Sparkling sets, pop ballet, loud music, sequins, tuxedos, evening dresses. Alex De La Iglesia between "Las brujas de Zugarramurdi" and "El Bar" (not to mention the documentary about Messi and the ambitious encyclopedic work "Words with Gods") takes a break from his classic atmospheres and takes us into a colourful world that is also his cheerful movie. But apart from this radical change he does not forget the usual corrosive criticism of society and certainly he does not lose the ability to read the flaws.
Written with the ever faithful Jorge Guerricaechevarría and made with some familiar faces like the beautiful Blanca Suárez (irresistible as always), Mario Casas, Carmen Machi, the legendary Enrique Villén and with the presence of Raphael (whom we will talk later), "Mi Gran Noche "is a crazy and explosive comedy, which unmasks the hypocrisy of the entertainment world without any compliments.
Conceived in the first instance as a musical is a film full of narrative lines and events from the beginning to the end with the usual weak moment of the works of the director, which then resumes and as always closes in the best way.
A colourful world that explodes in a studio, where between misfortunes, quarrels, attempted murders and external events is very difficult to record with a sparkling New Year's show.
A representation as always brilliant of all the human’s faults (but also valuable) that ends with an inevitable happy destruction that reminds the apotheosis of "Hollywood Party".
We are in Madrid, naturally, in a place where the recordings of the year-end show are about to start. Outside the social protest rages with violent clashes between protesters and police and instead inside explodes the life of the bizarre protagonists. There is no real protagonist but if we have to choose, the character of Alphonso an old and presumptuous star in conflict with his son, with a young colleague and a fan who wants to kill him, is the strongest one. A very interesting character really unpleasant, well hidden by a national popular facade, played by Raphael a very famous Spanish romantic singer active since the sixties and who also has a museum dedicated to him. An ironic role for an artist who in addition to having composed a song called "Mi Gran Noche" has already been used on a musical level by De La Iglesia in "Balada triste de trompeta".
The characters of the circus "Mi Gran Noche" certainly do not stop here and continue with the aforementioned and subdued son of Alphonso (Carlo Areces) and Oscar (Jaime Ordóñez) a fan of the singer. Adanne (a very good Mario Casas) instead is a rising pop star who prefers to have sex rather than sing, with the chagrin of his violent manager Perotti, ready to do anything to avoid scandals and with great envy of Alphonso who sabotaged him.
The couple of presenters ready to sabotage each other’s, but also to join forces for their career, Roberto and Cristina (Hugo Silva and Carolina Bang) and Paloma (Blanca Suarez) a spectator, who brings bad luck but who falls in love, (bad luck or not he is really lucky) of the mediocre José (Pepón Nieto) complete the main narrative lines of the story. But there is still room for the story of director Rosa (Carmen Machi) and José's nice mother.
An explosive comedy as always well directed by the hand of De La Iglesia who manages to let the frenzy and dynamism of an evening simply go out of control.