I'm So Excited

When I left a preview screening of Pedro Almodóvar's latest film I'm So Excited, I was accosted by a member of cinema staff who was standing with a group of about four colleagues. “Excuse me darling, have you just come out of Screen 5?” she asked. Worrying that I'd finally been caught for sitting in a Premiere seat without paying for it, I nervously replied “Err, yes. Why?”. “Can I ask what you thought of the film, it's a bit weird isn't it?” came the reply. “It's definitely different” I said and scampered away before she noticed the contraband packet of sweets sticking out of my pocket. I should have just directed her to this blog...

I'm So Excited is a rather odd and, at times, surreal film but the IMDb plot summary for it is even more confusing: “When it appears as though the end is in sight, the pilots, flight crew and passengers of a plane heading to Mexico City look to forget the anguish of the moment and face the greatest danger, which we carry within ourselves”. Yeah, me neither. I'm So Excited focuses on the business class passengers and crew of a flight which encounters a problem with its landing gear, leaving it circling in the sky waiting to make an emergency landing. The cabin crew attempt to keep the passengers calm by entertaining them and the mortality of the passengers is revealed through conversations with loved ones on the ground. The resulting film is sometimes funny, often strange and completely bonkers.

Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, arguably one of Spain's most influential and well-known film-makers, I'm So Excited fluctuates between the odd and the very touching. As with much of his work, the film is bold, brash and glossy. The three lead male air stewards are all gay and, in times of trouble, prefer to sing The Pointer Sisters' “I'm So Excited” track to the passengers, rather than go through safety procedures. Rather crazy characters, who feel that sexual pleasure and drugs are the way out of their difficult situation, offered some poignant moments when they attempted to resolve their conflicts with love ones over the phone: conversations which could be heard by the rest of the passengers. The melodramatic feel of of the film was underpinned by the humour which was sometimes laugh-out-loud but most frequently mildly amusing. Almodóvar's script certainly created some vibrant characters, from a drug smuggler with a narcoleptic wife to a psychic with an obsession with death and the characters were, in themselves, quite engaging. Not all of these characters were likeable but under Almodóvar's direction, the comedic and surreal action was rather fun.

I'm So Excited is an uneven affair and not entirely successful. This is, perhaps, due to translation issues with the subtitles – if you're Spanish, the quick verbal humour and pop culture references may work more effectively. Furthermore, the action in the air dragged at certain points and didn't have the energy which drove the film's most successful sequences. Without a doubt, it is one of the strangest comedy/melodramas I have seen in a long time but, should you find yourself on a long-haul flight, it will entertain. Just make sure your fellow passengers don't catch you watching it, otherwise they might think you're getting ideas...

Clapperboard Rating: * * 

I'm So Excited is released 3rd May