FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BED
Sad sack Pedro (Toledo) loves Paula (Verbeke), but she breaks up with him because she
loves someone else, his best friend, Javier (Alterio). Afraid of being caught, Javier creates
scenarios in Pedro’s head about who might be Paula’s lover--maybe it’s one of her exes
(but she only has two, one in Mexico and the other is gay...or is he?) Javier and Paula
carry on their affair as Pedro tries to uncover the other man's identity, even going to the lengths of hiring
a private detective. Meanwhile, Javier’s neglected girlfriend, Sonia (Vega), in her efforts
to comfort Pedro, falls for him instead. The Other Side of the Bed is a wonderful,
often silly, and sexy romp of a movie that explores sex, friendship and love. Sometimes
what the foursome find on the other side of the bed is not what they expect or want. They
miss the familiar, yet crave the new and exciting. Their predicaments inspire Euro-pop
songs, which are seamlessly integrated into the chaos. Each character has his/her own
number complete with choreographed background dancers. The actors seem to be having
so much fun it’s contagious. Director Martinez-Lazaro keeps the pace moving and gets
great performances from the ensemble cast. Guillermo Toledo has perfect comedic
timing, while Alterio, with his huge eyes (looking like the love child of Buster Keaton
and Sean Penn), is charming as his lies and cover-ups cause him to fall deeper and deeper
into desperation. And Vega delivers a slyly confident performance as Sonia, who is amused by
the men’s antics. But told from a male point of view, there’s plenty of female nudity, but
alas, very little of the men.
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