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Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (1988) More at IMDbPro »

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36 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :-
"Ask her who the hell is Ivan!" "Who the hell is Ivan?", 4 November 2003
Author: fdpedro from Miami, Florida

There are some movies that, no matter how good the translation, are just impossible for a particular audience to get. This is why I think most of the American audience wasn't be able to get into WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN. After directing the rather weak and disappointing drama/thriller LAW OF DESIRE, Spanish director Pedro Almodovar returned to screens in his full glory with this wonderful Academy Award-nominated screwball comedy.

Pepa (Almodovar regular Carmen Maura) works as an actress for TV commercials and dubbing of foreign films. Her lover Ivan (Fernando Guillen), who shares the same job, decides to leave her one day for unknown reasons, leading Pepa to assume he left with his wife Lucia (Julieta Serrano), who was recently released from the mental hospital. But after a while, Pepa realizes Lucia thinks the exact opposite, and that Ivan left for an unknown third woman. While on her quest to find this third woman, Pepa has to deal with her nervous friend Candela (Maria Barranco) who recently found out her boyfriend is a wanted terrorist and Carlos, (Antonio Banderas) Ivan's son whose annoying fiancé ends up getting accidentally knocked off by a rather lethal gazpacho.

Going any further with this film's plot would be unfair since most of the humor is delivered from it's many twists and turns. Almodovar was able to write a script so sharp with so many colorful characters and situations that the entire thing goes down with pure laughter. But is everyone laughing?

That brings me to the answer as to why many people didn't find this funny at all. If you don't speak or understand Spanish, (or some other language that comes from Latin) you won't be able to get this film as much as others. There is a reason why so many American comedians are never able to make it overseas: Humor is simply not international. The rumored but thankfully never completed American remake of this would have never worked. The performances for example: To people who understand the language, you can tell when the characters are being ironic, sarcastic, goofy, or serious. I don't think you can do that very well when English is your first language. So the users that have been complaining about "flat" performances might be already explained.

Almodovar has been accused of being a feminist, and this movie might be the main reason. I don't quite agree with that because WOMEN doesn't really leave strong message. If it does, I know few people who would actually care for it because this movie is hilarious. Every single character in these 90 minutes of absurdity gets well-balanced and get enough amount of time to shine: The MAMBO TAXI driver for example, turns out to be one of the funniest elements. The scenes all by themselves are already OK, but the frequency that they happen make them somehow even funnier. And the first-rate acting gets a big plus in my book. Everyone here is perfect (including a very scary way Almodovar coaches a good performance out of Antonio Banderas) with the true stand-out being Carmen Maura as over-the-top neurotic Pepa. It is a shame this was Maura's last collaboration with Almodovar.

But WOMAN's style is also not to be ignored: Most of the movie is set inside Pepa's apartment, which is put to good use. It is an amazing then-futuristic-looking retro set that with it's sitcom-like camp and artificial looking painted backgrounds becomes almost a character itself. Cinematographer Jose Luis Alcaine's camera is always up to interesting moves: There is the tracking shot of Pepa's feet as she walks in circles waiting for her call, or the reflection take from the answering machine. The work with colors is equally stunning, with the main colors being yellow and blue, and Pepa's red dress "over coloring" the environments around her for most of the time. You could freeze frame almost every interior shot of WOMEN... and stare at it for a while.

I can't really recommend this movie enough, as much as hard it is to review comedies. Reviewing a comedy is a tough call since it depends on weather you found the material funny or not. I have seen this over ten times and I always laugh at certain moments which I don't want to spoil. Let's just say the Jehovah's testimony and the TV commercial are the parts that always get me. I certainly did enjoy WOMEN... more than any other comedy I have ever seen.

(5/5)

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24 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :-
Outstanding in Spanish, however..., 18 July 2003
Author: tvce from Weslaco, Texas

I have seen several Almodovar films and this is far and away my favorite. The acting is marvelous in the original Spanish, especially Maria Barranco as Candela, and a young Antonio Banderas in his pre-US fame days. However, if you obtain the DVD version of this movie, resist the temptation to use the English-dubbed soundtrack. Sadly, the English version is just not funny. The readings are flat and uninspired, and the translation is not always accurate; too literal in some cases, just missing the point in others. It appears that the English dialog was written more for a close match with the lip movements than for precise translation. Instead, use the Castilian Spanish audio track and savor the beautiful performances. If you don't understand the language, read the English subtitles, which are more appropriately translated, and still enjoy the original.

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10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Deliciously funny farce from Almodóvar on top form, 23 March 2007

Author: jono-73 from United Kingdom

Pedro Almodóvar has made some brilliant films since "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", his international breakthrough hit of 1988, but for sheer delirious entertainment value, nothing else he's done has ever quite matched it. Working with a sterling cast led by the peerless Carmen Maura, Almodóvar here is at the very top of his game, directing a self-penned screenplay of sparkling wit and invention with relentless style and panache.

