Totally Unauthorized

La senorita Cruz es muy bonita

Penelope Cruz is hot.  And she can act.  In two languages, no less.  I’d watch her reading the Madrid phone book.

Considerably better, though, is her new movie Broken Embraces (Los abrazo rotos).  Written and directed by legendary Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, this stylish melodrama is more entertaining than deep and meaningful, yet thoroughly entertains for its entire 2:05 run time.

Cruz plays a beautiful aspiring actress, loved by two men and in love with one of them.  The story plays out over 14 years, flitting back and forth in time as the plot unfolds.

The male lead, Lluís Homar, bears a disconcerting resemblance to Kelsey Grammer but is a much better actor. Forced to do his job without an actor’s most important tool, his eyes (because his character is blind for much of the film) Homar expertly uses his voice, expression and body language to convey the depths of his emotions.

After 31 films, Almodóvar is almost a genre in himself.  This film sometimes has the look of a 1960’s spoof, sometimes a noirish thriller.  You will often know where the plot is going, and still be surprised when it gets there.  It’s definitely worth seeing.

At the Cinemark in Pleasant Hill