films as ¨Juego De Luna¨, ¨Africa¨ and ¨Detectiva y Muerte¨. The picture achieved some prizes and nominations , as it won Goya Best Special Effects : Félix Bergés , Nominated Goya Best New Director ; in Locarno International Film Festival 1999 Won Special Mention Javier Fesser for the movie's style, humor and originality ; in Peñíscola Comedy Film Festival Won Best Cinematography : Javier Aguirresarobe and Won Best Director and Sant Jordi Awards 1999 Won Sant Jordi Best First Work : Javier Fesser .

The film was well produced by Jose Luis Garci and Enrique Lopez Lavigne , a great producer who has financed national and international hits as ¨28 weeks later¨, ¨The intruder¨, ¨Lucia y el Sexo¨ and ¨Lo Impossible¨. The motion picture was compellingly directed by Javier Fesser , as he shows us a surrealist and absurd humor applied to the characters , however he overdoes the same premise , P. Tinto's ingenuousness . Writer/Actor/Director Javier Fesser was born in 1964 in Madrid . Javier is a writer and actor, and along his brother Guillermo Fesser forms the Radio comical group ¨Gomaespuma¨ , both of them have written and directed some amusing films , such as : The great adventure of Mortadelo y Filemón (2003) , Cándida (2006) and the best movie : The miracle of P. Tinto (1998) .

Laugh, laugh and more laugh. The story can't be told but the fun time you have is more than a standard script. The best moment, the revisited ET phone home. A carpetovetonic flight to another era and time...

Go javier,go. The Oscar is awaiting you

Good film, I loved it.

El Milagro de P.Tinto is a mixture of the slapstick and the sick humour, a sort of "slapsick", if you will. It takes pains not to base the film in reality (which is a good thing: all too often comedy is sacrificed to the god of reality - why? Life appears to be more tragedy than comedy). The visual effects are nicely realised, and the humour leaps out of every frame. If you´re an English-speaker who is learning Spanish, you could do a lot worse than see this film, as the humour is very visual, so it is easy to understand.

But most of the Spanish people I´ve been talking to absolutely hated it. They all say the same thing: that the film is stupid, a silly, pointless film with little to recommend it. The question is: is your local cinema a place for such a film?

The thing is, I came, I saw it, I laughed (a lot), and I left. It was a good way to pass a couple of hours. After all, isn´t that what cinema´s about, entertainment? And P.Tinto certainly entertained. It is a witty, observational view of the world (if a little warped). The cinematography is excellent, and it takes pains to replicate the atmosphere created by other classic films (the opening sequence, set in the psychiatric hospital is a good example, as is the parody of E.T.).

So, come on, Spain - stop worrying about the intellectual impact of the movie and see El Milagro de P.Tinto for what it really is: a bloody good laugh.