The genre is basically farce, the story built upon coincidences of mounting improbability which bring the various characters into unlikely but hilarious collision with one another. Actress Pepa (Maura) is desperate to save her relationship with serial womaniser Iván (Fernando Guillén), spending her nights dreaming about him and her days waiting for him to call. Tracing his movements, she stumbles upon another of his lovers, the deranged Lucia (a priceless Julieta Serrano), with whom she discovers Iván has a grown up son Carlos (Antonio Banderas). Carlos meanwhile is hoping to rent an apartment with his formidable girlfriend Marisa (Rossy de Palma), in which context they turn up at Pepa's penthouse, unaware of his connection with its owner. Meanwhile Pepa's friend Candela (Maria Barranco) has big troubles of her own: she's on the run from the police and is in hiding at the apartment. Chaos ensues, of course, but it is masterfully orchestrated. Handled badly the plot would simply be tiresome, but here nobody puts a foot wrong. Each cast member is pitch perfect, playing it straight but with just the right hint of irony and kitsch. By imitating the widescreen Technicolor look of 1950s Hollywood, Almodóvar pulls off the audacious trick of making his movie look as if it is set in an altogether earlier era while at the same time anchoring it firmly in the confident, colourful and arty world of post-Franco 1980s Madrid. Kudos to cinematographer José Luis Alcaine, Félix Murcia the set decorator, and costume designer José María De Cossío for their striking contributions to a film that is both hugely theatrical - it has been adapted for the stage - and richly cinematic. Almodóvar references Fellini, Hitchcock and Nicholas Ray, among others, revelling in the glossy, larger than life potential of cinema to be the purveyor of magic and dreams, not to mention nightmares. But here the darkness that often pervades his work is barely perceptible, which is probably why this above any other of his films (with the possible exception of his most recent, "Volver") has been embraced by a much wider audience than is customary. And justifiably so. It's a fabulous film.

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11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Almodovar at full throttle, 20 March 2000

Author: Wayne Malin (wwaayynnee51@hotmail.com) from United States

Funny, outrageous, ridiculous, colorful and fascinating film by Almodovar--his most popular film in America (so far). The story defies description but, basically, it's about three women (an actress, a psychopath and one on the run from the law) who are all affected by one man. THe story starts slow, picks up speed and is barreling out of control by the end. Well-acted, beautiful to look at and never a dull moment. Just see it! You won't be disappointed. Love the cabdriver and his cab!

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7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Quite Possibly, the Greatest Screwball Comedy, 31 August 2006

Author: nycritic

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

MUJERES AL BORDE DE UN ATAQUE DE NERVIOS is, from its classic opening title sequence in which Lola Beltran belts out her powerhouse ranchera ballad "Soy infeliz" to a montage of pictures taken from women's fashion catalogues to its appropriate closing with La Lupe (a gay icon herself in Latin America) singing her diatribe, "Puro Teatro", a perfect parenthesis that encapsulates a gay man's wet dream: the assortment of strong femininity, filmed to the beat of a potboiler, seen through the eyes of Douglas Sirk, and the heart and essence of farce taken to its limits. Seeing Almodovar's comedic masterpiece is not enough: it has to be savored like the fine wine it's become as it approaches its twentieth year from when it first exploded into theatres and rocked Spanish cinema to its core. Quite frankly, this is the greatest screwball comedy ever filmed, and for a genre created in the United States, this one trumps even Preston Sturges in sheer craziness that just builds upon momentum until it veers out of control.

As a matter of fact, television audiences who follow the satirical "Desperate Housewives" should make an effort to see Almodovar's WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN and appreciate the genius run amok during the approximate 90 minutes it takes to tell its frantic story. It's the only real way to appreciate what goes on ABC's hit show. From the moment our heroine, Pepa (Carmen Maura, in a role that has defined her career) awakens from her slumber and frantically runs to the phone to get that hungrily awaited phone call from Ivan (Fernando Guillen) who has abandoned her and faints in the middle of dubbing Joan Crawford as Vienna in JOHNNY GUITAR, as she crosses paths with the scared Candela (Maria Barranco), the lunatic Lucia (Julietta Serrano), anal Marisa (Rossy de Palma), and feminist Paulina (Kiti Manver) during the course of two days, we're in the same league as the five women of "Housewives." They might even serve as parenthetical bookmarks due to the twin nature of women in the throes of despair pushed to the extreme.

