Rossy de Palma Movies
It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and no actress proves that truism more than Rossy de Palma. She is called beautiful by some, others are less kind; but everyone can agree that the looks of the Spanish actress are unique. Her unusual appearance has made her a star of dramatic comedies and a favorite of Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. De Palma appears in many Almodóvar films, perhaps as much for her stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks face as for her acting abilities. She seems perfectly suited for the Spanish director's satiric but fond character studies of women and the predicaments in which they find themselves. The stories focus on love with a twist: romantic triangles, if not quadrangles, same-sex relationships, transvestite relationships, incest, adultery, dishonesty, impecuniousness, falls from grace, betrayal -- in short, life. De Palma's role in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988) is typical of her performances in Almodóvar vehicles. She lights up the screen from the moment she steps through the door of Carmen Maura's apartment with her boyfriend, Antonio Banderas, in his first screen role. Whether asking deadpan questions, or fainting in a drug-induced swoon, the stunning Rossy de Palma is a comedic delight. Other Almodóvar films in which de Palma appears include The Law of Desire (1986); Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990); Kika (1993); and The Flower of My Secret (1995).De Palma also made a big splash in Antonio Mercero's Don Juan, My Love. The 1990 Spanish film is a hilarious comedy about the ghost of Don Juan, who de Palma finds out is not all he seems to be -- all set to flamenco music. Robert Altman put the actress' exotic looks to good use as a model in his sardonic visit to the world of high fashion, Ready to Wear, in 1994. De Palma released two films in 1998: Talk of Angels, an American film by director Nick Hamm, set in turn-of-the-last-century Spain, and Foul Play, a French film from director Karim Dridi that walks the thin line between fantasy and reality. De Palma stars as Concepcion, a woman very much like herself: unforgettable. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi
- 1986
- NC17
Popular film director Pablo Quintero (Eusebio Poncela) has found a new love in the form of handsome blue-collar Juan (Miguel Molina). Not altogether comfortable with his lifestyle, Juan decides to leave Pablo for a while to contemplate his future. Pablo insists that Juan keep in touch by sending him love letters. Ever the director, he plans to write the letters himself, and have Juan mail them back with his signature. If you think that settles things, you don't know filmmaker Pedro Almodovar. Among the many plot complications in Law of Desire is Pablo's subsequent romance with the possessive Antonio (Antonio Banderas, whose "gay kiss" in the film prompted front-page headlines in the Brazilian press), and Pablo's efforts to film the life story of his sister (Carmen Maura), who started out life as his brother. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eusebio Poncela, Carmen Maura, (more)
- 1988
- R
- Add Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown to Queue Add Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown to top of Queue
Though the kinky characters and aberrant social behavior common to the works of Spanish director Pedro Almodovar are very evident in his Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, the film is at heart a door-slamming farce in the grand tradition. The tiny apartment of pregnant actress Carmen Maura is the "Grand Central Station" setpiece for this dizzying tale. Distraught over her recent breakup with her lover, Carmen prepares to overdose on sleeping pills, which she blends into a gazpacho so they'll go down easier. She is diverted from her suicide by her best friend Maria Barranco, a fugitive from justice (her boy friend is a Shi'Ite terrorist) who needs a place to stay. Later, when Carmen's apartment is empty, her ex-lover's grown son (Antonio Banderas) comes to the apartment with his fiance (Rossy de Palma) in answer to Carmen's "room to let" newspaper ad. The wife inadvertently ingests Carmen's "pill sauce," and as she blissfully snoozes, the husband inaugurates an affair with Carmen's friend Barranco. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, (more)
- 1990
- NC17
"I'll never love you . . . ever!" the sexy and attractive Marina (Victoria Abril) states emphatically to the love-struck Ricky (Antonio Banderas). You know she means what she says because when she makes this statement she is handcuffed and lashed to a bed, not exactly the proper way to warm anyone up for romance. Yet in Pedro Almodovar's Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! the way to a woman's heart is depicted as being held in captivity until the Stockholm Syndrome kicks in. The film concerns the plight of Marina, a "B"-movie diva trying to adjust to her recent success after years of porno films and drug addiction. But then into her life comes Ricky, a part-time handyman and full-time mental patient, who, during one of his past escapes from the mental ward, had spent the night with Marina -- who gave in to him during one of her less-discerning moments. Since then, Ricky has been thinking of her constantly. Determined to win her affections, he kidnaps Marina, holding her captive in her own apartment and trying everything to convince her to love him -- then they could marry and have a big family. All Ricky's attempts to woo Marina fail. Finally, after taking a severe beating from some street thugs, he strikes a chord in Marina's nurturing heart so that when her sister Lola (Loles Leon) finally discovers her plight, Marina no longer wants to be rescued. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Victoria Abril, Antonio Banderas, (more)
