Jambon, jambon

Jamon Jamon is a daft, grubby, and rather disappointing film out of Spain.

My advice straight off the bat is not to take this film too seriously; it's a quirky send up and OTT ironic social commentary. Think of it more as a comedy of errors style farce and you'll be in the right mood.

The film clearly sets out to be an arty satire, and though it is certainly oddball enough to qualify for the category that is not enough in itself to automatically label this film as brilliant - it really isn't.

The plot? Well, here goes . . . A young Spanish man is in a relationship with a young Spanish girl. She is pregnant, and they are to marry. His controlling and wealthy mother disapproves, and hires a would be bullfighter (and male underwear model) to seduce the girl and trash the relationship. The bullfighter, the girl and her boyfriend, a couple of mums, one dad, uncle Tom Cobley and all become embroiled in a tangle of relationships where just about everybody is copping off with everyone else.

This all plays out in a dusty Spanish backwater where, presumably, there's not much else to do. Weaving its way through the film is constant reference to pigs and ham. That opens the door to an obvious gag about the standard of acting, but I'll pass it up.

There's a fair dose of sex and nudity in the film, but none of it is sexy. It's all a bit grubby, in keeping with the locale and general downbeat vibe of the film. Theres also a liking for regularly showing pearls clattering to the floor; I've looked for a metaphor, but can't see one that makes the effort worthwhile.

None of the characters are likeable (unless you count the Golf gti and Yamaha 600 motorbike). Silvia (the young Spanish girl) is particularly annoying as she flits from man to man for no good reason other than her own pitifulness.

I generally warm to films that are quirky and dare to be different - but not this one. Perhaps because it doesn't go all the way and fully commit to being a completely satirical, completely comical or completely sexy film that it leaves my glass very much half empty.

It's full of cultural references, it's unconventional, it's over the top and absurd - I get all that. But ultimately, it is not half as clever as it tries to be. It's all just a bit naff.

I approached Jamon Jamon with much anticipation, it was recommended by a close friend by whom it was described as an abstract, witty, satirical comedy; a film with ups, downs, and naked bull fights. I had to see this film. However, after an hour and half of sketchy performances, one-dimensional characters, and a barrage of farcical, poorly interwoven sub-plots, i found myself quite disappointed.

Jamon Jamon possesses all the components of what promises to be an entertaining movie: Quirky, abstract dialogue, offbeat humour, and dark yet comic scenarios. During the initial stages of the movie I felt engaged and involved, concerned about the young misguided couple, and the situation in which they find themselves. However as the film progresses seemingly irrelevant scenes of attempted quirkiness grow all too frequent. You get the distinct impression that Luna is simply attempting to emulate a directorial style established by his more experienced, capable predecessors. Not to discredit the movie to harshly. Luna is clearly able to produce scene's that are moving, profound, and original, there is simply insufficient character development so ultimately you begin to feel indifferent about the outcome of their predicaments.

In conclusion, Jamon Jamon is a noble failure, but a failure all the same. It has all the makings of a quality movie but is let down by it's composition, I feel it lacks a certain intimacy and distances the viewer in it's latter stages when we're meant to feel most involved. If you're a Luna's fan a recommend you see it, just don't get your hopes up to high.

However bad things may get, however your spin of Fortune's wheel may grind you into the dust, at least, if you've seen Jamon Jamon, you may be able to say, 'At least I didn't mess up like that lot!'

A funny sex comedy with real dollops, or should that be pinchos, of eroticism. How often does one get to use those words today, in our prudish, uptight, prurient 21st century? Sex. Comedy. Eroticism. Dollops.

Eggs and ham, however you may like them, they are important staples of a fulfilling diet. Jamon Jamon is a movie about people ruled by their impulses. Even the actors, to an extent. Didn't Cruz lie about her age in order to get the part of Silvia? Silvia is pregnant by Jose, but Jose's mum pays Raul (Javier Bardem) to seduce the young trollop. Jose is also seeing Silvia's mother (yes, really), and pretty soon something more than business is going down/up/down between Raul and Jose's mum. Expect nipples, parrots, nude bullfighting, and a literally hamfisted duel.

If this was an opera it would be verismo. A verismo comedy.

Remarkable, seeing Cruz and Bardem together for the first time, and such a long time before they got together in real life. Jamon Jamon is as much a cautionary tale as it is a highly entertaining, adult comedy, but quite honestly I think it ought to be seen by an audience younger than 18, for there is much to learn from this absurd-yet-plausible confusion of competing desires. A laughable, lusty, cautionary tale.

Jamón, jamón is a dark, sexy, disturbing and very sarcastic romance, that mercilessly satirizes Spanish mentality and culture, though it can't in all honestly be labeled a comedy. It's no surprise that its most passionate advocates, as well as critics, are Spanish; but to the non-Spanish viewer, it's still an entertaining and captivating film. Unfortunately, it suffers from an amateurish execution that sometimes makes it feel more like a Spanish soap opera than a feature, and since the satire will go over many viewers' heads, the poor character development, melodramatic and unconvincing acting, and often mishandled cinematography may be quite off-putting. Director Bigas Luna clearly shares many passions and tastes with the more world-famous Pedro Almodóvar, but he can't match Almodóvar artistry and visual flair; the heavy-handed symbolism, quirky sexuality and scenes that are apparently weird for the sake of weird make it feel like an Almodóvar rip-off (which it's not) and make it harder to appreciate the stronger scenes and the biting satire.

For non-Spanish viewers, the film's main draw is getting to see Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem very early in their careers; while their top-billing position make it look like Stefania Sandrelli and Anna Galiena are the stars (probably because they were much bigger names in 1992) Cruz and Bardem are not only the real leads but also provide the film's best acting by far, so much so that whenever the scene cuts to one where neither one appears, the TV-soap feeling is suddenly much more pronounced - Sandrelli, Galiena and Jordi Mollà are ludicrously over-the-top, which is part of the point, but Cruz and Bardem manage to transcend that ludicrousness and their characters' flatness and are enough to make the film flow quite well. Fans of either one should definitely check it out; for them or for anyone else, it's a memorable and unusual film, worth your time, but very flawed and should not be approached with very high expectations.

This is a very entertaining film. Bigas Luna (director) loves life and all it's weirdness and beauty, which is rather evident in this wonderful film. Definitely a cure for boredom or sadness. The plot turns gets crazier as the film unfolds. Nothing is too much in this imaginative film. A must for all lovers of black comedy. Do also check out Mr Lunas "Teta y la luna, La (1994).