Pablo (Pere Ponce) knows already, in his twenties, what he wants from life: to become a musician, be likeable to his mother (Rosa Maria Sardá) , and find a lovely, faithful and good boy to share the rest of his life with. Pablo suffers a difficult emotional crisis when his boyfriend leaves him, tired of his tenderness and so a demanding behaviour, that it's near jealousy. Driven by a high unsecurity, he applies to an exam to become horn player in the Youth Spain National Orchestra. But the one who examines him is his father (Oscar Ladoire) , which lives for years apart from his wife and voluntarily forgotten by his son, whose sexual behaviour doesn't find exactly appropriate. Our protagonist meets Vicente (Jordi Mollà) during the entrance exam for the young national orchestra, whom he installs in his home. After a deep emotional crisis caused by the breakup with her boyfriend, Pablo understands that his soluction is to join the young national orchestra as a player applicant. As one can guess, Pablo's exam is not brilliant, and that depresses him yet more. Anyway, a trump player from Valencia which has made the exam with Pablo hasn't a place to sleep. Pablo takes this colleague home to spend the night. But, next morning, Salome (Penélope Cruz) shows up. And she appears inside of Pablo's bed. He liked music. He liked boys. He was a happy boy... happy but not too happy !.
In this funny comedy of entanglements, starring Pere Ponce as a gay young in crisis who falls in love for the young woman called Salome: Penélope Cruz. When his existential crisis leads him to have suicidal thoughts, the psychologist he consults recommends opening a door to heterosexuality. Colomo directed in 1994 -after critical and public successes such as Rosa Rosae 1993 and Bajarse al moro 1989- this comedy starring a very young Penélope Cruz, Oscar Ladoire (Goya nominee for best supporting actor) and Rosa Maria Sardá. There are a number of silly incidents, matching roles here and there, such as the relationships between the horn teacher and his student, then his son falls in love with Penélope Cruz, while Ponce's mother, Rosa Maria Sardá, keeps watch these twisted relationships.
It is an attractive and uneven comedy, both because it is anecdotal that father and son fall in love with the same young, virtuoso of the horn, and thanks to her he discovers that isn't homosexual, but heterosexual. The interpretations are enjoyable and passable. Likeable Pere Ponce and the then unexperienced, but spontaneous Penélope Cruz shine above the others.
Although the plot is full of ups and downs, it is attractive enough and was written by comedy expert Joaquin Oristrell and Fernando Colomo himself. Adding the excellent idea that the story is developed entirely within the scope of the 'National Youth Orchestra of Spain' during the summer course at the Palacio de la Magdalena in Santander, shown in colorful cinematograpy by cameraman Javier Salmones. The latter is a photographer especialist on dark atmosphere, such as: ¨El hombre del saco¨, ¨La posesión de Emma Evans¨, ¨Christmas Tale¨, ¨Blind Alley¨, ¨Rottweiler¨, or ¨Romasanta¨, though in ¨Alegre ma non troppo¨(1994) Salmones provides luminous settings. In addition, the presence of some new female faces and the apparition of some veterans and cameos is appreciated, such as: Jordi Mollá, Nathalie Seseña, Luis Ciges, Lola Lemos, Andoni Gracia, Roberto Cairo, Ramón Lillo, Verónica Forqué, and Javier Cámara.
This charming and with plenty of misunderstandings motion picture was professionally written, played and directed by Fernando Colomo. Comedy expert Fernando Colomo was born in Madrid and is a talented and versatile writer/director who has made a vast array of often solid and entertaining films in all kind of genres as comedy, drama and one science fiction movie (1985 El caballero del Dragón) in a career that spans over 30 years . Especially known for directing comedies such as 1987 La Vida Alegre , 1988 Miss Caribe , 1989 Bajarse al Moro , 1993 Rosa Rosae , 1994 Alegre Ma Non Troppo , 1995 Efecto Mariposa . And in the 2000s directed Al Sur Granada (2003) , El Próximo Oriente (2006), Rivales (2008) , La Banda Picasso (2012) , and several others . Rating: 6/10. The film is especially aimed at Spanish comedy enthusiasts and fans of Penélope Cruz.