- 1990
In this leisurely melodrama, a middle-aged man has resented his schoolteacher mother for decades because he imagines she had an affair with a colleague. In fact, he hasn't spoken to her in almost as long. This resentment has scarred his emotional life irreparably. Only when he hastens to his mother's deathbed and arrives too late does he get a letter from her via her supposed lover, which corrects his misconceptions and explains the scene we see at the beginning. In it, she is reading a poem to her son when he is a boy, which reads: "Footsteps echo in memory along the corridor we didn't take to the door we never opened." ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ottavia Piccolo, Massimo Ghini, (more)
- 1990
According to Spanish legend, every All Souls Eve, the ghost of the legendary lover Don Juan Tenorio rises up from purgatory to walk the earth in hopes of doing the single good deed necessary for him to be freed from limbo. Unfortunately, though Don Juan has risen 450 times since his death, he has yet to succeed. This erotic Spanish comedy begins on the last day in October in 1990 and chronicles the great lover's latest try. Though times keep changing, Don Juan's distinctive garb does not and he seems out of place on the streets of modern Seville. Luckily, he stumbles across a local production of the play Don Juan. The temperamental actor happens to look just like the real Don Juan and a mix-up leads to the real McCoy playing himself on stage. The other cast members are puzzled at the sudden change in the lead actor from arrogant, egotistical cad to amiable charmer. He goes on to give a stunning performance. Meanwhile, the actor gets his own comeuppance at the hands of a beautiful robber. Things really get to hopping later in the evening at the cast party when both the actor and the real Don are there at the same time. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Juan Luis Galiardo, Maria Barranco, (more)
- 1992
After trying a job as a stripper in a Barcelona carnival, Eva (Aure Attika) is ready for something new, so she heads over to France and becomes the roommate of a gay American artist (Phillip Bartlett) and works as the housewife for two wealthy older homosexuals (Claude Chabrol and Jean-François Balmer. After she gets settled, she takes a job at a government office for a while but then decides to have a child, which her obliging roommate makes with her the old fashioned way. He then returns to his usual preference, while Eva explores becoming an artist herself. From time to time in this easygoing comedy, Eva's similarly independent and quirky mother (Bernadette Lafont) shows up. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Aure Atika, Rossy de Palma, (more)
- 1992
Waging war against all things glamorous and beautiful, crippled terrorists Accion Mutante plot a series of attacks on society's elite, gaining a fearsome reputation before their activities are stalled with the jailing of their leader and mastermind, Ramon. Soon reunited with their newly released leader, Accion Mutante plots the elaborate wedding reception kidnapping of Patricia, a wealthy socialite. Though many die in the botched kidnapping, the gang gets away with Patricia and jumps aboard their spaceship, destined for a distant planet and a healthy ransom. Celebration is short-lived as greed kicks in and Ramon plants the seeds of distrust among his fellow mutants shortly after take-off. With all of the mutants gone sans a vengeful Siamese twin (or at least half of him), Ramon takes his cash cow to the pay-off site, though a curious case of the Stockholm syndrome has thrown an unexpected wrench into Ramon's devious plan. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Antonio Resines, Frederique Feder, (more)
- 1993
Spanish director Pedro Almodovar returns to his recurring framework of offbeat sexuality and death with this colorful comedy. Kika (Veronica Forque) is a Madrid makeup artist who falls in love with Ramon (Alex Casanovas), a dead man whose face Kika is hired to prepare for a funeral. Kika's attraction resurrects Ramon, and the two begin cohabiting. Kika becomes embroiled in a pair of criminal schemes, one involving her maid Juana (Rossy De Palma) and Juana's amorous, retarded brother Pablo (Santiago Lajusticia), the other involving Ramon's father, Nicholas (Peter Coyote). After Kika is raped by Pablo, she learns the incident was videotaped by Ramon, the footage ending up on a tabloid television program hosted by Andrea Scarface (Victoria Abril). Kika and Ramon split, but the latter discovers his father's complicity in the demise of his mother, leading to a violent confrontation. Because of Almodovar's humorous treatment of the film's rape, Kika was his third feature in a row that resulted in critical accusations of misogyny and exploitation. His subsequent material became more dramatic and less tinged with black humor. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Verónica Forqué, Peter Coyote, (more)
This large, sprawling comedy directed by Robert Altman concerns a variety of romantic and personal intrigues that intersect against the backdrop of Paris's annual "Pret-a-Porter" fashion extravaganza. With 31 principal characters and a number of cameos from well known models, designers, actors and actresses, there's far too much going on to describe the film in a limited space, but Julia Roberts and Tim Robbins get stuck in a hotel room together, Danny Aiello wears a dress, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni reignite their old passion (or at least try to), Stephen Rea humiliates a number of female journalists, Kim Basinger often looks dumbfounded, and Lyle Lovett plays a Texan (talk about imaginative casting!). Originally called Pret-a-Porter, this underwent a last-minute title change when the distributor discovered very few Americans understood what the French phrase means, with the English translation taking its place. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, (more)
