Amor de hombre

For one thing, I found the movie terrible verbose, dialog heavy. I was going crazy trying to read the sub-titles and watching the sexy stuff going on the screen at the same time. And in the end, I didn't feel much empathy towards either of the lead characters, especially the guy, who seemed one hell of a selfish pain in the ass to have as a friend. And it seemed weird having one single straight woman and every other character in the movie (including the one guy she's shown dating) turning out to be gay. In the final analysis, the best part of the movie was the birthday cake that was so lovingly baked during the titles - I drooled.

AMOR DE HOMBRE is a smart, snappy, fast-paced, entertaining little film which considering its release date of 1997 was a precursor to the now frequent appearance of films that deal with tender relationships between gay men and straight women ('My Best Friend's Wedding' and all the spin-offs). It is a smart script, well cast and acted and directed and scored and should be given the chance for a theater release now, in more expansive gender-friendly times.

Ramón (Andrea Occhipinti) is a handsome, successful lawyer in Madrid who happens to be gay and unlike most of his friends has not settled into a partnership. His closest friend is Esperanza (Loles León) who is a divorced school teacher, just turned 40, who love Ramón and constantly tries to help him find the 'right man' while Ramón tries to help her find her 'right man'. They party together with all of Ramón's professional friends - doctors, businessmen, teachers - and Ramón is hedonistic enough to have a different be partner every evening. After an automobile accident in which Ramón is injured, Esperanza moves in to care for him, a care that includes asking one of her fellow Phys Ed teachers Roberto (Armando del Río) to offer physical therapy and massage to the ailing Ramón. Because Roberto seems to rebuff Ramón's growing obsession with an unattainable straight man, the therapy ends when Ramón is able to walk. A twist occurs once Ramón is well and Roberto changes roles and is seductive to Ramón, a romance that comes to a tragic ending. In the end it is the quality of friendship between Ramón and Esperanza that provides the lasting nucleus of this tale.

It is refreshing to see a film that focuses on healthy men who happen to be gay instead of a series of beleaguered victims of the usual stereotypes who end up with hopeless tragic lives. Yes, the circle of friends seems always on the watch for the 'new man on the block', but the cruising is healthy and fun. The movie works so well because of the fine writing and direction by an amazing team - Yolanda García Serrano and Juan Luis Iborra - who seem to have pared down life in Madrid's professional sector with a fresh eye on variety! The cast is superb with special kudos to Loles León and Andrea Occhipinti. This is a light and very entertaining comedy with a message. Recommended. In Spanish with English subtitles. Grady Harp

Very well developed plot incorporating nice looking guys and the ubiquitous, ever-loving; ever-forgiving fag-hag! I did enjoy the Spanish dialog (though sometimes a bit too fast). A film that exemplifies the value of true friendship. Lovers come and go, but friends are always near to advise and console; for better or for worse.

Kudos to everyone involved in this production. Spain's "amor de hombre" is depicted with great wit, style, humor and compassion. As usual, Andrea Occhipinti as the fickle lawyer Ramon stands out. Loles Leon as the ever hopeful, helpful and aptly named Esperanza is his perfect foil. Throughout the course of the film it becomes evident that even with a basic sexual incompatibility these two people genuinely care for each other so much that it is unlikely that each would ever find a better mate. The sequences where each tries to fix the other up with a lover are hilarious and touching. Even the most minor characters are well drawn including the lowlife Roberto who is such a disappointment to Ramon.

I'll come right to the point: this movie endorses a relationship where a woman is at the beck and call of a histrionic drama queen of a gay man. She has no life and is always available to take care of the poor man who sleeps with lots of guys but falls in love with one that does him wrong. Neither of the characters develop or grow despite the illusion of a "sensitive loving friendship." Its not. Feminists will be furious with this characterization of the all giving "fag-hag" and the narcissistic and selfish gad-about gay man who takes advantage of her. Is this the way Spanish women are still brought up in Spain to pander to man's every whim? I thought this movie was going to expose how sick this relationship was but instead it created a illusory romantic happy ending, so I can't help but think the filmmaker was sentimentalizing and endorsing it. Not a good message for this day and age.