Dying of Laughter (1999)

The idea was very clever; the director was one of the best in Spain; the cast was stellar, putting together some of the most famous comedians in the country; even the song that came with it was a huge hit in the Spanish charts! It couldn't fail, could it? Yet it did. Because this was supposed to be a comedy, but it doesn't have a single laugh-worthy joke. Seriously. I really wanted to enjoy it, because I'm a fan of all the main players involved (de la Iglesia, Segura, Wyoming, Angulo), but I found myself staying silent throughout the whole thing. The problem is probably that the comedy is so black, that it's not comedy any more. It just isn't funny. But it doesn't work as a tragic drama either, because the story is so exaggerated and so absurd, that it's impossible to take it seriously. So it simply doesn't work at all. A pity of wasted talent.

I just saw this film at the Fantasia festival here in Montreal. The festival mostly shows action/kung-fu movies, but this is definitely not in that category. This film makes you want to get up and scream...but what would you say?I don't know how this film got made, as I don't know much about the Spanish film industry, but I'm suddenly really intrigued. This film delivers!The acting, directing, music and costumes are all great, but the writing is off the charts. I want to see more films like this. It made me laugh so hard and made take a serious look at how I perceive celebrities-I was in good hands during this film.DON'T MISS IT4/4

I can't believe there are people who like this movie. Of course, their opinion is as valid as mine, but it's hard for me to understand that. What's in this movie? A few pseudo-comic scenes, several references to old spanish TV programs and music hits (if you want to feel nostalgic with all that stuff you can watch a spanish TV documentary instead and that'll be surely better), and a surreal plot only understood by the people who made the film. I must confess I didn't laugh a single time, perhaps I smiled twice or three times during the whole movie. Sorry, Santiago, I don't like it !My rating is 4 out of 10 (and I'm being generous because I'm spanish).

De la Iglesia is back with a tragical comedy about two Spanish comedians of the 70s. Including homages to old shows as "Un, Dos, Tres" and "Directísimo", this is a comical (Or tragical?) approach to the last 25 years of Spanish history. Segura and Wyoming, comical as always, blend into their characters. The movie is a lot of fun, especially for those who know the historical period. Despite some criticism, I think this is, with "El Día de la Bestia", De la Iglesia´s best film.