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Filmmaking seems like such a glamorous profession—but that’s because most people only see the red carpets and the award shows. But the Spanish filmmaking comedy Official Competition (Competencia official) offers a different perspective on the film industry—especially the crazy personalities, the egos, and the vicious rivalries.
Official Competition sets out on the filmmaking journey with award-winning director Lola Cuevas (Penélope Cruz) after well-known businessman Humberto Suárez (José Luis Gómez) decides to make a new name for himself by financing a movie with a great director and the best actors. Lola hires acting legend Iván Torres (Oscar Martínez) and popular favorite Félix Rivero (Antonio Banderas) to play feuding brothers in a film adapted from the Nobel-winning novel Rivalry. But from the beginning, the actors clash while trying to work within their director’s bizarre directing style.
Though Humberto and his own need for the kind of fame and prestige that only a hit movie can bring is the catalyst for this whole crazy mess of a filmmaking adventure, the majority of the film focuses on the rehearsal stage of the process, as the stars and their director struggle to work together.
Right away, it’s clear that these two actors are very different—but both are such familiar characters on Hollywood red carpets. Iván is the pretentious kind of artist who likes to talk about his favorite causes, while Félix is the guy you see in all of the biggest summer blockbusters—and at all of the hottest parties. They have different styles and different personalities, and they’re both equally over-the-top and absolutely laughable.
These clashing styles and personalities cause plenty of comical chaos on their own—but their creative and personal differences are amplified by Lola’s wildly unconventional techniques. As the actors work with their director to prepare for filming, she makes them read lines repeatedly or scream insults at each other. She makes them rehearse with a gigantic boulder suspended over their heads. It’s all so crazy yet strangely believable, too. And her bizarre techniques only heighten the tension until it all explodes into noise and egos and attitudes and rage—bringing the film to a fittingly messy conclusion.
Official Competition takes all of the egos and drama and big personalities of the filmmaking industry and turns it into a ridiculously over-the-top fiasco. This take on self-centered movie stars and pretentious directors often goes to some head-scratchingly crazy extremes, but it definitely makes for an entertaining take on the movie-making world.
Check local listings to find Official Competition in a theater near you, starting on June 17, 2022.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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