Spanish writer/director Pedro Almodovar (Volver, The Skin I Live In) is one of the few foreign language fi lmmakers who is consistently able to get his fi lms a wide release in the United States. And it's with good reason, too; many of his fi lms are very good and he's able to successfully work in multiple genres. Unfortunately, his latest effort, I'm So Excited, fi zzles.
The premise is solid. The fi lm is a farce about how the fl ight crew and passengers of a transatlantic plane with mechanical problems cope with their uncertain fate. The fi rst act is promising and there are funny moments scattered about, but the fi lm never comes together. In a movie with so many characters, it's understandable that the story's focus frequently shifts, but many of the digressions just aren't that funny or interesting. In particular, a fi ve-to-ten-minute sequence on land close to halfway through the movie goes nowhere.
Ultimately, I'm So Excited feels like Almodovar fi lmed the fi rst draft of the script. A funny comedy could have been made from this premise, but sadly, this one feels like a missed opportunity.
