Woman
on Top (2000)
Although this is a rather unfocused and trite romantic
comedy (which causes me to write a rather unfocused
review), I still found myself enjoying it's charms.
Penelope Cruz is particularly charming as the lead.
She consistently keeps the chemistry bubbling between
herself and her three costars and never fails to entice
us into the story. Likewise, her three very different
counterparts in the film play off of her quite well
adding up to a sort of tasty goulash (to really mix
cultures in my metaphors).
Following a storyline that moves from Brazil to San
Francisco, the film finds itself clashing cultures as
clumsily as it does cinematic ideas. There is some Disneyesque
spiritual hocus-pocus going on here which stirs up an
interesting mix of Latin lovers, Latin music, drag queens,
television, culinary delights, and California culture.
The film is often all over the map in it's story.
But it's an interesting mishmash. Cruz is allowed
to be sultry and goofy at the same time as the film
finds her to be a sex pot and culinary expert who also
has motion sickness. As often as a tasty dish of exotic
food is cooked up for us (with special effects acting
as enticing aromas), Cruz finds herself having to do
a vomit scene. The film somehow manages to glob all
of this extraneous stuff into a coherent whole.
I guess what makes the film work is it's unconventional
do- anything approach to the plot, from a script by
Vera Blasi, that finds director Fina Torres stretching
the boundaries of your typical romantic comedy fare.
And, of course, Cruz's unbelievable chemistry with anyone
who is lucky enough to share a frame with her. Murilo
Benicio is steamingly sexy as her Brazilian husband
who comes to America to track her down. Harold Perrineau
is funny and likable as her drag queen childhood friend
whom she runs to. And Mark Feuerstien is cute as the
white boy who wants to romance her as well. Even if
he has a tacked-on conclusion that makes no sense in
the film. It's all in good clean, politically correct
fun.
"Woman on Top" isn't the best film of the year. Not
by a kilometer. But it's a pleasant enough diversion
for someone seeking a unique romantic comedy in what
is becoming an increasingly drab year of mainstream
films. Cruz and Torres may throw on a bit too much spice
but, in the end, we're glad not be having meatloaf again.
Note:
Also with TV vets John de Lancie ("Star Trek: The
Next Generation"), Anne Ramsey ("Mad about You") and
Anna Gaseyer ("SNL").
Mainly in English with a few songs in Spanish (without
subtitles) and a few "signs" in Spanish (with subtitles).
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