massimocrispi At first it's a film for a multilingual and multicultural public. Then it's a film with several levels. Actors are simply fantastic. The idea of the three kingdoms of the World, Hell, Earth, Heaven, everyone with a specific language (English for Hell, Spanish for Earth, French for Heaven) and Latin for the Court, is very hilarious and suggestive. More: the idea of a snobbish, Forties, b/w Heaven, where the good angel Lola (Victoria Abril) is a star of the stage in the Paradise, a stylish theater/restaurant, singing AND DANCING (!!!) "Meditação" by Jobim (white dressed) and later "I wanna be evil" (black dressed), both in Rita Hayworth style, is only one of the thousands engaging details and quotes that fill the film. Also the opening is very hilarious: the good angel, Abril, and the bad demon, Cruz, masked while robbing the supermarket, are debating about the theological and philosophic reasons of Good and Evil. Rarely a film is so clever, surrealistic, funny, well played, well turned and balanced like this one. If you forgive me the analogy, it's like a drink with Cukor, Capra, Hitchcock, Fellini, De Palma, Risi, Brooks, Truffaut, Oury, shaken and served with a perfume of Almodóvar. Excellent.

esh04676 As far as this reviewer is concerned Don't Tempt Me is a lot of confusing claptrap. Heaven and Hell in the persons of Cruz and Abrant (two lovely and fine actresses, wasted here) are fighting to gain the soul of a dying prizefighter (Demian Bichir). Just why he is such a tempting target never becomes clear. Several scenes shot in such places as a supermarket and a men's room (note the urinals), and they have a bit of humor when thought of as rooms in Hell. But at two hours particularly I felt the director was rubbing it in--or rather rubbing the viewers' faces in a mess of something. How did these good performers get involved? I should mention Gael Garcia Bernal as Davenport, just barely more than a walk-on role, but he manages to make something out of it, largely because of his own special talent, not that of the director.

Hermit C-2 Many observers have noted that at first glance on paper one might think this is a Pedro Almodovar film, what with Victoria Abril cast in it, among other things. Well, I haven't seen too much of Almodovar's work, and I knew nothing about director Augustin Diaz Yanes when I entered the theatre to see this film. But I wonder, did Almodovar show such promise so early in his career? From the first few minutes I was captivated by the movie and I stayed enthralled throughout. By the time Penelope Cruz was dancing around to "Kung Fu Fighting" I knew this was a rare film indeed (and no, it's no rip-off of 'Pulp Fiction,' either!)For all it's audaciousness, the premise has been used many times before. Like 'Paradise Lost,' the battlefield is Heaven, Hell and Earth. But the specifics are a little more prosaic: angels from Heaven and Hell fight for their survival over the soul of a rather ordinary mortal, a not-to-bright or personable boxer. Heaven and Hell are presented as distinctly mortal-like places--Heaven is nice, but hardly the celestial paradise we envision, and Hell is unpleasant, but nothing nearly as bad as Dante imagined. The two places are run like competing businesses, it would seem, and the CEO God (and presumably Satan in his own realm) is AWOL--apparently he's too tired or disinterested to bother with the details of running the place, leaving that task up to lesser creatures. Right now Hell seems to have the upper hand. Heaven is somehow almost bankrupt and may well go under if they can't snag this one earthbound soul, the aforementioned boxer, who fate has cast in some great future role that we never fully understand. But there's trouble brewing in Hell, too, and even though they've got the advantage over Heaven at the moment, there are internecine power struggles to worry about there. So each each side dispatches an agent to try to win over Manny, this boxer who unwittingly holds the fate of this world and those beyond in his hands.That's where Abril and Cruz come in, and they are just a joy to watch for the almost two hours this flick runs. Abril is Lola the heavenly angel who ingratiates herself in Manny's life as his wife, and Cruz is Carmen, who poses as his long-lost cousin (Manny isn't the brightest crayon in the box so he can be convinced that all of a sudden he has a five-year marriage he doesn't remember.) Lola and Carmen thrust and parry throughout the film, but on a surprisingly cordial level--Carmen isn't as bad as one would expect a denizen of Hell to be and neither woman seems possessed of any otherworldly powers; they go about their business in a very earthly way. You combine a great script, two outstanding performances and excellent direction and not surprisingly you get a first-rate film, as good as any I've seen this year. This is not quite Orson Welles and 'Citizen Kane' here, but it put me in mind of it, it's that good.

jotix100 The fact that this film lasted 2 weeks at the Angelika, the mecca for hipness and cool in Manhattan, says a lot about it. At the screening I attended there were about 8 people. During the film about 3 got up and left, obviously not pleased with what they were watching. It speaks volumes as to how even the sophisticated tastes of the Angelika patrons couldn't care less about it.Agustin Diaz Yaniz might be a talented director, but unfortunately, he doesn't show a thing to make a compelling film, or even a black comedy out of the thin material he has written.The central story about Victoria Abril husband's dilemma is totally absurd. Poor Victoria, she deserves better. Manny, the husband, is a jerk who is not only a loser in the ring, but he can't cut the mustard, or is a good lover. The extortion scheme is not believable at all.The rest of the cast is totally wasted. Poor Penelope Cruz-Cruise, she goes from one dud to another. That girl's career is going nowhere. Who is advising her on what roles to take? Probably a former Cruise groupie. She goes from bad to worse.A word of advice to Gael Garcia Bernal: If it's not Pedro Almodovar who calls you for a film, stay home!. You're better off than participating in this little number that is below you. Ditto to Fanny Ardant.