Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

hoxjennifer Broken Embraces is the story of guilt, jealousy and passion. Penelope Cruz does a stunning performance as Magdalena "Lena" Rivero, a secretary for a wealthy businessman, Ernesto Martel, who has always dreamt of being an actress but has ended up in shady places because of her dream. Ernesto is obsessed with her, and when her father is dying of stomach cancer, she is forced to depend on him so the family can afford to pay their medical bills. After 2 years, she becomes his live-in mistress, who after landing a role in Mateo Blanco's new movie, embarks on a secret and dangerous love affair. Like Pedro Almodovar's other films, the plot is extremely creative and complex, but not at all hard to follow. I think the best part of the film is Lena's character. She is complex, sexual, and yet extremely vulnerable at the same time. I would give this movie a higher rating, however I felt a little dissatisfied with the ending. Usually Almodovar's plots come full circle, but this one was left hanging. There are other spoilers too that I won't mention that never get addressed in the ending. It was otherwise splendidly directed, beautiful and also colourful. I enjoyed it, but it's not my favourite of his films that I've seen so far.

p-stepien Harry Caine, the blind alter ego of former film director Mateo Blanco (Lluís Homar), retells the story of his one true love Lena (Penélope Cruz). Over 15 years ago Lena, a former high-life escort, manages to save her father by becoming the kept woman of rich businessman Ernesto Marcel (José Luis Gómez). Intent on following a film career Lena catches the opportunity to act in Blanco's last picture, a film produced by her sugar-daddy Marcel. Once feelings develop between Lena and Mateo emotions and lives tangle to deliver an true masterpiece episode of "The Bold and the Beautiful" (or a complete and utter disaster in artsy terms).As a form of revenge directed towards Mateo, who retreats with Lena to a hideout far from harm, Marcel decides to use his power to destroy Blanco's last picture by purposefully editing together a film consisting of the worst scenes and shots to churn out a real turd. This revelation actually brought me to think, that something similar must have happened to "Broken Embraces", a movie plodding at a snail's pace with side events seemingly attached to ruthlessly extend runtime and featuring some terrible performances, especially by Blanca Portillo (who plays Mateo's / Harry's agent) and Rubén Ochandiano. Almodovar however seems to be the main culprit, as even his muse Penelope Cruz comes out lifeless and bland.Nonetheless it seems that the failed movie was more a shove at some of Almodovar's previous movies (most specifically to ""Women at the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown"), which apparently he holds in pretty low regard due to some pesky producer meddling. Admittedly not an Almodovar fan, seldom impressed by the sleazy soapiness of his pictures, I may not be the best audience to Almodovar's worst movie. A self-indulgent exercise rife with cinephile jabs (narcissitically mostly at himself) and Penelope Cruz pretending to be a bad actress, the story itself reeks of pretentious nonsense taken from a soap opera with refound sons, corny revelations, closet skeletons and forced drama, excruciatingly attempting to be pushed forward with some background music. All in all pretty shallow stuff with a twist of egomaniac, side order of neo-noir and an overdose of self-recycling from the much regarded Spanish director, which turns out to be a tiresome melodrama."Broken Embraces" does however offer a brief finale of respite, when Caine edits together his final movie "Chicks and Suitcases", where we manage to catch a brief snippet of the final product: a charming, slightly absurdist comedy with crisp dialogue. Was this an inside comment to "Broken Embraces" itself? That he wanted to do something better, but he unfortunately ended up with this unwatchable turd?Honestly - if the name of Almodovar not connected to this picture would this movie have ended up anywhere else than in oblivion, where it rightfully deserves to be?

Raoul Duke So I watched broken embraces which was released in 2009 and directed by acclaimed Spanish film maker Pedro Almodovar. So is it good well yeah. Actually it was pretty great. It was surreal while not beating you over the head with it, kind of Fellini like in nature. The movie alludes to this, it also has a touch of Hitchcock in there as well. Penelope Cruz is great as she often is in Almodovar's films. The story is original and the acting is great. This is one of those movies intellectuals can grapple with and wax philosophic, while others can just enjoy if they either speak Spanish or can deal with subtitles. I highly recommend this movie. if you like concise reviews of interesting films please read my other reviews at http://raouldukeatthemovies.blogspot.com/

Roland E. Zwick Pedro Almodovar's latest, "Broken Embraces," is like a high-class telenovela for the art-house crowd.Its love triangle - involving a film director (Lluis Homar), his gorgeous lead actress (Penelope Cruz) and her elderly, abusive boyfriend (Jose Luis Gomez) who's financing the film on which they're working - spans the period from 1994 to 2008. In the present time, the financier, Ernesto Martel, has just died, while the director, Mateo Blanco, who has since become blind, has plans for writing another film. But what's become of Lena, the girl of both of their dreams, in the intervening years? Structurally, the movie divides its focus fairly evenly between the two time periods. The intricately plotted narrative unravels like a conventional mystery story, with clues being dropped in at key moments and character connections and motivations becoming ever more clearly defined as the movie goes on.This isn't prime Almodovar, by any means, but the customary florid melodrama, color-rich palette and elegant direction make it a worthy addition to the director's oeuvre.