Living It Up - La Gran Vida
The cunning plot ofLiving It Upwalks a line between a romantic comedy and a con-game thriller (likeThe StingorThe Spanish Prisoner). As a bus driver named Martin (Carmelo Gomez) stands atop a bridge, about to throw himself off, a bystander suggests an alternative: If Martin borrows $100 million from the mob, he can live the high life for a week andthencommit suicide--thus getting out of the debt. Martin agrees and immediately starts going to clubs and throwing outrageous parties by inviting everyone on a random page in the phone book. But when he runs into Lola (Salma Hayek), he starts to think life might be worth living after all. Unfortunately, Lola isn't all that she seems... and the week is coming to an end. Gomez is charming, Hayek is luscious, and the sneaky twists and turns of the plot make the film decidedly satisfying.--Bret Fetzer