User Reviews

The first feature film from Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar is controversial and shocking, especially the time it was made (although not that shocking in Spain), but also very funny. Basically it is a movie about nothing, although it shows a pop-culture that Almodóvar inhabited.

We see how Pepi (Carmen Maura) is raped by a policeman (Félix Rotaeta) after she offers sex, although tries to back out, so he would not report her illegal cannabis plants. Pepi seeks revenge and she lets her friends beat the guy up. It seems they have beaten his twin brother so Pepi must come up with another plan. She tries this through the policeman's wife named Luci (Eva Siva) who turns out to be a masochist, perfect for Pepi's friend Bom (Olvido Gara) who likes to disparage her.

A film about nothing really, like I said. There are some nice little jokes here, sometimes because they are quite unexpected and therefore shocking. When Luci turns out to be what she is it is Bom who pees all over her; Luci likes it a lot. May be it is shocking, it is pretty funny too. There are more gags like this. One of the best moments is when Pepi has to make her own money, her father has cut her off, and she has an idea of producing menstruating dolls.

Filled with things like this, a sloppy editing and a cinematography that is as good as any amateur would do it can not prevent that this film is simply entertaining. It is not too long and therefore we can finish it. Still, I would start with another Almodóvar film, then see this only as an interesting debut.

Felix Rotaeta rapes Carmen Maura. She decides to get even by getting his wife to leave him.

Pedro Almodóvar's second feature is full of kinks and weirdos in a Spain where Francisco Franco is dead. Yet I find a naivete to this one that I didn't in his next movie -- his first feature is not readily available. There's plenty of drugs and non-normative sex, with sado-masochism and lesbianism and people rutting in punk rock clubs. Yet there's a tentative attitude to the way the director handles it, as if he's an anthropologist observing the natives, not yet ready to draw any conclusion. There's plenty to shock a conservative audience, but it lacks the deliberate, in-your-face offensiveness that he would later assume. The characters are wearily ironic about the situations they find themselves in.

This is the power of filmaking. It proves that passion for an art can outstand the difficulties. It might be cheap (it looks cheap) but the redeeming value is the hilarity, the originality of the ideas, the true passion of a true artist.

Director/writer Almodovar, in this first full length, presents us with his absurd unreal world. This is partly a relentless satire of S/M personalities, but intentionally unrealistic and much more. A world where lust is orgasmic and corruption of ethics and loss of dignity are ... funny! This is by no means for those who are offended easily. This is a movie which disregards ever good manner, every culture's rules. Almodovar humour is heretic. If you're up for something different, weird f##ked up humour, then come and join, welcome to Almodovar world. This is not quite recommended to "Talk to her" fans. But if you like early Almodovar, it is essential to search for this, to see how everything started.

All the energy put in Pepi... is enough to go and see it. That a young director show so much enthusiasm is a litmus test to see if he really loves his story, his actors... and the medium, cinema at large. Far from all those neurotic self-centered so-called authors who will only deal with their obsessions through intimate and intricate tales.

Sure, Almodovar gives so much in the first half (i.e. till Luci leaves her home) that the following is not so surprising and exciting. But he learnt later to build up his stories mastering pace all along. As for then he steps out from underground flicks yet displaying great skills.

He will be back.

Life in the underground could be horrible, and "Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del monton" proves it. In this way, the film has a good topic, but at th end, i think ... it doesn't achieve it. Really, i thought than "Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del monton" (after all, the title is very creative)will another of that funny films ... but, don't.

The story of "Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del monton" is about Pepi, Lucy and Bom. Pepi, a victim of a rape by the husband of Luci that is the girlfriend of Bom (Bom is friend of Pepi), want revenge. That three women become friends. The film is very dark, i think, because some scenes are like that, dark. The movie has the funny parts, but after all, with a little decadent "thing" that makes it very uncomfortable, because makes it see like a good thing. But, well, i cant blame it because that was the life of people who lives in th "underground" world.

There is a thing, that i love of "Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del monton" after all, and is the funny narration and the publicity mind of Pepi when we see their commercials. After all...

*Sorry for the mistakes ...well, if there any

Almodovar's initial film with plenty of off-the-wall comedy , absurdities familiar and raunchy outrageous scenes . Dealing with the grimy story of Pepi (Carmen Maura) is raped by the policeman (Felix Roraeta) who catches her growing marijuana in her apartment. Then Pepi seeks vengeance by getting his masochist wife to leave him. Later on , housewife Luci (Silva) , whose hubby had raped Pepi , leaves him and commences a lesbian relation with Bom (Gara , the famous singer Alaska with her band Los Pegamoides) .

First Almodovar film with full of outlandish characters , grubby scenes, bad taste, swearing, indecent sexual acts with kinky scenes and poorly made. Covering everything from drugs , profanities, sexual violence , to female masochism . His is an inferior film, an amateur story made with a very low budget and crowdfunding. This first feature film, Pepi, Luci, Bom (1980), was made in 16 mm and blown-up to 35 mm for public release. Almodóvar himself appears as a ceremonial star carrying out some naughty scenes about a sexual contest. The result is an undiluted scabrous comedy with perverted sex with short , sharp images and a crazy strings of plots . Badly and spontaneously playing some Almodovar's regulars, such as : Carmen Maura as an heiress/rape victim , Kiti Mánver , Cecilia Roth , Julieta Serrano, Cristina Sánchez Pascual , Assumpta Serna, among others.

