As Luck Would Have It (2011)

AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT (dir. Álex de la Iglesia) A weak Spanish satirical comedy about an unemployed advertising executive who suffers a horrific accident in which he falls at a construction site and is pierced through the skull by a piece of iron rebar, yet remains conscious during the entire ordeal. In the process of getting help he engages the service of a publicity agent, and attempts to exploit the situation for all it's worth. The film tries to make a philosophical statement about the nature of a society that would encourage or support such self-serving behavior, but the film doesn't take it far enough. This could have really been a powerful drama or a scathing black comedy, but just came off as a lackluster effort.

¨As Luck Would Have It¨ (La Chispa De La Vida) deals with an out-of-work publicist (Jose Mota) and once popular ad exec can't catch a break, until a freak accident at a Roman theater located in Cartagena puts him at the center of a media frenzy, he hires an agent (Fernando Tejero) to help him cash in on his life-or-death situation in an attempt to provide money for his family . Roberto's loving wife (Salma Hayek) tries to convince him he's worth more alive than dead . Dramatic comedy follows an unemployed advertising executive as he looks for work , ultimately becoming the focal point of media attention when he falls into a precarious situation . This is a full-on surreal psychotronic black-comedy that blends emotion , thrills , comedy , tension as well as an interesting script full of dark humor ,outrageous drama , odd /selfish characters and exciting situations . This satirical melodrama explores the greedy nature between the media and public consumption . Eloy De La Iglesia moves out from under the literal big top and sets his sites on the mass media , probably as close to a modern circus as you can get . De la Iglesia reigns in his style this time around and delivers a utterly watchable takedown of ambition and media obsession that certainly delivers a few madly inspired moments . But while he tips his hat knowingly to films like Network and Billy Wilder's ¨Ace in the Hole¨, the end result is curiously toothless, and far less outlandish , intense and angry than either of those media-satire hallmarks . The film works on various levels and is constantly reconfigured , however contains some embarrassing , contriving moments and also certain excess . Acceptable performance by José Mota as an executive who has been out of work for a long time and suffers an accident and attempts to sell the exclusive interview rights to the highest bidder . A real standout by Salma Hayek , Mexican-born actress certainly makes up for her short stature with her performance in the film, receiving much praise for her role . Excellent plethora of secondaries such as the recently deceased Juan Luis Galiardo , Joaquin Climent , Juanjo Puigcorbe , Blanca Portillo and Alex De la Iglesia's ordinary actors such as Santiago Segura , Manuel Tallafé , Fernando Tejero , Enrique De La Torre and Carolina Bang whose partner is the director . Colorful and glimmer cinematography by Kiko De La Rica . Thrilling as well as emotive musical score by Joan Valent , the soundtrack flows great with the film in every way, and creates enjoyable atmospheres in every moment.The motion picture was well directed by the king of black comedy , Alex De La Iglesia , though failed at the Spanish Box office . He's a cool director has got much success as ¨Accion Mutante¨ ,¨Dying of laughter¨ or ¨Muertos De Risa¨ , ¨Baby's room¨ , ¨Oxford murders¨ and ¨Balada Triste De Una Trompeta¨ and winner of several Goyas (Spanish Oscars), however his movies have not yet reached box office in USA, but he has strong followers . Nonsense, ridicule , laughters , absurdity , disturbing scenes .. and many other issues ; you can find everything in this flick . The movie is a lot of fun, especially for those who enjoy surrealist humor . This is without a doubt a thrilling and enjoyable movie to be enjoyed for dark humor buffs and Alex De Iglesia fans.

