Official Competition

"The best director, the best actors, the best idea?"

2021 1h 54m ES

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 463

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When a billionaire entrepreneur impulsively decides to create an iconic movie, he demands the best. Renowned filmmaker Lola Cuevas is recruited to mastermind this ambitious endeavour. Completing the all-star team are two actors with massive talent but even bigger egos: Hollywood heartthrob Félix Rivero and radical theatre actor Iván Torres. Both are legends, but not exactly best friends. Through a series of increasingly eccentric trials set by Lola, Félix and Iván must confront not only each other but also their own legacies. Who will be left when the cameras finally start rolling?

“The best director, the best actors, the best idea?”

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Cast

Penélope Cruz
Lola Cuevas
Antonio Banderas
Félix Rivero
Oscar Martínez
Iván Torres
José Luis Gómez
Humberto Suárez
Manolo Solo
Matías
Nagore Aranburu
Julia
Irene Escolar
Diana Suárez
Pilar Castro
Violeta

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gastón Duprat
Writers: Andrés Duprat, Gastón Duprat, Mariano Cohn
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: Argentina, Spain

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Argentina, Spain.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gastón Duprat, shot by Arnau Valls Colomer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alberto del Campo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martínez carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The best director, the best actors, the best idea?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gastón Duprat directs. Arnau Valls Colomer behind the camera. Alberto del Campo cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Argentina, Spain. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 5 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4International production across 2 countries: Argentina, Spain.
5Directed by Gastón Duprat, shot by Arnau Valls Colomer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Alberto del Campo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martínez carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The best director, the best actors, the best idea?".
9IMDB entry: tt11700260 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Arnau Valls Colomer
Editing: Alberto del Campo
Production design: Alain Baineé
Costume design: Wanda Morales
Makeup / hair: Alba Cobos
Sound: Leandro de Loredo
Stunt coordinator: Gregory Brossard
Runtime: 114 min · 1h 54m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,100,000
Box office: $4,732,705
Return: 115% of budget
Original language: ES
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Official Competition (2021)

Awards

Premio Feroz for Best Comedy

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Gastón Duprat

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-08-29
★ 7/10
"Suárez" (José Luis Gómez) is a pharma gazillionaire who is concerned about his legacy. He considers building a bridge for the community before alighting on the idea of hiring wacky film director "Lola" (Penélope Cruz) to make a film based upon a book he hasn't even read! She recruits two actors - "Iván" (Oscar Martínez) and "Félix" (Antonio Banderas) who are the thespian equivalent of chalk and cheese. She is hoping that their rivalry will spice up her film... Well it certainly spices up this one! The former is a more method actor, a teacher, a considered and measured individual. The latter is a playboy, multi-award-winning Hollywood star with all the concomitant baggage that attracts. For the next two hours we have a really quite enjoyable series of sparring encounters, peppered with some juicily dark humour as the two play games with one and other - and with "Lola" too. They even cast the daughter of their producer "Diana" (Irene Escolar) who takes part in an hot make-out scene with the director whilst her somewhat astonished father looks on, bewildered... It's really well paced, with rarely a dull moment leading to a denouement that I found entirely satisfactory. It is a touch on the long side but is a wonderful send up of the pretentiousness of the film industry poking fun at the shallowness and pseudo-intellectualism of those involved in a frequently laugh out loud fashion. It probably doesn't need to be seen on a big screen - largely consisting of indoor photography based around their endlessly lively rehearsals, but if you do get an opportunity to watch, then you ought not to be disappointed. Cruz's hair seems to have a life of it's own too!

Production companies