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Release Date: November 8th, 2006 (IFC Center) by Cinema Tropical. The Cast: Gabriel Fernández Capello, Valeria Bertuccelli, Fabián Arenillas, Susana Pampin, Cecilia Biagini, Diego Olivera, Leonardo Azamor. Directed by Martín Rejtman. In Spanish with subtitles. BASIC PREMISE: When he breaks up with his depressed girlfriend, Cecelia (Biagini), Alejandro (Capello) moves in with his new friend, Sergio (Arenillas) and his wife. ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: The Magic Gloves has lively characters and decent performances, but suffers from a convoluted plot. Alejandro, a taxi driver, befriends Sergio, his customer who claims to be a childhood friend. Cecilia, Alejandro’s girlfriend, suffers from depression and simply nods her when asked if she wants to break up with him. Alejandro has dinner with Sergio—a.k.a. Piranha (pronounced “Piranya”, not like the fish)—and his wife and moves into a spare room belonging to their son, Luis (Olivera). Luis happens to be a buff porn star and, soon enough, returns home from Canada with the film crew—of course, they annoy him with all the “noise” at one point. Meanwhile, Cecilia flirts with Daniel (Azamor), a dog-walker, and Alejandro flirts with a sexy stewardess (Bertuccelli) who happens to be good friends with Cecilia. The convoluted plot goes off on so many difficult tangents, that it’s difficult to truly care about any of the characters, none of which are particularly likable. The titular magic gloves don’t even show up until later in the second act and, no, they’re not really magic; just one-size-fits-all winter gloves which Alejandro, Sergio and Luis briefly sell—after Luis quits his job in the porn industry. On a positive note, writer/director Martín Rejtman includes some quirky, dry humor that mostly succeeds, but he neglects to focus and to strengthen the dramatic elements which represent the crux of the film. SPIRITUAL VALUE: Unfortunately, none. INSULT TO YOUR INTELLIGENCE: Convoluted and unfocused. NUMBER OF TIMES I CHECKED MY WATCH: 4 IN A NUTSHELL: Decent performances, quirky humor and lively characters barely compensate for a convoluted and unfocused plot. RECOMMENDED WAY TO WATCH: VHS/DVD Main Page Alphabetical Menu Chronological Menu The "M" Menu ______________________________________________________ |
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