Álex de la Iglesia's "As Luck Would Have It" features, in supporting roles, Salma Hayek and Carolina Bang, two of the most ravishing and talented Spanish-language actresses to ever grace the screen. Most viewers are well aware of Ms. Hayek, who has aged gracefully into Hollywood's demeaning mother-ghetto for actresses over the age of 35. Few know of Ms. Bang, who was the centerpiece of de la Iglesia's last film, the criminally-insane "The Last Circus." Both command the screen with old school Hollywood glamour and mature sexuality, and yet neither manages to obscure the machinations of de la Iglesia's sharp media satire. This, as Queen once sang long ago, is a kind of magic.Jose Mota is Roberto, a one-time ad exec who hasn't had success in many moons. Unbeknownst to his supportive wife, the couple are in dire financial straits, Roberto long living off the reputation gained from an old Coca Cola slogan. Reduced to begging and groveling at his former bosses' knees, Roberto soon realizes he has no job prospects. The cosmic joke of the film, unspoken, seems to be that Roberto seemingly bottomed out without a natural talent for advertising, and whatever reputation he has garnered was a fluke. The irony, of course, is that these callous suits lack what the enterprising Roberto brings to the table, courtesy of his Coke tagline: "the spark of life."Despondent, Roberto flees to the location of his honeymoon with his wife, where one absent- minded misstep lands him on his back, seriously injured but conscious. Lying on his back, Roberto maintains his motor skills, but he cannot move. He is impaled, a sharp nail sticking out from the ground, embedded in his head. Cops descend, but none dare to pry him loose, until medics provide a diagnosis: they could remove Roberto from the nail, but if he is pried loose in the wrong direction, he will die. The story of Roberto's misfortunate circulates, now attached to the circumstances. Soon, a media circus erupts over his captive state, reports circulating that his career had been failing and that he may have attempted suicide. The location de la Iglesia picks is not unintentional: all parties involved realize he's fallen on somewhat sacred ground, a landmark of sorts where Roberto's freedom could involve desecrating ancient ground. From Roberto's perspective, as we see various onlookers and media outlets observe, the area he occupies is shaped very much like ancient Coliseum bleachers. He has become the star of his own show, the story of his death, Ancient Rome-style. Wife Luisa (Hayek) eventually descends, though she is soon swarmed by the vultures of the press (among them Ms. Bang). As Roberto moves in and out of lucidity, they fight over exclusive access both to an interview with him or her. The ghoulish lengths they'll go to procure official footage and soundbites overwhelms Luisa: one reporter openly muses on a much higher cost for an interview if he were to die.De la Iglesia's setup hearkens back to "Ace In The Hole" but with a much more humanist bent: with his life on the line, Roberto immediately starts thinking dollar signs, knowing the cynicism of the media can be exploited to finally give he and his wife the life that will please her. But Luisa is the film's heart, and this attitude pierces her, as she fights against the reporters' obvious interest in Roberto's possible death. De la Iglesia, in the middle of what some may consider a career-long roll, continues his commitment to stark, realistic humanity in heightened, blackly comic situations. The absurdity of Roberto's predicament, while handled with good humor, is played with an entirely straight face -- his argument as to whether Brad Pitt or George Clooney in a movie adaptation is as much a product of his pop culture cynicism as it is about his hopeful recontextualization of this unlucky scenario. There may be no boogeyman in sight, but de la Iglesia uses Hitchcockian music cues and camera angles to emphasize the morbidity of Roberto constantly being moments away from death, with surrounding onlookers subtly rooting for his demise. Mordantly funny and sharp as a razor, "As Luck Would Have It" is one of the treasures of the Tribeca Film Festival.

If some demented soul decided to remake the old Kirk Douglas classic "Ace in the Hole" as a modern comedy, this would be it. unfortunately it is neither funny nor tragic. You'd be much better off watching the classic film, even if it seems a little dated. Probably the best part of As Luck Would Have It, originally entitled "La Chinga de la Vida", is the set, which is a Roman ruin. The actors generally do a credible job considering how weak the story is and how unfunny the humor. Everyone ends up playing a caricature or a stereotype, with the son of the leading couple falling more deeply into this trap than anyone can imagine. If you need a comedy about the flight of being an unemployed family man during a recession, you can always fall back on the Full Monty.