Customer Reviews

The Other Side of the Bed

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The good news: the movie is a lot of fun, especially if you like the sort of postmodern musical that features improbable people breaking into song and dance in improbable places (think Everyone Says I Love You or Love's Labour's Lost). And those of you who don't speak Spanish will be happy to know that the English subtitles are well-done, and translate colloquially and with the correct amount of vulgarity.

The bad news: the region 1 (US) DVD is missing a lot of things that were on the region 2 (Europe) version. They get deleted scenes, outtakes, making-of segments, TV commercials, and a picture gallery; all we get is the theatrical trailer. If you have a region-free player, you may want to get your hands on the version from Spain instead of this one.

Pedro (Guillermo Toledo) is heartbroken because Paula (Natalia Verbeke), his girlfriend, broke up with him. He tries to find comfort in his friends, Javier (Ernesto Alterio) and Sonia (Paz Vega). But wait a little... Isn't Javier the man that Paula left Pedro for?. That is merely the beginning of an entertaining story, that will make you laugh, and sometimes even think a little.

This film talks about friendship and betrayal, but all in a very light vein due to the fact that the people involved can't keep their lies straight. The fact that this movie includes a lot of musical scenes also helps to avoid the gloomy atmosphere that generally pervades in a movie with this kind of subject.

Regarding the actors, they are all quite good in their roles, but in my opinion the real star here was Natalia Verbeke as Paula, a young woman searching for love without being able to find it. I haven't seen many of her movies, but she really shines in this one. The script was also quite good, and there are moments when the spectator thinks he is taking part of a meeting between friends, where the nature of women and relationships is being discussed by men who don't really seem to know too much about either of those subjects. Don't expect enlightening remarks because you won't find them, but be ready to laugh a lot when a casual comment is just too bizarre to let it go without doing something.

On the whole, I think that this film is quite good and I give it 3.5 stars out of 5. It is entertaining, and funny at times, but it isn't the kind of movie you will want to see ten times in a row. All the same, I recommend it to you, because you will probably enjoy this movie a lot if you watch it just once.

Belen Alcat

Probably the rarest of cinematic forms - a Spanish musical? - The Other Side of the Bed was a huge favourite at the Toronto International Film Festival, 2002. What makes it great is that it is a very human story, occasionally (and usually unexpectedly) interrupted by big choreographed musical numbers. Two couples, both at a stage where they are very comfortable with each other, and both reaching a crossroads where they have to decide what their next steps are. Their stories intertwine in the most curious ways. The movie has a snappy feel to it, and a kind of quick pace, that helps the viewer really feel for these four main characters (and some quirky supporting characters), and what they are going through.

Two close couples encounter problems when one lady drops her mate cold. He is distraught and goes through all sorts of pain. Later on, the other
lady comes to cheer him up and......... So we have lovers who take their
best friends' lovers and each guy tries desperately to figure things out.
There are some twists and turns. One lady is reported to have slept with
a co-female worker. Lots of contemporary dancing and singing perhaps adds
lightness. The subtitles are excellent. Sadly my VHS skipped a lot but so what. Atypical video entertainment with excellent acting by the four leads. I go with 3 1/2* too. Watch it once and have fun. Sex comedy.

El Otro Lado de la Cama (Film Title in Spanish)

I saw this movie in Valencia, Spain in the Summer of 2002. Actually, I saw it TWICE! It is really one of the funniest I have ever seen. I love to see a movie that intertwines the plot amongst the characters and this one does it perfectly. The musical numbers are awesome. They are not the greatest singers, but neither am I. Like another great musical that won the Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year, you will find your self cheering for characters that are not the most "upright". Over all, it is just simply a great movie that all should see. I hope it is released in more cities here in the United States very soon.

I really loved this film. The Spanish seem to be able to make seriously funny films about sex without being smutty or bawdy. I saw this film in a cinema and everyone was laughing out loud, men and women, old and teens. It pokes fun at male machismo and ourability to lie straight faced to a woman in order to get sex. It laughs at women's vulnerabilities.
It takes a piece of suspension of disbelief to handle the fact everyone bursts into song at the touch of a hat, but then the set piece jokes roll you along.
Enjoy!

I had never heard of this movie, but I found it at the library and thought "hey, why not?". I didn't have much expectations for it and for that reason I would say it was a good movie.

It involves about 4 or 5 different people who are having trouble in their relationships, and consider seeing other people. There are at least a couple of surprises, which kept me interested through most of it. But I'm not so sure if the songs really worked well for the movie. At times, I felt like they killed the mood. I also felt like at times, the male characters, especially Javier, were really degrading the women. Javier was having an affair with another woman and thought nothing of it, yet he became harsh and downright condescending when he was accusing his wife of doing the same thing. And she wasn't even cheating on him at that point in the story!

Also, the ending seems to be abrupt, and not an ending at all. I don't want to spoil it for you, but basically, the conflicts in the story never get resolved one way or another. For this reason and a few others, the plot of the movie is very weak. For a fun, meaningful Spanish movie, try "Volver" or "Belle Epoque". However, "The Other Side of the Bed" is still pretty entertaining for what it's worth.

I love this movie. It's a very fresh entertaingin musical comedy. I already own it but i'm going to order it again from Amazon because the DVD i have is Fullscreen and i hate Fullscree... it mutilates the image. N e ways, i really recomend this movie to all musical comedy lovers.

Excellent movie, unfortunately this version appears to be a VHS transfer because the damn English subtitles can not be turned off...

The musical twist of this film makes it kind of surrealistic and funny. The movie reflects a light-spirited and delicate sense of humor typical of post-Franco Spain. Acting is good and you feel that actors are enjoying and living their parts. By the way, It is funny that the guy from Guadalajara (Mexico) criticizes spanish sense of humor. Mexico is perhaps the country I know with the worse and coarser sense of humor ever. Just remember the horrible Cantiflas movies and the pathetic Chapulin Colorado!!!