This seems to appeal much more to women than to men, possibly because the ending is so much more satisfying for women (featuring lots of happy mothers with children!). I found it quite mediocre and formulaic, and it just barely held my attention to the end. It has a peculiarly "young-and-innocent" feel to it; although the plot involves a male-male-female sexual triangle, and the woman already has an illegitimate child, it is very chaste and there aren't even any sex scenes! The biggest problem is with the mis-casting of Jorge Sanz; he is supposed to be playing a highly-desirable guy in his early 20s, the same age-range as the other two leads. However he was 32 at the time this was filmed, and unfortunately he has aged rapidly and looks more like 40 on-screen. Also he seems to be sleepwalking through the role. So you end up with a once-hot rapidly-aging lead actor giving a low-energy performance, mis-matched with two young and energetic co-stars, a feeble child-like script, and mediocre direction and choppy editing. I generously gave it a 5. To really see Sanz in action, view his early works like the romantic "Belle Epoque" or the gritty electrifying "Amantes".
Add a Review
-
notmicro20 November 2002
-
I LOVE YOU BABY
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Sound format: Dolby Digital
Struck by a falling disco ball while singing karaoke in a Madrid nightclub, a gay country boy (Jorge Sanz) wakes to find himself inexplicably 'straight', alienating his devastated boyfriend (Santiago Magill) who surrenders him to a relationship with beautiful single mother Tiaré Scanda. But Magill is unwilling to relinquish Sanz so easily, and makes one last desperate effort to reclaim him...
Uneven mixture of lightweight comedy and social melodrama, co-directed by Alfonso Albacete and David Menkes, which reinforces unpleasant attitudes about the 'second-class' status of gay men in macho Spanish culture. Some of the plot twists recall Pedro Almodóvar at his most outrageous (Magill adopts a female disguise to steal Sanz away from his newfound love), but the film is hamstrung by the miscasting of Sanz in a crucial role, and the unconventional ending is a disappointment. However, Magill - star of DON'T TELL ANYONE (1998), and one of the most astonishingly beautiful actors in contemporary Spanish cinema - carries the script's emotional burden with effortless grace; his brief love scenes with Sanz are entirely natural, and completely unaffected. Watch out for an *appalling* cameo by Culture Club frontman Boy George.
(Spanish dialogue) -
ma-cortes22 July 2015This typical story about a gay country boy called Marcos (Jorge Sanz) who meets a boy named Daniel (Santiago Magill) . But then boy gets hit in head while singing karaoke in a discotheque . Later on , boy loses boy to girl . As Marcos falls for attractive single mother called Marisol (Tiaré Scanda) , a likable Dominican girl who meets her good-looking suitor . But Daniel is unwilling to relinquish Marcos so easily and things go awry . What will he do? . Daniel does one last desperate effort to get his ex-boyfriend , now as transvestite to reclaim his sweetheart . Everything that you can imagine is far from the stupid things that may happen him , as it results in the happenings turn upside down . One story , two loves . Three lovers . Four dreams.
Romantic Spanish Dramedy (Comedy and Drama) with nice actors , charming South American songs , love stories , and mediocre direction . Fun and uplifting Spanish romantic comedy with crazy events , amusement and absurd situations . This entertaining film packs amusement , comical as well as dramatic situations , tongue-in-cheek , surrealist comedy including conventional pitfalls and many other things . This is a slightly funny film with entertaining events , giggles , emotion , twists and triangular love stories . The film moves in fits and starts most of which would be desirable , with more traps the viewer resists any kind , and some moments of enjoyment and others quite a few ridiculous . Humor is sometimes cheesy and gross-out with numerous naughty and picaresque situations such as sex jokes , bad taste and adult scenes . This is a special Spanish comedy from the 2000s with the usual ingredients such as twisted humor topped with a little bit of original touches here and there and the tone of the film is light-hearted . It's an agreeable , moving as well as lightweight comedy with brief touches of drama , professionally acted and concerning the narration about the relationship among fiancée , fiancés and a transvestite . Sitting in a strange middle ground between the completely absurd and the stylishly cool . Main actors are acceptable , though Jorge Sanz is miscast . Support cast is frankly well such as Verónica Forque , Alicia Agut , Laura Ramos and cameo by two singers : Dani Martin of ¨El Canto Del Loco¨ and Boy George of ¨Culture Club¨. This is a fast crazy movie with lot of fun situations , antics , bemusement and with a bunch of offbeat roles . This is another Spanish drama/comedy romp , it is a bemusing story that contains lots of humor , entertainment , and involving gays , immigrants , lower class people , workers , stage actors and many other things . A film rich in troublesome loving stories , where love is the central theme seen from various points of view , as from homosexuality or ordinary Hispanic-South American couple . It has some moments of enjoyment as well as amusement and others quite a few embarrassing . Regular and unbalanced , but gaining the sympathy almost at all times . This is an agreeable as well as uneven comedy in less than 110 minutes of length and yet with an air of naturalness and credibility rarely match .
