La buena estrella

As I have mentioned elsewhere, I am not particularly fond of Antonio Resines, and Maribel Verdú is not exactly my first choice of actress. So it was with certain disinterest I left the TV on to see how the film would develop, as after seeing `Lágrimas Negras' I felt I had to see some other work by the deceased Ricardo Franco.

Here we have a different Resines: not the twerp doing light TV series, playing the part of dopy heavy-handed supposed humorous pieces, light-vein trivialia and such like; In `La Buena Estrella' Resines redeems himself somewhat, and shows he is capable of doing more serious things, and coupled with Verdú who rose to the occasion, the result was reasonably inspired and acceptable.

But it is Jordi Mollá who steals the show. At first presented as an unlikable yobbo, wife-beater and small-time criminal, his character slowly grows on you, such that you really feel for him. As the scenes unfold you get deeper inside him, you begin to understand the complexities of a man who at first gives you the impression of being a superficial easy-living bum. Excellent performance here which overshadows everything else. For those of you who have had the luck to see `Como un Relámpago' (1997) (qv), you might like to compare with Santiago Ramos' superb performance in that film.