Bouche à bouche

Take a struggling actor (Javier Bardem downplaying his good looks and normal masculine appeal for a 'nebbische'-looking character) who becomes a phone sex operator (in a wonderfully sleazy phone sex operation), and then becomes involved with a (male) client, pretending to be gay. Add in an excellently created agent, a self-centred director (brilliantly played by Alistair Mackenzie), a love interest or two, lots of fun and laughs. Roller-coaster with the film when it becomes 'dark', becoming and spoofing 'film noir'. All of these 'archetypes' have been set up and spoofed before. And here is a Spanish film which does so, with humour and fun: simultaneously sending up its own industry and that of Hollywood. It's stunning!

This is an inventive, witty, fun film! It's very similar in intent to the recent 'Unconditional Love' aka 'Who killed Victor Fox?' (which cannot be boxed into a specific genre of movie), where the ensemble acting, the lead acting, and quite quirky script work: in a strange way, this is a feel-good movie: one can sense the actors really enjoying themselves. And so does the audience.

It is a film worth seeing; a Spanish spoof of Hollywood, of various film genres (and add in here plot convolutions, homage to other movies (often with a 'twist'), of beginnings and endings (no spoiler here, but in my opinion both beginning and ending are so true to the film's intention)and a fun take on actors and directors.

It's not at all a 'heavy' film. Director Manuel Gomez Pereira has the script nicely sewn up, and his direction (while never heavy handed) is tight, light and snappy. He has a great cast of actors, led by Javier Bardem (who can never really convince one that he is a nerd and unsexy!) and Maria Barranco, who gives a deft performance as female lead.

There are brilliant cameo roles, and some amusing American (language) lines counterpointed with the Spanish dialogue.

This film works! It's an absolute gem, a treat: see it....

Crime/suspense/comedy with great players , concerning a complex intrigue filled with twists and turns . Being well written and directed by Manuel Gómez Pereira with a good cast , though some inappropriate players . Funny Spanish comedy with emotions , thrills , abstract incidents , female nudity , silly messes and lots of loving scenes . It revolves around loving triangles , and attempts murders . For financial reasons an unemployed aspiring actor named Victor Ventura (Javier Bardem as a likable Cartagena young) works as Pizza boy , and subsequently for a phone-sex enterprise ruled by Raul (Fernando Guillén Cuervo) . One day , the unfortunate Victor receives a call from the mysterious wife (Amanda , well played Aitiana Sánchez Gijón) of one of his best clients , Ricardo (performed by a very good stage actor : Josep Maria Flotats who here is miscast) , a plastic surgeon and sex-phone obsessed . Meanwhile, his representative (an underused Maria Barranco) attempts to star him a big US production whose casting director (Myriam Mezieres) rejects to Victor . At the end , at a luxurious hotel takes place a big mess .

This interesting as well as charming film is full of humor , agreeable scenes , entertainment and being quickly paced . Enjoyable crime/comedy , full of color and some really brilliant frames ; dealing with sexual obsession , improbable happenings , and killings . It is plenty of emotion , humor , profanities , thrills , mayhem and surprise ending . In the beginning it displays slow-moving scenes , but a bit later on , the moving action is continuous but confused and nonsense , as well as unlikely . Rightly agreeable and fun-filled , milestone comedy which neatly combines nail-biting set pieces , entertaining situations and amusement . Shot in certain confusion and with a lot of close-ups by comedy expert Manuel Pereira , there stand out some sensually erotic scenes between Javier Bardem and Aitiana Sánchez Gijón . Some flaws I can find is that some of the story lines are left unexplained and some character end up being implausible . This fun story displays a quartet of sensational protagonists : Javier Bardem , Aitiana Sánchez Gijon , Josep Maria Flotats and Maria Barranco . Sympathetic performance by Javier Bardem , though he is better dramatic actor than comedian . As nice acting by Aitiana Sánchez Gijón , she parades sexily at her best and more relaxed and enticing than ever . And Josep Maria Flotats as a sex-crazed husband obsessed to pursue sexual encounters with men . In addition , an unforgettable plethora of secondaries , very well played , and giving portentous interpretations , such as : Kiti Mánver , Fernando Guillén Cuervo , Amparo Baró , Asunción Balaguer , Emilio Gutiérrez Caba , Germán Cobos , Saturnino García , Candela Peña , Juan Carlos Vellido and pay attention brief appearances of uncredited and veteran actors such as : Anabel Alonso , Pilar Bardem , Fernando Colomo , Juanjo Puigcorbé and Antonio Resines as Casting Director . The picture was nominated and won several Awards , such as Won Goya 1996 : Best Actor Javier Bardem , Best Director Manuel Gómez Pereira , Nominated Goya Best Film , Best Supporting Actor Fernando Guillén Cuervo ; Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Won CEC Award Best Actor Spain ; Fotogramas de Plata 1996 Won Best Movie Actor Javier Bardem ; Ondas Awards Won Film Award Best Actor and Spanish Actors Union Nominated Award of the Spanish Actors Union Film : Lead Performance Aitana Sánchez-Gijón .

Adding a colorful cinematography by Juan Amorós and an evocative musical score by Bernardo Bonezzi though composed by means of synthesizer . The motion picture was produced by Cesar Benítez/Sogetel/ BocaBoca Productions , being well written and directed by Manuel Gomez Pereira along with his usual collaborators : Yolanda García Serrano and Joaquín Oristrell . He usually writes his films and occasionally for other directors as "What Makes Women Laugh?" by Joaquin Oristell who in "Love Can Seriously Damage Your Health" is screenwriter and producer ; both of them are ordinary collaborators . Pereira is an expert on comedies as ¨¨Rose sauce¨, Why do they call it love when they mean sex ?¨, ¨Mouth to mouth¨ , "All Men Are the Same" , though he also has made some drama as ¨The hanged man¨ and this ¨Between your legs¨ . His latest projects, however, tanked as "Off Key" starred by an American-all star cast but was a failure both economically and artistically or simply didn't deliver as "Atrévete y Verás" . Nowadays , he directs TV chapters as ¨Gran Reserva¨ and ¨Cheers¨ series . "Boca a Boca" or "Mouth to Mouth¨ resulted to be one of his greatest successes

Boca a Boca is one of those rare films that is able to satisfy the viewer on all fronts. Film buffs will be amused with its satire of Hollywood. The film follows an aspiring actor who is forced to take a job as a phone-sex operator. From there the movie becomes a mystery/romance/comedy that will leave audiences satisfied. 10/10, I highly recommend this film!

I missed the opening credits, so I didn't know whose film this was. But by the end I was convinced it must be Pedro Almodovar's. The film has the pace and plot twists typical of Almodovar. The dialogue sounded like something out of "Women on the Verge...". Sort of Billy Wilder on speed. The only thing that was different from an Almodovar film was the look of the sets, especially the lighting and the colors. But still, I was very surprised to find it wasn't Almodovar's. I enjoyed it very much and plan to watch it again, this time from beginning to end.

This movie is a fun, sexy and interesting comedy. Javier Bardem is adorable, gullible, funny and loving. What an actor! In this movie Bardem plays an actor who is required to test his acting talents out on everyone he meets. I picked this movie on a whim, and I am pleased that I did.