The Two Sides of the Bed

This is the sequel to a Spanish hit called The Other Side of the Bed; perhaps familiarity with the original could make this follow-up bearable, but I’m not holding my breath. The plot deals with two couples: best friends Javier (Ernesto Altiero) and Pedro (Guillermo Toledo), and their girlfriends Marta (Veronica Sanchez) and Raquel (Lucio Jimenez). The boys are thinking of marriage but oops, the girls are thinking of lesbian love with each other. This proves to be the springboard for a) a bad Three’s Company-meets-Friends relationship comedy and b) well-choreographed but vapid musical numbers. Everything the boys do is so completely adorable — even their jealousy is kept to a domesticated level so as not to upset the punters with unnecessary angst. And to say that the lesbian love angle is fluffed completely would be putting it mildly, as the film tries to create a compromise solution between the four lovers that would not under any circumstances work out. Of course, people don’t go to movies like this for realism, they go to make the real fear and loathing of relationships seem small and insignificant, and on that score the movie gets high marks. Also, the film is professionally made in a wide array of bright, eye-catching colours. Still, I found my mind wandering far and wide during Two Sides’ 104 minutes; the filmmakers had made things so inconsequential that it hardly bore watching them at all. If you like this sort of thing (you know who you are) this will be the sort of thing you like. But anyone looking for actual human interactions is advised to spend their money and time on something more substantial. (Mongrel Media)