"Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios" is a deliciously surreal farce by Almodóvar. It's certainly a minor and rather unremarkable film, but its manic energy, memorable characters and odd situations are enough to make it a very enjoyable 90-minute ride. The writing is crisp, the acting strong and the direction skillful -the use of vibrant colors is impressive in particular.

Flamboyant, funny farce by Almodovar is as fast paced and hectic as anything he has ever done, but is also far more disciplined than many of his 80s efforts; the direction is incredibly creative at times, utilising some camera angles that hark back to Leone (of all people!) and incorporating a very Hermann-ish score for the dramatic moments. Maura is sensational in the lead, and Banderas is very amusing in an atypical role as a repressed nerd (!). Great fun.

742

(DVD rewatch)

this is the first time almodovar had his name heard worldwide, nominated for oscar and grabbed lots of prestigious awards. you can see all the footprints of his cinema in this one: women, relationships, lies, schemes, colorful environment and else... great comedy.

* Casting, Acting : 6 * Script : 9 * Directing, Aura : 6 * Ease of Viewing : 6 * Naked Eye : 7

Extravagant (and extravagantly self-conscious) melodrama, supremely stylized with some of the absolute greatest production design i have ever seen. Deliciously campy, but with a deeply sincere empathy for it's characters. I kind of just want to live in this world.

Simplemente uno de los mejores films de Almodóvar.

A soap opera's plot turned into almost a hitchcokian picture, it's finely acted and directed. The broken romance between these two voice actors is presented just by recorded conversations -- which is a brilliant way to show the characters' ties --, and the supporting cast is also splendid.

Just OK Almodovar.

Almodovar's finest.

A lot of the wit is lost in the translation, but I would think if you don't know any Spanish it would still be enjoyable. Otherwise it's an excellent parody of Spanish telenovellas that's over-the-top enough to be hilarious, but still vaguely believable.