Starring:
Daphna Kastner as Zoe
Martin Donovan as Carl
Danny Huston as John
Antonio Castro as Julio
Toni Cantó as Antonio
Felipe Vélez as Taxi Driver
Chantal Rios as French Girl
Special Features:
None
Other Info:
Widescreen (1.85:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Spanish and French Subtitles
Running Time: 94 Minutes
Synopsis:
This film was originally released in 1998. The following is from the DVD cover:
“In the racy tradition of Sex and the City and Under the Suscan Sun, here’s a seductively fun story of a writer who must separate fact from fiction on the hot-button topic of men versus women! Hired to write about the legendary “machismo” of Spanish men, Zoe (Daphna Kastner — Julia Has Two Lovers) travels to Madrid with big ideas but precious little history of success with the opposite sex. As she busily dives into her research, Zoe’s hilarious hit-and-miss encounters with the likes of a womanizing translator, an overly eager male feminist (Martin Donovan — Saved!, Insomnia) and a fiery narcissist soon lead her to believe she’s in way over her head!”
Spanish Fly is rated R for strong sexuality and language.
The Movie:
Spanish Fly falls firmly into the “Chick Flick” category. I think this film is going to appeal to women a whole lot more than men. The teasers on the cover of the DVD compare it to “Sex And The City” and “Under The Tuscan Sun”. That’s actually a pretty fair comparison. There’s a lot of frank discussion about sex, love, and men like in “Sex And The City”. There are also a lot of fish-out-of-water elements like in “Under The Tuscan Sun”. It’s also similar in that it’s a story of an American woman rediscovering herself in Europe.
All that being said, it simply wasn’t my cup of tea. I’m not into movies where women whine about men and how they can’t find love. I’m also not enthralled with films that say how great and macho European men are compared to Americans. Frankly, I couldn’t care less. In fact, the Spaniards seemed to be portrayed more as horny, insatiably sex obsessed individuals rather than people that have love and sex all figured out. I mean, one guy is repeatedly shown grabbing his crotch along with sounds of tigers growling. Maybe all this strikes a chord with other moviegoers, but not me.
What does Spanish Fly have going for it, if anything? Well, writer/star/Mrs. Harvey Keitel/director Daphna Kastner makes a remarkable transformation as Zoe. She goes from a frumpy, shy writer to an attractive young woman. The scenery in Spain is also impressive. However, I didn’t get much out of it. It seemed more like Kastner was trying to work out her own issues on the big screen.
The Extras:
There are no extras on this DVD.
The Bottom Line:
If you liked “Sex And The City” or “Under The Tuscan Sun”, then you might get a kick out of “Spanish Fly”. However, if you’re not into chick flicks then you’ll want to pass on it.
