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Don't Tempt Me (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:29
Fresh:11
Rotten:18
Average Rating:5.1/10
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Penelope Cruz and Victoria Abril are arch enemies in the Faustian tale DON'T TEMPT ME. Sent to Earth to determine the fate of boxer Manny (Demian Bichir), Lola (Abril) is an angel from Heaven, and... Penelope Cruz and Victoria Abril are arch enemies in the Faustian tale DON'T TEMPT ME. Sent to Earth to determine the fate of boxer Manny (Demian Bichir), Lola (Abril) is an angel from Heaven, and Carmen (Cruz) is a devil pulled out of the vortex of Hell. For Lola, the mission is a chore, a nightmare, and puts her at risk for losing her cushy celestial spot. For Carmen, it is a gift, a vacation, and the one chance she has for redemption. Manny is stuck in the middle of these two manic forces, who must influence his decision to either stick with his competitive boxing career and risk a brain hemorrhage, or quit and save himself. At either end of the spectrum are higher forces. Gael Garcia Bernal plays the slick and slimy Davenport (read: Satan), ruling the chaotic, violent red regions of Hell from which Carmen was sprung. In Heaven, a lovely white oasis of cabaret and leisure time, Fanny Ardant is a graceful Marina D'Angelo who encourages Lola with her singing career. A witty and amusing film in French (Heaven), Spanish (Earth), and English (Hell), with many moments of tongue-in-cheek insight on the battle of good versus evil, director Augustin Diaz Yanes has spun an entertaining yarn with DON'T TEMPT ME. [More]
Starring: Penelope Cruz, Victoria Abril, Gael Garcia Bernal, Fanny Ardant
Starring: Penelope Cruz, Victoria Abril, Gael Garcia Bernal, Fanny Ardant, Demian Bichir
Director: Agustin Diaz Yanes
Director: Agustin Diaz Yanes
Screenwriter: Agustin Diaz Yanes
Studio: First Look
Reviews for Don't Tempt Me
It's all harmless fun, I suppose, and mercifully free of all the cant usually associated with fantasies of Heaven and Hell.
The story takes a while to get going, but once it does, it includes a few Pulp Fiction-style flourishes and becomes a devil of a good time.
Consistently clever and inventive on a level a little below the inspired.
Bendito Infierno’s characters crack and pop off the screen; you’re caught up in their tussle even as you acknowledge its artificiality.
...undoubtedly a silly premise, but writer/director Agustin Diaz Yanes imbues the film with enough style and humor to keep things interesting.
The twisty Pulp Fiction-inspired subplot is also far less interesting than the undervalued gender crisis Cruz’s angel must negotiate throughout the film.
Manny is so uninteresting as a pivotal character that he's a black hole who sucks away our investment in the film.
A contrived, witless piece of work...a tune titled 'I Want To Be Bad'...could be the movie's theme song.
Don't Tempt Me is a spunky and clever Spanish comedy that offers a satirical look at anxiety and competition on Earth and in the afterlife realms of Heaven and Hell.
It's not quite The Divine Comedy, but it's almost as irreverent, insightful and thought provoking.
A sultry, pretty thing with a few good ideas: in other words, stuck in limbo.
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