Maplecrest Trailer Home

Believe it or not, other people besides Pedro Almodóvar make movies in Spain. I’ve been here for over three months, and I still sometimes doubt it because seemingly 98% of the films released here are imports from the U.S. But in the last week or so posters have been going up around Madrid for this movie, the title of which, when translated, means “Off the menu.”

A couple weeks ago on a bus ride from Valencia to Madrid I saw a Spanish movie called Descongélate of about the same ilk–zany comedic farce about the lives of youngish people in Madrid–and it was actually rather disappointing, despite its endearing commitment to madcap antics. This movie, though, looks like a winner. First of all, good cast. Javier Cámara, Lola Dueñas, and Chus Lampreave are all Almodóvar veterans with impressive comedic skills. Chus in particular is a gem with the crazy old lady role (basically the only character she ever plays, God bless her…she’s kind of like the Estelle Getty of Spain). Secondly, if the trailer’s anything to go by, it’s going to be nice and punchy (although trailers have, on more than a few occasions, been known to mislead). It’s got that pleasing, bouncy rhythm of comedy trailers that, when done just right, sets off chemicals in your brain that convince you that a) life is really fun! and b) you have to see this movie ASAP, it looks fun! It’s got something to do with the snappily edited-together slapstick moments/wacky jokes (complete with swishy transitions and crazy Chus touching man boobs) and the brightly colored text frames asking you menu-themed things like “Meat or fish?” It’s an assault on the senses with pure zaniness, and I must admit that it’s worked like a charm. I can’t think of the last time a trailer made me feel so artificially light-hearted. If this were a local newspaper article I’d conclude with something like, “Let’s just hope that big laughs are on the menu for the actual movie!”