This is, as a matter of fact, what THE WOMEN would have looked like had it been filmed fifty years later. Less stagy than Cukor's film but no less effective even when it pokes good fun at artifice, camp, and itself, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN is smart, witty, ferociously funny and oddly touching -- a tough thing to do in comedies. It marked the movie which brought Pedro Almodovar to international fame, such that MATADOR was re-released in order to bring its equally bizarre story to the public who had discovered a wunderkind in the avant-garde director. For years, plans for an American remake floated about and actresses names were on a continuous shuffle. Thankfully, the idea has not come through and audiences can enjoy this very Spanish, very quirky movie in its original form and see why the term "Almodovarian" exists in cinema today. This is what started it all, proper.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Almodovar sets his standard for dark humour, 8 March 2000

Author: Holly (aromatic@ivillage.com) from nyc, ny

Truly wonderful and insightful romp which alternates between tragedy and farce seamlessly without ever missing a beat. Excellent performances by the entire cast contribute mightily as does a first-class camp score. This was the first Almodovar film I ever saw, and it made it a requisite for me to see each new one as it comes out. The man is a genius!

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6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
My brief review of the film, 19 August 2005
Author: sol- from Perth, Australia

An interesting Spanish comedy, the film's humour is derived mostly from the events being so absurd. Some aspects are overly ridiculous, but it is still very entertaining stuff, executed in a lively manner with an appropriately fast pace and suitable music choices. It is constantly interesting on a visual level, with vibrant colours, creative camera angles, and a lot of framing and close-up shots. The action is a bit frantic and the plot is a little too convoluted, but the film maintains an almost fantasy-like atmosphere, in which it feels like anything is possible, and this quality makes it an enjoyable, unique watch. It is hard to say if Almodóvar is trying to say anything at all here, as there are some ideas raised about consequences that are not explored in much depth. Still, the originality of it all keeps it afloat, and it is certainly quite an unusual (in a positive sense) cinematic experience.

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9 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Very funny farce, 21 January 2001

Author: Mitch-38 from Houston, Texas

Wickedly funny movie of actress who gets dumped by her lover, and how she responds. Full of zany characters and richly applied satire, and some great plot twists. Very offbeat and comical, your time will be well rewarded. This is an excellent movie for Americans to get acquainted, if you're not familiar already, with foreign films or directors. Directed by Pedro Almodovar. Highly recommended.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Beware of the Gazpacho, 6 August 2005

Author: domino1003 from East Texas, USA

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios," or "Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown" is one of Pedro Almodovar's funniest films in which a young woman's world is falling apart at the seams.

Pepa Marco (Carmen Maura)discovers that her lover Ivan (Fernando Guillen) has left her (Leaving a message on her answering machine). She also finds out that she's pregnant. It seems that things can't possibly get any worse.

But of course, she's wrong.

Trying to figure out why her lover left her, she contacts his ex-wife Lucia (Julieta Serrano), who is a bit unbalanced herself. She also finds out that Ivan and Lucia had a son name Carlos (Antonio Banderas)who, along with his fiancé Marissa (Rossy de Palma)visit Pepa to sublease her apartment. Then there is her friend Candela (Marisa Barranco), who is on the run when she finds out her lover is a terrorist who is planning to hijack a plane bound for Stockholm, and that she fears that the police will be after her.

Soon, Pepa has some serious problems. Lucia is convinced that Ivan is still involved with her, and the police show up at her door. The only thing she can do is offer her guests a nice cup of gazpacho. Trouble is, she had spiked the spicy concoction with sleeping pills (Which had already put Marissa to sleep). To make matters worse, Lucia takes off after Ivan after learning that he is at the airport with his new love, about to take off to Stockholm! Will Pepa get to her former love in time to stop Lucia from killing him? Great entry in Almodovar's filmography and its as spicy as the drugged gazpacho!

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Absurdism brought beautifully to the screen, 18 September 2003

Author: Vladimir from Sydney, Australia

"Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" is the first in hopefully what will be a long line of Almodovar films, I just watched it today at a free film screening when I was supposed to be seeing Fellini's 8 1/2 until the tape messed up. This was a very fine substitute.

The film contains all the elements of an absurdist play by the likes of Beckett, Stoppard or Ionesco. From its bizarre and essentially alienating dialogue, to its disjointed plot brought somewhat together by the end, it is an absolute delight to see such films around today.

All the characters are wonderfully developed and, like in a play, the narrative is light in plot but heavy in characters. It makes you think, not about the story it is telling since the story itself is ludicrous, and not about what is said for the same reason, but just about the way the characters interact with each other and how this can be applied to everyday life.

There are also some wonderful performances contained within. Each of the actors and actresses are so gutsy and alive inside this strange para-universe that Almodovar has created. It really is a treat to watch, with the persistently wry and often wildly ironic humour extracted to its full potential by the deadpan mock seriousness plastered across each character's face. It gives us a good laugh, not just at the film itself but at ourselves and the elements of us we can see in it. Plus the mambo cab is a dead-set winner.

After seeing this film, I am currently desperate to see another Almodovar. From this one piece I can see he is definitely a director worth celebrating and admiring and I will try to encourage many others to discover him for themselves. ****1/2 / *****

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