Reinas

In Spain, a couple of days before a collective gay wedding, the lives of five mothers, whose sons will get married, are entwined: Judge Helena (Mercedes Sampietro) is in charge of the ceremony; the entrepreneur in hotel business Magda (Carmen Maura) is hosting the guests in her hotel and is responsible for the banquet, while facing a strike leaded by her lover and chef; the nymphomaniac Nuria (Verónica Forqué) is facing problems due to her uncontrollable disease; the wealthy Reyes (Marisa Paredes) is having a crush for the father of her son's mate and her gardener; and the Argentinean cooker Ofelia (Betiana Blum) is facing financial problems and difficulties in the relationship with her son's mate. Along three days, they have complicated relationships with their sons and mates, ex-husbands, lovers and employees.

"Reinas" is a nice movie based on a fashionable theme, the marriage of gay couples, being a great entertainment. There are funny and dramatic situations, but they are satisfactorily resolved in an optimistic way. The controversial and unthinkable affair of Magda and her married chef Cesar is probably the weakest point of the story. I was particularly impressed with the beauty and elegance of Ms. Mercedes Sampietro. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Rainhas" ("Queens")

Manuel Gómez Pereira was one of the finest Spanish directors in the 90's, with such comedies as "Boca a Boca" or "El Amor Perjudica Seriamente la Salud". His latest projects, however, tanked ("Off Key" was a failure both economically and artistically) or simply didn't deliver ("Cosas que Hacen que la Vida Valga la Pena" was plain and average).

"Reinas" is Pereira's return to top form, with a clever and engaging plot which uses the celebration of the first gay wedding in Spain as a macguffin to tell the story of six gay men who are about to marry and their parents, especially their mothers. The film avoids clichés in an intelligent way, so the gay sons are portrayed as people from different social strata and conditions. The actors also avoid the affected mannerisms with which gays are often portrayed in cinema. Special mention to Gustavo Salmerón in a fine performance, although the rest are also very good.

However, the film belongs to the mothers. They are in fact the "queens" the title refers to. Pereira has been lucky enough to assemble a bunch of our greatest actresses: Carmen Maura, Marisa Paredes, Mercedes Sampietro and Verónica Forqué. Betiana Blum, an unknown Argentinean actress, is, however, the standout with her over-the-top character, Ofelia.

The story is very nice plot-wise and treats gay love stories in the same way it treats straight love stories. The screenplay manages a few laughs from the audience, and it is so action-packed that you never loose your attention from the film. The only flaw I can find is that it ends so abruptly that some of the story lines are left unexplained and some character arcs end up being implausible.

In any case, I found the film highly satisfying and very entertaining, so if you like spending two hours with a good comedy you won't feel disappointed.

Overall rating: 8/10

This film is about the complex interwoven relationships of 3 gay couples, their 5 mothers & 2 fathers, and a dog.

I have been looking forward to this film since it was released, and I conclude that it was worth the wait to watch it! The plot is simple, fun and healthy. As other has pointed out, it lacks the darker stereotypes of sex and drugs. It portrays gays as healthy and successful people, which is a refreshing change. Their parents' lives though, seem to be more problematic as they all have their own problems to sort out. The one woman that stands out is Nucia the nymphomaniac. She is so convincingly flirty and funny at the same time! The Argentian woman (I think it is Ofelia?) is so funny and annoying, like the monster mother in law! Hugo is cute and lovely. Miguel is upset about all the tragic events that happened but happily still do what he is told because of love. Each of the characters have a different personality, and I really like it. The ending is so sweet and affirmative. It is an entertaining and fun film that will bring a warm smile to your face!

I must confess that the mixed IMDb reviews were the main reason I actually decided to watch the movie. I was expecting a typical wedding drama, only instead of a hetero-wedding, this would be a gay-wedding. But this movie is much more.

The lives of five mothers and a father whose gay sons are getting married in a mass wedding ceremony, are interconnected and interwoven in totally hilarious, believable and fantastic situations. Like it's name suggests, the true heroines of the day are the mothers "Reinas - the Queens of the ceremony". The women, so totally different from each other, had one bond that would knowingly or unknowingly connect them in so many ways. The dog moving from one person to another, gave the impression of that connection.

The direction was amazing, and the back and forth of the timelines gave it a unique feel. What happened that lead to the other happening that lead to the "now"... it was classic.

The only thing that bothered me was that one unresolved issue, which constituted the final scene. But, I thought it was better to keep the issue unresolved than to acknowledge the destroyed relationships.

It is a truly great film.

I loved this movie.

The production values, acting, and directing are all first-rate. Unlike too many gay-themed movies, this was clearly expertly made.

The pace is fast and the mood light. The humor is absolutely hilarious. I don't think I stopped smiling, and there were a few times I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my seat. It was an absolute riot.

This is a great movie for gay and straight audiences alike. It's an even better film for families to see. The movie is all about guys getting married and their crazy (but believable) mothers. No matter what your mom was like, one of these mothers will probably remind you of yours. There's just so much great family humor that everyone would anyone would enjoy.

Highly recommended.