The premiere of saucy Spanish comedy ‘I’m So Excited’ went down a storm at Manchester’s Cornerhouse this week, as Pedro Almodovar fans got the chance to watch a live satellite interview with the legendary director.
The film is typical of Almodovar’s earlier work with sex, passion and fear all combined to create a raunchy mile-high movie – a homage to his earlier work.
‘I’m So Excited’ is set on a flight to Mexico City as the cabin crew and passengers experience a wild ride following a fault with the airplane’s landing equipment.
Yet, as the film is certain to leave its audience howling with laughter when released on May 3, Almodovar has admitted a much deeper message rooted throughout the movie.
He said: “Going around in circles without knowing when you’re going to land, making emergency landings and living with a sense of uncertainty and fear reflects the situation in Spain.”
The Spaniard also hinted at his uncertainty at the future of the country he grew up in, and said: “This is a comedy so everything ends well.”
While Almodovar attempted to make light of Spain’s current crisis through the medium of cinema, to the audience, ‘I’m So Excited’ feels more like a good old-fashioned slapstick film, and in true Almodovar form, features cameo appearances by Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas.
And even after a 13-year break from comedies, he is very pleased with how the film turned out.
“I wanted to go back to comedy but I didn’t just want to make one because I know how to. But I’m very happy with this,” he said.
As a much anticipated scene developed, showing three camp cabin crew members singing the synonymous song ‘I’m So Excited’ by the Pointer Sisters, the audience joined in with the fun, proving that Almodovar still has it in him to produce the kind of comedy his fans crave.
And while most of the film is a whirlwind of excitement and danger, Almodovar stated that he finds planes very dull.
He said: “I’m really scared about the speed but more in a car. In a plane, I feel completely calm.
“I can concentrate very much – I write and read a lot so it is a very comfortable place for me. I’m a boring companion because I don’t talk. But I don’t have any fears. All the flights I have been on have been boring.”
‘I’m So Excited’ will be released to UK audiences on May 3.
Picture courtesy of Roberto Gordo Saez via Wiki Commons, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
