Finale a sorpresa - Official Competition

As "Official Competition" (2021 release from Spain; 115 min.) opens, the now 80 yr old ultra-rich CEO of a pharmaceutical decides that he wants to be remembered for something special. Maybe build a bridge? No, he decides to finance a movie with the best director and the best actors. Shortly thereafter he is introduced to Lola Cuevas, and she suggests ti adapt a book called "Rivalry" to the big screen, and cast the 2 best actors in the world, Felix and Ivan, in the roles of the two brothers. At this point we are 10 min into the movie.

Couple of comments: I can't say that I was familiar with the co-directors from Argentina, Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn, but all you need to know about this film is that it stars Penelope Cruz (as Lula), Antonio, Antonio Banderas (as Felix), and Oscar Martinez (as Ivan). Much of the movie feels like a theater play, as the movie plays out mostly among the three of them in rehearsals for the upcoming shoot. But then the last half hour comes... Just watch! As I was watching the movie, I was debating with myself who among these three performers was going the "best" job, but in the end that is an impossible task to determine. Instead, sit back, relax and enjoy the film for these outstanding performances, nothing more, nothing less.

"Official Competition" premiered at last yea's Venice Film Festival to immediate acclaim, and it is currently rate 94% certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie opened this weekend at my local arthouse theater here in Cincinnati. The July 4 Monday matinee show was not attended well (exactly 8 people including myself). No matter. If you are interested in a foreign movie that featuring 3 performers at the top of their game, I'd readily suggest you check this out and raw your own conclusion.

This movie is marketed as black comedy (it could be blacker for my taste) but it is basically a vehicle for great actors to overact, making fun of their profession but also show facets of their craft (there are many ways to say "Good Day"). On the other hand the movie draws attention to some facets of filmmaking that is usually neglectet, e. G. the importance of how sound is recorded.

We've seen many films about filmmaking and art, and this is definitely not one of the worst of its kind.

It starts with a not so original theme, a movie about making a movie, but with the quality of the participants you expect something well done and this movie is up to par. It has a good pace with lots of jokes and little twists. It makes fun of everything and everyone without taking itself too seriously.

This movie criticizes movie actors and directors, but from a funny perspective where satire dominates the entire movie.

This story reflects in a funny way two different types of actors, although they seem caricatured, in reality they can have that personality, it also portrays how ridiculous and pretentious some directors can be, adding some exaggerated ways of directing the actors. The story also tells how to prepare the actors to make a movie, which is interesting and works as a starting point to create an unfriendly environment between the characters. The performances are spectacular, and the script doesn't ramble into unnecessary situations, although at the beginning it may be difficult to connect with the story, the rest of the time it is very enjoyable and funny.

It's a good movie that not only serves as a distraction, but also takes us a little deeper into the process it takes to make a movie, specifically the relationship between the actors and with their characters.

I didn't find this satire acid or funny at all, the cliches around actors, their directors and the movie business are well-known meanwhile, lacking originality. Actors are presented as dumb and vain, their director as manipulative and tyrannical. We have seen all those prejudices before. The actors do their best to keep the story alive, but the result still left me unsatisfied and a bit bored.