This lively Spanish anthology, based on a series of short stories by Catalan writer Quim Monzo, is comprised of 15 short vignettes that contain a series of comments concerning those human relationships based on love, emotions and sex. Each segment is introduced by a one word title card that is spoken by the players. Included are short conversations, monologues, mini-plays, two fantasy segments, and a one-sided telephone conversation. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ana Lizaran, Jordi Bosch, (more)
- 1995
In this deliberately campy, slightly slapstick European parody of Alfred Hitchcock films from the 1950s, a newlywed couple returns from their honeymoon to discover that they have accidentally switched suitcases at the airport. They know the bag they have isn't theirs because it is stuffed with 500 million lire. At first they put out an ad for the owner; then they decide to keep it for themselves. Mayhem ensues when the bag's thuggish owners suddenly show up at the couple's housewarming party and demand they give every penny back. Later when one of them returns to threaten the bride, she accidentally kills him. His partner and a policeman chase the couple into the mountain retreat of the bride's brother, a frustrated writer. He finds the mess inspiring, and then is assisted by the gangster's ghost, who becomes his muse. The ghost gives them the advice they need for the couple to safely escape. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
From Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar (Live Flesh, All About My Mother) comes this offbeat drama about Leo Macías (Marisa Paredes), a romance novelist who writes her trashy tomes under the pseudonym Amanda Gris. When her marriage begins to dissolve, Leo finds herself falling into despair, leading her to drink and lose her knack for writing her tawdry tales. Out of her turmoil, she writes a bleak novel that garners no attention. To make matters worse, Ángel (Juan Echanove), a newspaper editor with a romantic interest in Leo, hires her to write a scathing review of Amanda Gris, not realizing Gris is Leo's nom de plume. Nominated for several Goya awards, La Flor de Mi Secreto also stars Carmen Elías and Rossy de Palma. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marisa Paredes, Juan Echanove, (more)
In this campy musical parody, Franchesca Page (Franchesca Leon), an aspiring singer and dancer with stars in her eyes and no discernable talent, scores a role in the upcoming disco stage extravaganza "The Lady Does It All!" as understudy to the leading lady. When the star unexpectedly dies, Franchesca is suddenly put front and center, where she proves woefully inadequate to the task before her, leading some to suggest her casting was an effort by the producers to deliberately sabotage their own show. However, help is on the way in the form of Franchesca's nagging stage mother, Rita Page (Varla Jean Merman), a former Vegas showgirl looking for one more moment in the spotlight. Varla Jean Merman is the creation of drag artist Jeff Roberson, who describes his character as the illegitimate child of Ethel Merman and Ernest Borgnine. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
The period prior to the Spanish Civil War provides the background setting for Nick Hamm's historical romantic drama. Young Irish governess Mary Lavelle (Polly Walker) arrives in Spain and begins a year of employment with the wealthy Areavaga family. Under the romantic spell of Spain, Mary develops a fascination for handsome Francisco (Vincent Perez), the Areavago family's married son. Francisco is attracted to Mary, and their doomed love affair is conducted amid skirmishes and street riots as war clouds gather. The Ann Guedes/Frank McGuinness screenplay is adapted from the 1937 novel, Mary Lavelle by Kate O'Brien (1897-1974). The book was reprinted in 1984 by Virago. This film was actually made in 1996 and then bumped by Miramax through numerous release dates over a two-year span before finally surfacing in theaters in 1998. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Polly Walker, Vincent Perez, (more)
- 1998
Karim Dridi, best known for Pigalle (1994) and Bye-Bye (1995), directed this French comedy-drama about actor Angelo Bastiani (Philippe Ambrosini) who installs satellite dishes when not auditioning for films. At one of these auditions he meets Concepcion Alibera (Rossy De Palma), and they go out drinking. After being told he's not convincing enough for a role in a gangster flick, Ange dons a mask and stages a parking-lot hold-up, terrifying the film's director and casting director to prove his point. This gives him an idea, and later he intrudes on a dinner party of actors, taking them all hostage. Bridging the gap between fantasy and reality, the film features several actors who portray themselves. Shown at 1998 Locarno and Montreal film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Philippe Ambrosini, Rossy de Palma, (more)
- 2002