This Almodovar's first film portraying life in Madrid during the punk and ¨La Movida¨ was lousily realized and devoid of laughs. This is really his worst film ; however , subsequently his style to be compellingly purified . Developing his own trademaks , as he often uses symbolism and metaphorical techniques to portray circular story lines . In in his later films Almodóvar directs throughout with splendid zip and he usually portrays strong female characters and transsexuals . In 1987, he and his brother Agustín Almodóvar established their own production company: El Deseo, S. A. The "Almodóvar phenomenon" has reached all over the world, making his films very popular in many countries. Pedro subsequently made successes such as Labyrinth of passions , Law of desire , Women Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown , Bad education , All about my mother , Talk to her , Broken embraces , The Skin I Live In and many others . Rating Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del montón(1980) : 4.5/10 . Not for squeamish.

I like this movie,maybe it's not the best of Almodovar but it's the first containing all the themes that he will explore. It's a movie about freedom,the new freedom acquired by Spanish, Franco is dead and now they can do whatever they want, even bad taste jokes. It's the beginning of "la Movida",now they can criticize stupid cops with their macho mustache,now they can urinate where they want... I like it because it's the awakening of Spain, with all the excess possible,with all it's qualities and defaults. this movie is a sort of coming out,Spain have the right to do what it want to do. It's the first spit against pseudo-morality against the wall erected by Franco all over Spain. It's a punk movie.

The first slight disappointment when watching a film by Almodovar, It had promise at the beginning and middle but then followed on to a rather disappointing end, but never the less it is a starting point for his other films and you can see where his slightly unusual touches have started.

The usual shooting of Almodovar is usually more refined, so is the music and acting, thus making this a slight disappointment, but then again who makes a good film straight away, you learn from mistakes, improve on the weak bits and get out your ideas to the audience.

A six out of ten, not bad, but not recommended.

When seeing this film you try to say: OK, Almodóvar is improving his films with time and this (his first one)could be the best of his earlier films. However, you begin to disappoint with the first dialogue (silly and absurd, no provocative), and it's better if we don't talk about the papers and acting (what happend to great Carmen Maura?!!).

If you take the challenge and go on seeing the film, it's full of bad directing, worse cinematography and the worst story and dialogues I've ever heard and seen. In sum, it's rubish.

If you're an Almodovar fan, this film is definitely worth seeing; others may find it a bit obscure. Almodovar's unique personality is already in full evidence in this first film of his to be widely distributed. Yes, most of its low-budget seams are in full evidence, but compensates with moments of outrageous hilarity that no one else would even attempt. It's worth seeing for the lesbian rock star's punk love song to her lover alone.

Actually this is my favorite Almodóvar film because he wasn't trying to please or appease anyone with this movie, he just says what he wants to say and does it in a very original and (at the time) provocative way. A bit dated now but still a brilliant deconstruction of Spanish culture with zany characters taken straight out of a John Waters movie. It's also the only one of his movies where Almodóvar (looking VERY young) makes an appearance himself (as the judge of a penis size competition no less).

Considering that this movie was made in less than a week with a budget of around $5,000, it's actually quite well done. The cinematography is probably the weak point but the story is great and the characters a parody of everything good and bad about Spain in the 80's. It is full of in-your-face-irreverent kind of humor as well as great little cultural bits and references that only native Spanish speakers or people familiar with Spanish culture will get. One of my favorites is the song "Murciana Marrana" that Alaska and her punk rock band sing as an ode to her new found lesbian lover and repressed house wife - hilarious lyrics and pure 80s punk rock at its best. The movie itself is really genius and despite some technical shortcomings, it's a real gem.

"However, you begin to disappoint with the first dialog (silly and absurd, no provocative), and it's better if we don't talk about the papers and acting (what happened to great Carmen Maura?!!)." I totally disagree with that, this movie is great, full of references to other great directors,which I guess the person who wrote this comment failed to see.

The actors are simply great, and act in the most purely Almodovar-John Waters way, making all the dialogs hilarious, playing with language (changing register in the same sentence from the highest to the lowest, making absurd speeches, from the point of view of the linguistics) and intonation, which I think is the greatest tool used by almodovar in his films.

Again, he rises daily life and common problems to the absurdity, by magnifying them, making us laugh at our own problems.

One of his greatest movies, in his purest style, which he greatly used again in his latest film "volver".

