Product Details

• Actors: Antonio Dechent, Verónica Sánchez, Isabel Ordaz, Aitor Merino, Jordi Vilches
• Directors: Chus Gutiérrez
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: Spanish
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: Unrated
• Studio: TLA
• DVD Release Date: May 8, 2007
• Run Time: 89 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000NA278U
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,664 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Charmingly retro musical comedy! --Steve Warren, Q Notes

Product Description

Sara, still a virgin, stumbles her way to the underground nightclub El Calentito, owned by a sassy transsexual. The venue plays host to some of the hottest up-and-coming musical groups including Las Sioux, an all-girl rock band fronted by Joan Jett look-a-like Carmen, who happens to be a lesbian, and Leo, who is always in some state of undress so her breasts can run free. In the politically conservative climate of the Franco regime, the club has become a safe haven for all forms of sexual expression: gay, bisexual and try-anything sexual. Sara gets invited to perform with Las Sioux and, on the night of her scheduled debut, February 23, 1981, an uprising occurs causing the government to collapse and a thrilling night of wild, uninhibited celebrations explodes, leaving the country of Spain in a tizzy.

Set during the birth of the La Movida movement in Spain from which directors like Almodóvar and music groups like Fangoria found artistic inspiration, El Calentito is a raucous, high energy comedy that is out, loud and in your face. An effervescent roller coaster ride that will definitely be nostalgic for some and influence a new generation of queers to take to the stage and kick butt.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sparkling in Spain, March 30, 2007

By	Amos Lassen (Little Rock, Arkansas) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

"El Calentito"

Sparkling in Spain

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

"El Calentito" (TLA Releasing) is a special treat from Spain which is set against the background of the birth of "La Movida" movement in Spain in which artists found expression. "El Calentito" is a musical comedy of high energy that is loud and "in your face". In 1981 Spain was beginning to heat up. An innocent virgin by the name of Sara (Veronica Sanchez) finds her way into an underground nightclub, "El Calentito", and her life is changed forever. The club is owned by a very sassy and domineering transsexual and is the symbol of punk and sexual abandon and liberation. The star act of the club is a musical group
of women called "Les Sioux" which is fronted by a lesbian named Carmen and membered by another girl named Leo who is in a perpetual state of undress.
At that time the political climate of Spain had been influenced by the conservatism of the Franco regime and the club therefore was a haven of sexual expression in all of its forms. "Les Sioux" invites Sara to perform with them but on the night she is supposed to sing there is a riot which causes the collapse of the government and the country runs wild--there are instantaneous celebrations everywhere. Sara joins in and discovers her own chance to start on on-stage revolution and the bar, El Calentito" becomes an ocean of perversion, sex, and great celebration.
The movie indeed deals with an interesting period of social conflict in Spain and it handles it with great humor. Spain and Sara are in the throes of breaking away from a restrictive society (right after Franco's dictatorship ended with his death). Sara must face many choices--she is conflicted about her family and is in conflict with her sexuality. She is a good girl who has never had sex, drank, or used drugs. Something leads her to the club that night and it is there that she learns of sex, rock and roll and drugs and she participates. When the riots begin, Sara's future is in danger, The movie deals with the collision of cultures--the conservative vs. the new art movement.
What comes out of all of this is a gem of a film (not considering the bad acting and terrible direction) which mixes fact and fiction to creative a colorful and very funny look at Spain.
TLA is releasing the film on May 8 and this is a movie you want to add to your "to see" list. It is a pleasure to watch and it is wonderful to see the youth of a country have a say as to where that country will go.