¡Cómo está el servicio! (1968) Poster

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4/10
Silly and corny comedy well starred by Gracita Morales and José Luis López Vazquez and middlingly directed by prolific Mariano Ozores .
ma-cortes2 March 2020
Amusing , but average as well as dated comedy , including top-notch main actors and a large plethora of secondary players . ¨¡Cómo está el servicio¨is a fun and uneven comedy with the best and more popular Spanish actors, appointed for all kinds of public and about a silly premise : a rural young woman named Vicenta (Gracita Morales) leaves his small place , Villarrioso, province of Cáceres, to go to the big city , Madrid , searching for a house to work in and to get money . Vicenta moves to Madrid seeking for a job , nevertheless things don't go as she planned ; being regularly directed by the prolific Mariano Ozores . Problems emerge when Vicenta finds a job as a maid of a doctor , Mariano Cifuente (José Alfayate) , but she is not very lucky , then falls for his son , Dr. Cifuentes hijo (José Sacristán) . Advised by his father , Cifuentes Jr. feigns to be fallen in love for Vicenta . As Cifuentes Jr. attempts to take advantage of her to pretend to be a faithful boyfriend . While her cousin (José Luis López Vazquez) who has twelve lovers at the same time , calling them indistinctly "Pichurri" , attempts Cifuentes Jr marries to Vicenta , but at the end he is pursued by his deceived 12 girlfriends .

The film partially portrays the society of the sixties with the contrast between rustic civilization and urban one , and being full of frivolity , egoism , duplicity , and deceits . It is a nutty Spanish comedy that offers no intellectual stimulus whatsever , though it has some fun and hilarious moments . Humor is sometimes cheesy and embarrassing with numerous idiotic and non-sense situations . This hilarious as well as so-so film is full of humor , absurd scenes , and narrating the conflict between the traditional Spanish society represented on a villager girl and modernity . The comical happenings are continuous , surrealist , ridiculous and sometimes gross-out , but in some moments here and there , they are also bold and risible . This film is made to entertain , and this movie , especially for a good time and a pleasant amusement . Including some enjoyable drawings at the credit titles created by the great Antonio Mingote . Very mediocre comedy deals with a bemusing as well as corny story , adding enjoyable but also absurd moments and attractive acting by likable comedians : Gracita Morales as Vicenta Verruguillo who comes to Madrid to work as a bridesmaid , José Luis López Vazquez as a paramedic at an ambulance who is a real seducer , and the habitual José Sacristán . It is a simple , and humorous portrait of a time when the Spanish people lived in the developing boom , including the consuming society and ambitious people taking advantage of other unfotunate people . Its nostalgic look has some passable moments that reflect a Spain of the sixties and seventies : a poor country in economic developing during the years when the action takes place . It is full of typical Spanish topics , a simple plot and including atmospheric sets . This film is made to entertain , and this movie , especially for a good time and a pleasant entertainment , including bewildering happenings . The flick packs silly incidents , funny comical sketches , tongue-in-cheek , grotesque situations and above all , it especially contains catching touches of humor and irony . Sitting in a strange middle ground between the completely absurd and the stylishly diverting . There are some nice jokes in the film and the cast , playing eccentric characters , make a cosy fit . This is a fun and funny , though mediocre . Trio starring : Gracita Morales , José Luis López Vazquez , José Sacristán are pretty good , being well accompanied by a great support cast . ¡Cómo está el servicio! (1968) displays a very good secondary casting, giving acceptable interpretations , such as : Margot Cottens , María Isbert , Marisol Ayuso , Mary Begoña , Erasmo Pascual , Xan das Bolas , Acosta , Claudia Gravy , and special voice appearance by Antonio Ozores as a Troglodita , though uncredited , he usually shows up in the films his brother Mariano Ozores .

It contains an atmospheric cinematograpy by Vicente Minaya , shot in Madrid . And evocative musical score by José Torregrosa . This is a picture with some amusing moments , being based on a play by playwright Alfonso Paso and written by notorious Vicent Coello , being professional but middlingly by Mariano Ozores in his usual style , getting success enough in the Spanish box office and he made several flicks in similar wake . Mariano's family origin is into show business , being son of Mariano Ozores Sr and brother of José Luis Ozores and Antonio Ozores . Furthermore , uncle of Emma Ozores and Adriana Ozores . Mariano is a craftsman filmmaker and writer , in fact he wrote the fun screenplay , he recently won a Goya Award (2016) to his long and fruitful career . The latter made with these two famous comedians , -Fernando Esteso and Andres Pajares- several films , as they had various years partnership between the two leads , such as ¨Agitese Antes Usarla¨ , ¨Al Este Del Oeste¨, ¨Los Liantes¨, ¨Los Energeticos¨, ¨La Lola Lleva Al Huerto¨ , ¨El Currante¨ , ¨El Hijo Del Cura¨...these films are filled with humor that still holds up , especially for those not easily offended ; being sometimes cheesy and gross-out with numerous naughty and picaresque situations such as sex jokes , adulteries , crazy events , nudism , absurd situations , jealousy , and erotic scenes . Plus , they partially reflected the mood and the reality of Spain in the immediate Post-Franco era , dealing with politic juncture about the post-Franquismo in similar style to other films from this period . Ozores has a prolific career , as writer and as director , especially in comedy genre such as : Disparate Nacional , Tahiti's Girl , Brujas Magicas , Los Presuntos , Cuatro Mujeres Y Un Lío , Tío ¿De Verdad Vienen De París? , Alcalde Por Elección , Ellas Los Prefieren... Locas , El Apolítico , Jenaro El De Los 14 , Manolo La Nuit , El Abuelo Tiene plan , La Llamaban La Madrina , La Graduada , Venta Por Pisos and many others . Being his ordinary actors , the followings : Alfredo Landa , Lina Morgan , Paco Martínez Soria , Antonio Ozores , Jose Luis Ozores , Juanito Navarro , José Luis López Vázquez and Gracita Morales . Rating : 4/10 .
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6/10
A good film
dalton231 August 1999
This film isn't a great film, but it has very good actors, and some performances (Irene Gutiérrez Caba as a mad woman) are really brilliant. The plot is mediocre, but the actors make us forget that point. 7 out of 10 for me.
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