Almodovar was an employer in a very important telephonical center when he directed this film. He was like in Doctor Jeckyll and Hyde, a man with a double life: a young and shy worker during the day, and a crazy artist in the night. The mytical Rockola Discotheque, where Almodovar and his friend Fabio McNamara has singed songs so greatest as "Satanasa", "Gran Ganga" or "Suck it to me", there was la "movida madrileña", years when Madrid was similar to Paris in 1900, a mix of cultures and young artists, a bohemian atmosphere, another world that Almodovar showed in his cult movie. When Pedro filmed this film, he had never seen a John Waters`film, he didn`t know anything about John Waters and Pink Flamingos! but he was friend of Alaska, the greatest spanish diva who debut in this film as an actress. Alaska is one of the most intelligent girls in the world, she knows everything about King Arthur, Comics, Universal Monsters, Troma, 70`s Music and, of course, she has discovered the John Waters movies before anyone in Spain. Alaska showed a tape of "Pink Flamingos" to Pedro Almodovar and, after this, Pedro was shocked, and though "I want to make movies as badtasted as it is"... and I believed he has got it, with "Pepi, Luci, Bom..." Almodovar became to the Spanish King of Trash Cinema. As crazy and cool director as John Waters, but Almodovar has got an Oscar!!!

Pepi, Luci and Bom (1980) is a twisted sexually perverse comedy from Pedro Almodovar. The story revolves around three working class women living in Madrid, Spain. Carmen Maura (an Almodovar regular) is the star of this very low budget film. A meek house wife is slowly seduced by her lesbian next door neighbor ( part of a plot to get revenge on her abusive husband) is one of the many strange events that occur in this farce.

The seduction techniques are very "unique" and creative to say the least. The director flows the exploits of the three friends as they hang out in the emerging seedy underground of Spain.

A n interesting movie from rising film-maker Pedro Almodovar. You also get a first hand look at life after the dictatorial reign of one Franco. A lot of sexual repression and tension was released in the streets after he left power. How much can the average viewer take? Well since this is an Almodovar film, it's only for die-hard fans or if you like some of John Waters earlier work. Others stay, don't say I didn't warn you.

Recommended for viewers of esoteric foreign films.

B

An excellent document of La Movida Madrilen~a (the Newave movement in Madrid, Spain). Bom is played by Spanish pop star, Alaska, when she was the teenage queen of Madrid's punk scene. Great performances by Alaska y Los Pegamoides in their beginning stage. Follow this film with Almodovar's second, "Laberinto de pasiones" (another great document of La Movida) for more great Nueva Ola!!

This was my introduction to Almodóvar, and you can bet I'll be seeing more of his work. It concerns a bisexual prostitute who begins giving sewing lessons to a doormat housewife...and quickly she and her lesbian lover involve her in a fetishistic menage-a-trois. The film is very perverse, yet very funny, and also has something interesting to say. It's also very, very Spanish, particularly in the characterizations. Lots of fun.

i suspected i would get something like this before i saw it. I was interested in understanding the roots of Almodóvar as a filmmaker, how he started developing his kind of visual storytelling, which is so unique today. At the same time i wanted to understand and feel some of the pulse of the underground spirit in Madrid of those days. Both these issues are personal. I wanted to understand how one can use a force of available young (and inexperienced) talents and give a faithful expression of a certain moment in time and space. I also wanted (and still want) to get to "first works" by directors i admire, so i can understand how they used their technical and budget limitations to pursue ideas they were after. This is not Almodovar's first film, but it is the oldest to which one can have access in legal (and i suppose illegal) market.

I think this is a failure. Not because it's technically and formally (very) flawed. I actually enjoyed watching all the flaws passing in front of my eyes, i think some times a project can work out stronger if its amateur/inexperience face shows. This is that case. Anyway, i think this is a failure because it is a film where Almodovar is not yet capable of turning his soap operish stories into something intelligent from a visual narrative point of view. The story here is not more or less poor than in many other successful Almodovar features. But here he couldn't find a device that can with intelligent turn the experience into something purely visual, the way he does in his best works. So, i tried to see the positive side of this. The film proves to me how intelligent Almodovar is, for the paths he pursued after this adventure, intelligent in what concerns storytelling, and visual narrative and how he always searches for new ways to fold his stories and deliver them to us as visual products.

Actually, we have hints here. In between the scenes, the girls suggest the production of a film about their own lives. That film would depict precisely the events we get on screen. I decided to understand (i think this is a matter of choosing which interpretation you want to give) that i was watching the film they were discussing, as if the story was in fact things from the real world that actually happened, and i was watching women representing those lives. But there's an important statement, Carmen Maura's character warns that for those girls to interpret their own lives, they have to perform. They have to act, in order to be themselves. Intelligent. Almodovar would go on depicting women who act, many times act like themselves, other times they act like actresses ("Todo sobre mi madre" was all about this). This possible film within a film, and the denouncing that we may be watching a film depicting characters who represent themselves was to me a hint to layered storytelling, and narrative invention. Almodovar's career to me has everything to do with that.

"La movida" is here. In a moment i'm willing, and trying, to move into creating something in the visual world of images (call it cinema if you want), i really care about understanding how in this moment of Spanish pop culture so many talented people were able to come out, and produce important work. I'll search for other visual proof and important documents from this time, i'll try to understand how this and other films were possible. This is a bad film which i envy. I which i could one day gather such a crew.

My opinion: 2/5

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