neumu [ cinematronic ]




	The Other Side Of The Bed
	Emilio Martínez-Lázaro Ernesto Alterio, Paz Vega, Guillermo Toledo, Natalia Verbeke 2002		Its fervor and liveliness and its alluring quartet of lead actors almost assured success for "The Other Side of the Bed," a post-modern union of rock musical and romantic comedy. Accordingly, the film was a major hit in its country of origin, Spain. (The bulk of the tunes used to advance the plot are contemporary Spanish pop hits, which had to help.) "The Other Side of the Bed" is filled with fickle friends falling in and out of love, inconstant paramours offhandedly switching their affiliations — and the consequences of such actions. Paula (Natalia Verbeke) dumps her boyfriend Pedro (Guillermo Toledo) because she's secretly having an affair with his pal Javier (Ernesto Alterio). Since Javier is afraid to tell his trusting girlfriend Sonia (Paz Vega) about his thing with Paula, his distant, moody attitude may drive Sonia into Pedro's arms. Director Emilio Martínez-Lázaro's concerto of bed-hopping, couples-swapping, song-bursts and dance routines is all rather infectious, even if its nearly-two-hour length is too much for such light-hearted fare. That "The Other Side of the Bed" doesn't wear out its welcome is a tribute to its flashes of wit, its brisk pace and its comely, pleasing cast, lip-syncing away.