| Overall Grade: |
C- |
|
| Story: |
A- |
|
|
| Acting: |
B- |
|
|
| Direction: |
D |
|
|
| Visuals: |
B |
|
|
Pichon
by Webster (movies profile)
Apr 4, 2007
Since most of the films that we are able to see from abroad are usually the “best” that a country has to offer, it is heartening in a perverse way to witness that Spain can produce a clunker as silly and inane as anything that is foisted upon us here from American filmmakers.
Director Manuel Gómez Pereira’s “Queens” (La Reinas) is such a film which is particularly unfortunate because the subject matter: Spain’s legalization of Gay marriage and in turn a sort of public, televised gang-marriage of 20 couples is a newsworthy and important social topic for a commercial film. Also on hand are the Queens of the title, the Mothers of several of the marriage-bound couples who have arrived in Madrid to support their sons and in a couple of cases not to support them.
Veteran Spanish/Argentine actresses such as Carmen Maura (the soon to be released “Volver”), Veronica Forque’ and Marisa Paredes (“All About My Mother”) besides sharing a history with Pedro Almodovar also do their best with their poorly written parts and their experience and professionalism often shine through this wreck of movie in which they find themselves.
To be sure there are moments of fun but Pereira’s slap-dash mise en scene and loosey-goosey editing dulls the impact of the film as a whole. “Queens” then is another case of first class ingredients making a very mediocre, meatless, flavorless stew. |
My Public Profile 