Colorful photography in juicy atmosphere by Gonzalo Berridi , deemed to be one of the best Spanish cameramen , he has photographed successes such as ¨El Viaje De Carol¨, ¨Amantes Circulo Polar¨ , ¨Ardilla Roja¨ , ¨Camaron¨ and ¨8 Apellidos Vascos¨. Lively and catching musical score filled with marvelous songs , and Dominican music such as ¨Bachata¨and ¨Merengue¨ . The motion picture was middlingly directed by Alfonso Albacete and his partner David Menkes . They are good writers and directors , being expert on comedies and dramas dealing with gay world and young people . Both of whom are especially known for Más Que Amor, frenesí (1996), Atomica (1999) Sobreviviré (1999) and Mentiras y Gordas (2009). -
B2424 June 2004Unexpected events take a while to digest. Some can eventually be understood as to cause and effect; some cannot. The latter is evident in two ways regarding this film: first, the main premise of the story just makes no sense at all, even after lengthy reflection and generous second-guessing; and second, one wonders why one bothered to watch the last half, which is something of a phenomenon for a viewer who should have known better.
Still, it is well-made and technically proficient as a movie. The actors and the direction cannot be faulted. Set in modern Madrid, it presents us with believable characters involved in totally unbelievable interactions with each other. Marcos and Daniel are lovers, but the again maybe they're not. Marisol and Marcos are variously not attracted to each other, but then they are. Daniel and Maria are one and the same, but Daniel winds up with a Maria like-alike -- sort of. The sensible viewer will hit the off switch when the disco ball drops.
It makes me think about a nightmare in which I am run over by a truck, then find the rewind button and make it all go away before I wake up.
Watch it for the good job the actors do in spite of a lousy script. -
jopur24 April 2004I watched this movie the other day, and I have a few observations about it. First, I don't see what Daniel saw in Marcos at all. While Marcos is a physically attractive fellow, he seems to be totally devoid of humor and warmth. Daniel, on the other hand, appears to be someone who is in love with life and it's possibilities. Second, the whole issue of the falling disco ball and Marcos's change from gay to straight is, in my opinion at least, ridiculous. I understand that the filmmaker was trying to make a point, but does anyone on the planet think that sexual orientation is so malleable? I can recommend this movie, albeit with strong reservations. If you're looking for a foreign gay-themed movie, you may wish to consider "L'Homme que j'aime" or "Les Roseaux sauvages", both of which I, for whatever it's worth, thoroughly enjoyed.
-
I LOVE YOU BABY takes you places you don't expect in its own quiet way, never pushing, just coaxing you along via the four charming lead characters. Though its description (on both the IMDB and on netflix--where I rented the DVD) sounds Almodovarian, I LOVE YOU BABY is a gentle, wise, beautifully performed story of love in its many facets--gay, straight, parental, friendship--with particular emphasis on exploring the continuum from hetero to homosexuality. (The falling disco ball, rather than offering some magical means of transformation, simply shows how easily we can fall in or out of sexual attraction.) Set yourself up, not for a rolling-in-the-aisles comedy, but a sweetly believable story of four people whose connections withstand surprising complications, including one of the most engaging and credible cross-dressing stints in a long while. Santiago Magill (from the fine Peruvian film "Don't Tell Anybody"), Jorge Sanz and Veronica Forque (both quite different here from the funny "Why Do They Call it Love When They Mean Sex?") and the lovely, young Tiare Scanda all give lustrous performances that go deeper than most romantic comedies. Most surprising, given the bizarre events, there is not a false step in the entire film because everyone plays each moment for real. I LOVE YOU BABY is highly recommended to anyone interested in (or struggling with) issues of sexual preference, commitment, and the meaning of love (and who doesn't struggle now and again with one of those themes?). An added bonus is the interesting look at the Dominican community in Spain. Oh, yes--there's a special treat here for Boy George fans, too. Though I don't know the work of the two directors, I am going to search out their other films--fast!
-
rbravo_b9 July 2007This is a cute comedy from Spain, not meant to confuse audience members who can't keep with the subtitles or understand the movie without them. It's about a man, unsure of his sexuality, who goes to Madrid to work at his uncles' restaurant (Marcos, played by Jorge Sanz). On his first day at work, he meets a young Dominican (Marisol) who falls head over heels for him, but Marcos thinks he is gay.
Ergo, the gay bar scene, where Marcos meets a young and extremely handsome struggling actor,Daniel (magnificently played by Santiago Magill), who also falls head over heels for Marcos. They become a couple although both men clearly have different tastes in food, sports and theater. The movie doesn't go into more details about their personal relationship until.....
THE POINT OF NO RETURN At a karaoke disco, while both are performing a Franki Valle tune, a disco ball comes loose and conks Marcos on the head, knocking him unconscious. Now the question becomes....
Was Marcos really Gay, or just Experimenting?? Because when he regains his senses, he is less and less attracted to Daniel and breaks up with him, leading Daniel to think the bump on the head was responsible for his "straightness". Santiago Magill gives a very versatile performance as a love-sick Daniel who confides in his flighty, but lovable friend Carmen, who tries to explain the reality that Marcos didn't really look as if he cared for Daniel as much as Daniel was clearly in love with Marcos.
SPOILER ALERT!!!! The rest of the movie deals with how Daniel tries in vain to woo back Marcos, who has become involved with the Dominican immigrant, Marisol. Daniel, takes a cue from his idol Boy George, and sets out to trick Marcos into falling in love with....Daniel's female alter ego, who is a big hit with a local Dominican man, to his/her surprise. Magill gives a great, versatile performance for such a young actor who is paired up with Sanz, one of Spains' most popular actors. You can feel Daniel's pain as he realizes he's lost the love of his life, and you laugh with him as he changes into his alter ego.
The movie has a great, happy ending. Look for the Boy George Cameo!!