Writer and director Manuel Gómez Pereira takes a look at the funny side of same-sex marriage in this farcical comedy. Magda (Carmen Maura) is the manager of a posh resort hotel that is to be the site of a marriage ceremony bringing three gay couples together at once. One of the husbands-to-be is Magda's son Miguel (Unax Ugalde), who will exchange vows with Óscar (Daniel Hendler). However, while things are harmonious between Miguel and Óscar, Óscar's meddling mother, Ofelia (Betiana Blum), is
making life miserable for everyone. Narciso (Paco Léon) will be tying the knot with his lover, Hugo (Gustavo Salmerón), but both are having family problems -- Hugo's uptight parents, Helena (Mercedes Sampietro) and Hector (Tito Valverde), aren't sure if they're willing to attend, while Narciso's man-hungry mom, Nuria (Verónica Forqué), threatens to make a spectacle of the ceremony. And actress Reyes (Marisa Paredes) will be on hand to see her son Rafa (Raul Jimenez) marry Jonas (Hugo Silva), who happens to be the son of her gardener Jacinto (Lluís Homar). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
It feels like [Pereira] just plucked the men themselves from atop a wedding cake and stuck them in his movie, where for the most part they stand decoratively around and watch the women make suds from all this soap.
With what amounts to 20 characters crossing paths, Pereira's job description might seem more traffic cop than director, but he rises to the challenge and adds style and splashy color to boot.
Spanish director Manuel Gomez Pereira certainly draws inspiration from his compatriot Pedro Almodovar -- several of the actresses are even Pedro alums -- but the film falls short of Almodovar's usual depth and complexity.
Unfortunately for director and co-writer Manuel Gomez Pereira, all the energy in the world isn't enough to compensate for the superfluous plot lines and outrageous overacting that weigh down this bit of warm-hearted Spanish fluff.
Pereira goes in for lots of time shifts and split screens, piling on the contrivances like so many costume baubles when a single string of pearls would do.
While straining credibility at times, offers some appealing scenes of quiet reflection, as well as a refreshing celebration of the ineffable allure and power of being middle-aged.
The star-heavy cast, which includes such big Spanish names as Carmen Maura, Marisa Paredes and Veronica Forque, are a treat to watch even when their dialogue isn't all it could be.
For all its contrivances, the film is cheerfully rude and surprisingly generous to the mothers, most of whom find sizzling new romances at an age when their American counterparts are reduced to sexless dithering or played as humiliating punch lines.
"Queens" is an appealingly glorious mess of a movie that is not helped out by an overcomplicated chronological structure. As gay marriage is becoming legal in Spain, Helena(Mercedes Sampietro), a judge, is reluctantly set to preside over a ceremony of 20 gay and lesbian couples, not the least because her son,
Hugo(Gustavo Salmeron), is marrying Narciso(Paco Leon) in that ceremony. Miguel(Unax Ugalde) and Oscar(Daniel Hendler) & Jonas(Hugo Silva) and Rafa(Raul Jimenez) are two other couples featured but the overall focus of the movie is squarely on the parents, especially in the case of Jonas and Rafa. This approach takes something away from the movie because it is the grooms' day first and foremost, not the parents'. And I am all for good roles for older women especially if it involves Carmen Maura but this is not really the right place... "Queens" would have been much better if it had focused on just one couple or if it had been made as a documentary. At the very least, a lesbian couple could have been included for diversity's sake.
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