I'm So Excited Review
By David Kempler
And I Just Can't Hide It
Pedro Almodóvar's latest is a break from some of his recent heavier stuff. In "I'm So Excited" he returns to the tone of his earlier work. This one will win no awards, but it will score big with his legions of his fans and others who check it out, provided they have a sense of humor.
The first scene takes place on a tarmac with some workers prepping a commercial plane for takeoff. Two of the workers are Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz. At this point I was operating under the impression that they were the stars of "I'm So Excited". About ten minutes in, both disappear, never to be seen again. However, they are the propellants for everything that happens after they leave. Through their negligence, a problem with the landing gear develops, but that does not become apparent until the plane is already up in the air. The rest of "I'm So Excited" takes place on the flight from Spain to Mexico.
The stars are the three flight attendants, Joserra (Javier Cámara), Ulloa (Raúl Arévalo), and Fajas (Carlos Areces). They are over-the-top flamboyantly gay, love to drink to excess and take it upon themselves to deal with the crisis of an airliner that may be doomed. Their plan leads them to dope all of the people in coach, so those folks won't have to worry and they won't be annoying the attendants.
The passengers in First Class get to know each other and they are an odd collection that goes through some bizarre interactions. The pilot and co-pilot also get into the action, with their sex lives being explored. The show-stopper comes when our three attendants lip-sync to "I'm So Excited". It's one of my favorite musical numbers that I have ever seen on screen.
Almodovar, with the help of a group of designers, has created a plane that is beautifully awash in bright colors, not like any airliner I have ever been on. The uniforms of the crew are also brightly appointed, creating an atmosphere of an LSD-laced dream. It reminded me of when I first saw Almodovar's "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", one of the most colorful films you might ever see.
There are plots and sub-plots flowing along, but they are for the most part irrelevant. "I'm So Excited" is simply a romp through a fantasy-laden view of an airliner in distress, where comedy, music, colors, and sex control all of it. It's a very exciting film despite its lack of depth. Anyway, who cares about depth when you can't stop smiling.
