My friends and I went to see this movie before the Oscars. I haven't been a fan of Penelope Cruz so I thought this could be her best performance to date and maybe I could change my perception of her. What I found was a cleavage-bearing Penelope who wore tight skirts and a character that wasn't very charming.
The story is about a woman, her daughter, her sister and a ghost of sorts. It had an interesting storyline but it didn't seem to have the drama I was looking for or enough energy to make you want to see how it ends. I did stay till the end only to find a tidy ending. It wasn't an endearing movie and none of the characters stood out for me. I rarely see subtitle movies because often you're busy reading and not watching the interpretation of the words. So if I knew Spanish, perhaps I would have gained more in that area and liked the film better.
What I did like was the ghost idea and how the film touched on the inner-workings of the famillly dynamic. Penelope's performance was okay, I didn't think it was Oscar worthy. It seems the Academy agreed with me.
I am glad to see a foreign film get some US appeal. I did ask the ticket sales guy which movie was better, Pan's Laberynth or Volver and he said Pan's hands down. I should have taken his advice. Next time.
For those of you who don't see foreign films a lot may like this one. It's not too complicated and if you went out for popcorn you wouldn't miss much.
Worth the money: $$$ 1/2
