Routes secondaires

Having recently seen and commented on `La Buena Estrella' which turned out better than expected, I thought I would check out `Carreteras Secundarias' when it popped up on the little screen a few nights ago, again coupling Antonio Resines with Maribel Verdú and adding Miriam Díaz Aroca for good measure; though frankly there is not much to measure. The two young ladies mentioned only had to be sexy little playmates for the errant husband (Resines) travelling around with his son (Fernando Ramallo) trying to make a living from what might be called itinerant selling but is best in Spanish `trapicheo'.

Falling back on the usual facile foibles running from the quixotic to the `cantamañanas' (literally a tomorrow singer, as today he only has a lot to say but not very much to go on), the film is at best a light-hearted entertainment. However, it must be noted that after the usual ready-made formulas common to this type of film and this type of actors, well into the film there are some interesting scenes which might just be taken a little more seriously, but the end scene just falls back onto the predictable frivolessness of time-worn and definitely overdone quixote-macho traits.

But, then, I suppose, Spanish humour at times arduously overworks its shortcomings.

Resines and Ramallo are not too bad; the delightful ladies do just that without any effort and scarcely avoid being merely laughable; some of the coastal scenes are pretty (the film was shot in about three quarters of Spain!), and the music at times accompanies very well. But apart from that, if there is nothing else on the box and you want a bit of light entertainment, you could see a lot worse in Spanish filmography. Perhaps it is just that Martínez Lázaro has not moved on very much from the early seventies

Fun Dramedy (comedy/drama) with touches of profanity and full of entertainment , humor and sheer amusement . Amusing Spanish comedy in which two good actors , a veteran Antonio Resines and a fifteen-year-old teen Fernando Ramallo become involved into improbable situations . As a problematic teenager called Felipe (Fernando Ramallo) accompanies his errant as well as troublemaker daddy Lozano (Antonio Resines) travelling around Spain as Madrid , Zaragoza , Girona , always being involved in dark and not very decent business . They undertake an itinerant life , living by means of small swindles and supplies selling . Both of whom trying to make a living from what might be called as simple subsistence . In this coming-of-age story the son begins to understand what his life is . They are joined by gorgeous Paquita (Maribel Verdú) , a type of woman who shows great love for Lozano and his son Felipe . In pursuing their objectives the losers will face a lot of problems . Meanwhile , the peculiar family travels across Spain , throughout several locations until an American base .

This attractive comedy contains emotion , humor , brief drama and amusement . The film moves in fits and starts most of which would be desirable, with more traps the viewer resists any kind, and some moments of enjoyment and others quite a few embarrassing . The flick relies heavily on the continued relationship between father and son , but it doesn't make boring but entertaining . The journey of the protagonists is so repetitive and the most part results to be rich in absurdities and implausibilities . This road movie has a nostalgic feeling dealing with the seventies as when appeared the color TV , Patty Hearst is in the news robbing a bank , strikes in which in protesters are being pursued by Guardia Civil or ¨Grises¨ and Franco is dying . Nice acting by Fernando Ramallo as a teenager who has his sexual wakening and hates his dad's ways ; in every sense he is more noble than his father . Agreeable support cast gives good acting as the notorious Mirian Diaz Aroca , Jesús Bonilla , Maite Blasco , Ramón Langa , Montserrat Carulla , Alicia Hermida and Fernando Vivanco . Colorful photography with juicy atmosphere by Javier Salmones (Butterfly tongue , Romasanta, Los Borgia , Arte Morir , 13 Campanadas) deemed to be one of the best Spanish cameraman . Lively and emotive musical score by Roque Baños (Old boy , Fragiles , Machinist, Sexy beast, 800 bullets) including enjoyable central theme .

The motion picture was well directed by Emilio Martínez Lázaro . He was born in 1945 in Madrid , location in which he often shoots his films . He is a Spanish prestigious cinema director . Emilio is a director and writer, a good filmmaker expert on comedies as he has proved in : Los Peores Años de Nuestra Vida (1994) , El Juego Más Divertido (1998) and Amo Tu Cama Rica (1992) , drama : Las 13 Rosas (2007) La Voz De Su Amo (2001) , Musical as : Al Otro Lado De La Cama (2002) , Los Dos Lados de La Cama (2005). Being especially known for ¨ 8 Apellidos Vascos¨ considered to be the biggest box office in Spanish cinema and he is nowadays shooting ¨8 Apellidos Vascos 2¨ .

But sadly the rest is not as great. A weak and typical script, really poor acting (with the exception of Resines, of course) and bad, bad description of the time (the 70's, just before Franco's death) and the characters (especially the women).

Is a movie similar to "Imaginary Crimes" (1994), about a poor man, a loser (Resines) who doesn't have a permanent home and travels with his son (Ramallo), always being involved in dirty and not very smart business. The intentions of the movie are honest and maybe this could have been a really good movie, but the poor character development (we've seen this thousand times) and some stupid roles like Miriam Diaz Aroca's make the movie little interesting.

We have Resines, though. An actor who's always magnificent, in comedy and drama (see "La buena estrella") and in not very good movies like this one. Only because of him the movie is worth watching...