MANUEL GOMEZ PEREIRA

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BB.5

Original title:  Boca A Boca

Spain, 1995.  Bocaboca Producciones, Sociedad General de Televisión, Sogepaq, Star Line TV Productions S.L..  Screenplay by Juan Luis Iborra, Joaquin Oristrell, Naomi Wise, Dialogue by Manuel Gomez Pereira.  Cinematography by Juan Amoros.  Produced by Cesar Benitez, Manuel Gomez Pereira, Joaquin Oristrell.  Music by Bernardo Bonezzi.  Production Design by Koldo Valles.  Costume Design by Nereida Bonmati.  Film Editing by Guillermo Represa. 

Javier Bardem plays a struggling actor who moonlights as a pizza boy to get by. When he needs more cash, he decides to go in for a job performing phone sex, which ends up paying a hell of a lot better than pizza ever did. Soon he finds himself at the top of his field, with one female client (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón) in particular who is desperate to meet him. After seeing her for the first time, Bardem becomes obsessed with her, but immediately following their first night together is wrapped up in a scheme involving blackmail and murder. This fluffy film tries for the whimsical joy of Pedro Almodovar but is too shallow and undercooked to come anywhere near that stature. Bardem is energetic to the point of annoying (not to mention the worst haircut of all time), and Sanchez-Gijon’s acting talents are minimized to mere window dressing.