Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film is not so exciting

Juan Barquin/Columnist

Few directors of Spanish cinema hold the hearts of American audiences quite like Pedro Almodóvar does. His films, always overflowing with color and sexuality, are nearly always a pleasure to watch, delivering melodrama, romance, comedy and even horror on occasion. When it comes to his latest, however, there’s little to be excited about.

“Los Amantes Pasajeros,” better known by its English language title “I’m So Excited,” is arguably one of Almodóvar’s weakest films to date. No one can blame the writer/director for wanting to have some fun after delivering the bleak but fascinating horror film, “The Skin I Live In,” but the film leaves a lot to be desired.

To sum it up, “Los Amantes Pasajeros” is what happens when one takes an ounce of “Airplane!” and drops in a Spanish director who loves sex almost too much for his own good. Trapped aboard an airplane that can’t land, the film features a collection of kooky characters, including but not limited to a virgin psychic, a dominatrix and a trio of gay flight attendants.

…the film leaves a lot to be desired.

The flight attendants and pilots, along with the absurd first-classers, are the only ones awake on the plane, due to the planned drugging of the entire coach class to control panic. Unfortunately, they’re not very interesting people. Each one comes with their own baggage, and while certain wacky situations are enjoyable enough to watch, others veer too far into drama and out of the humorous mood for viewers to want to deal with.

Each dramatic insert is more frustrating than the next, but none is as unnecessary as the entire scene that takes place off the plane. Had Almodóvar cut a few characters and everything off-plane, “Los Amantes Pasajeros” could have made for a thoroughly entertaining short film, but instead it feels bloated even with its hour and a half length. A good case could be made for a drinking game along with it though, as there’s a good chance that it might be funnier after ingesting as much alcohol as its characters.

While there’s plenty to dislike, Almodóvar still does a fine job at showing off his way with words. Some of the delightful Spanish wordplay and comedy may not come through in translation, but there’s no shortage of ridiculous sex talk to keep audiences entertained. That abundance of sex is unfortunately a double-edged sword, though, as bringing in too much of it gets relatively tiresome.

All the sex, alcohol, potential death and over the top performances in the world can’t save “Los Pasajeros Amantes” from all its faults, but at its center lies one scene that’s just plain riveting. However boring the rest of the movie is, there’s nothing like watching the three flight attendants perform a lip-sync number to The Pointer Sisters’ “I’m So Excited” that makes it almost worth watching.

juan.barquin@fiusm.com