French filmmakers Alain Berberian and Frédéric Forestier direct the buddy action comedy Le Boulet (Dead Weight). Tough criminal Moltes (Gérard Lanvin) lands in jail after killing the brother of the Turk (José Garcia). Prison guard Reggio (Benoît Poelvoorde) lets Moltes have a weekly lottery ticket in exchange for his suave relationship advice. When Moltes learns that he has a winning lottery ticket, he breaks out of jail to claim his money. However, Reggio's girlfriend, Pauline (Rossy de Palma), has the ticket with her in Africa. The action involves the odd couple teaming up to find the ticket while being chased by Det. Youssouf (Djimon Hounsou), along with the vengeful Turk and the Giant (Gary Tiplady). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gérard Lanvin, Benoît Poelvoorde, (more)
- 2003
A woman on her own finds herself taking a second chance at love, with hilarious results, in the comedy from France. Odile Rousselet (Chantal Lauby) is a well-regarded if not exactly famous actress whose ongoing midlife crisis kicks into high gear when her teenage daughter, Marie (Armelle Deutsch), tells her she's moving out of the house, and in with her boyfriend, Guillaume (Christophe Debonneuil). Understandably upset, Odile finds herself troubled not only by her anxieties about her daughter, but by her own loneliness. However, Odile's attitudes begin to change when she meets Kader (Jean-Pierre Martins). A handsome younger man who runs a ride at a local fair, Kader catches Odile's eye, and she finds herself feeling as giddy as a schoolgirl when he's around -- and has even more trouble controlling her feelings when Kader responds in kind. Laisse Tes Mains sur Mes Hanches was written and directed by leading lady Chantal Lauby; it was her first feature film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Chantal Lauby, Jean-Pierre Martins, (more)
Jet Set writer/director Fabien Onteniente returns to craft this sequel set against the backdrop of hedonistic Ibiza, and starring Rupert Everett as a Parisian party planner whose career has been sabotaged by a jealous rival. If you want your party to pop, you call on Charles (Everett). Charles has a knack for throwing the wildest parties in around, and his reputation is legendary. But Charles also has his fair share of enemies, and when a dastardly competitor schemes to turn Europe's hottest party planner into a hopeless has been he makes way for Ibiza in search of local club king John John (Jose Garcia). Perhaps with a little help from the flamboyant entertainer who helped put Ibiza on the map, Charles can restore his reputation and finally get back to doing what he does best - keep the crowds dancing till the break of dawn! ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rupert Everett, José Garcia, (more)
A fantasy-prone transvestite who is looking to make the leap to transsexual status imagines that he is the star of a lavish universe punctuated by elaborate musical numbers in director Ramon Salazar's stylish sophomore feature. Adolfo (Monica Cervera) is a die-hard romantic who currently shares a cramped apartment with Tomas (Miguel O'Dogherty). Though he was born a man, Adolfo prefers to go by the name Marieta, and is currently stashing away the money needed to shed the male appendage that is holding him back from full womanhood. Sex-change operations don't come cheap, though, and in order to raise said money Marieta must first land a decent-paying job. Though one successful interview does find Marieta hired as a railroad-station cleaner, the exhausted worker immediately falls asleep on the job and is quickly fired for doing so. It is in his sleep that Marieta truly comes alive, though, and after falling asleep during a conversation at a nearby market, the dreamland Ginger Rogers is pulled to safety by handsome stock boy El Reponedor (Pablo Puyol). As an intensely sexual relationship begins to develop between Marieta and El Reponedor, the aspiring transsexual discovers that even if he himself doesn't appreciate his one defining male characteristic, there are others out there who most certainly do. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Monica Cervera, Pablo Puyol, (more)
A follow-up to Spanish enfant terrible Pedro Almodóvar's 2006 arthouse sensation Volver, Los Abrazos Rotos finds the filmmaker re-teaming with actress Penélope Cruz and working on a canvas much broader than those of his previous outings, in terms of genres covered, narrative scope, and duration. Lluís Homar stars as the former Mateo Blanco, a screenwriter and ex-director who changed his name to Harry Caine after losing his sight in an automobile accident. A past scandal suddenly resurfaces when the news arrives that the producer of one of Harry's old movies ("Girls and Suitcases"), a corrupt stockbroker named Ernesto Martel (José Luis Gómez), has died. For mysterious reasons, this makes Harry's ex-production manager Judit (Blanca Portillo) nervous; then Ernesto's son, Ray X (Rubén Ochandiano), turns up and asks Harry to help him write a vindictive script to get back at his vile father. The film subsequently flashes back to the early '90s, when Martel became involved with his secretary, Lena (Cruz), but Mateo also began to develop feelings for her, and auditioned her for "Girls and Suitcases." In response to Mateo's interest in Lena (and her burgeoning interest in him), the jealous Martel commissioned Ray to make a documentary about the making of "Girls and Suitcases" as an excuse to spy on the director and star. This enabled him to watch Mateo spiriting off with Lena right under his nose, and set the stage for the wily producer's elaborate revenge against Mateo. As this synopsis suggests, Almodóvar uses a tricky structure laden with flashbacks to both comment on and explain the events of the present; he also interweaves a noirish sensibility throughout the picture that marks something of a first for this director. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Penélope Cruz, Blanca Portillo, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.