Gaudi Afternoon (2001)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Susan Seidelman

Writers:

James Myhre (writer)
Barbara Wilson (novel)

Release Date:

20 July 2001 (South Africa)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Alone in a foreign city, Cassandra must solve a family's darkest, deepest secrets before she can confront her own past.

Plot Keywords:

Child Custody | Gender Bender | Lesbian | Barcelona Spain | Magician

Cast

Judy Davis	...	Cassandra Reilly
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Frankie Stevens
Lili Taylor	...	Ben
Juliette Lewis	...	April
Courtney Jines	...	Delilah
María Barranco	...	Carmen
Christopher Bowen	...	Hamilton
Pep Molina	...	Paco
Víctor Álvaro	...	Juan
Steve Itkin	...	Harry (voice)
Sergi Ruiz	...	Carlos
Glòria Casas	...	Elisa
Aitor Extravizz	...	Esteban
Glòria Roig	...	Carmen's Mother
Saskia Lange	...	Maria

Also Known As:

Tardes de Gaudí (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sexual content.

Runtime:

97 min | Argentina:93 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Spain

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-7 | Norway:7 | Spain:13 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Antena 3 Televisión

Quotes:

Carmen: [to Cassandra] It's no wonder you can never get a date - sexual confusion.

Movie Connections:

References Saturday Night Fever (1977)

charming, funny

I was surprised to see how much some people here disliked this movie. It's a nice little comedy with good performances, an engaging storyline and a nice pace. I notice a lot of the criticisms are from people who have a very definite idea of how such a movie should be made. Many are comparing it favorably or unfavorably with Almodovar's films, none of which I've seen, and some with the book, which I haven't read. Taken on its own, it's excellent, and Judy Davis is, as always, terrific (I feel in the same way critics want this movie to be a different movie, they want Davis to be a different character - one complained her hair was always a mess, which was sort of the point - but Davis is perfect for the character that the movie is portraying, even if she's not perfect for that movie some people feel should have been made instead).

It's also nice to enjoy something by Seidelman. She started so great and then got so awful that I gave up on her years ago and haven't even seen anything she's done in years except for one or two TV series episodes, but while this is no Smithereens (I don't think she's capable of ever doing that again) it's nearly as good as Desperately Seeking Susan. Perhaps success destroys Seidelman, and she can only make good movies when she's obscure.