The People Upstairs is a great Spanish comedy. Now they don't make much conversational cinema. After all, what is easier to show in the frame as not a conversation of 2 people. But in this and the uniqueness of the genre - you need to shoot all this at an excellent level in order to keep the viewer at the screen. And the dialogues here are great. Shot of course easier than Carnage from Polanski, but on the same level as the Italian Perfect Strangers.
5 Reviews
Dinners Ready!
damianphelps3 June 2023
European film makers have this uncanny ability to make a film about practically nothing and have it come out as super entertaining.
The People Upstairs is a classic example of this.
Its very very funny with some magical moments that nearly made me wet myself with laughter.
The cast is so good, they under play the story in a way that adds to the humour.
It's a very simple story that can be shallow and then quite deep and then back to shallow as it exposes the characters depths and indeed their own shallowness.
Lots of fun as you wonder whats going to come next, maybe you should get to know your neighbours :)
The People Upstairs is a classic example of this.
Its very very funny with some magical moments that nearly made me wet myself with laughter.
The cast is so good, they under play the story in a way that adds to the humour.
It's a very simple story that can be shallow and then quite deep and then back to shallow as it exposes the characters depths and indeed their own shallowness.
Lots of fun as you wonder whats going to come next, maybe you should get to know your neighbours :)
Astonishing. Great actoral battle.
HEBLER6 March 2021
That moment...
gelasma-17 August 2022
Funny and sometimes touching movie. What I loved is this moment when an until then fairly « normal » conversation skids out of control, in this case when the neighbors begin to describe their sex life. Javier Cámara's face as he hears it is unique, and his reactions seem so true and funny... He's such a great actor !
Much better than I anticipated
daniel_st-241-81028624 August 2023
Amazingly rich, potent, funny, deep, realistic, dynamic script. In each of the characters I managed to see some people I know, and even a bit of myself.
I laughed a lot on lines that felt natural and were still hilarious, unlike "traditional" Hollywood comedies, where a cliche joke gets shoehorned in every 40 seconds.
Visually the film is a little flat and boring, some a-la-Wes Anderson visual flair would go along way to underline the flair in the script. But it also looks warm and comforting.
The acting is top notch, maybe the psychologist looks a bit harder to sell, but luckily I know people who look and act exactly like her, so it wasn't unconvincing for me.
Overall it's the happiest I've been with my decision to invest time in watching a film in a while. Definitely a nice combo breaker from the high-budget American schlock I've been spoon-fed in the past years.
I laughed a lot on lines that felt natural and were still hilarious, unlike "traditional" Hollywood comedies, where a cliche joke gets shoehorned in every 40 seconds.
Visually the film is a little flat and boring, some a-la-Wes Anderson visual flair would go along way to underline the flair in the script. But it also looks warm and comforting.
The acting is top notch, maybe the psychologist looks a bit harder to sell, but luckily I know people who look and act exactly like her, so it wasn't unconvincing for me.
Overall it's the happiest I've been with my decision to invest time in watching a film in a while. Definitely a nice combo breaker from the high-budget American schlock I've been spoon-fed in the past years.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
