Directed by:
Álex de la IglesiaCinematography:
Kiko de la RicaComposer:
Joan ValentCast:
Javier Botet, Mario Casas, Carmen Maura, Hugo Silva, Carlos Areces, Carolina Bang, Macarena Gómez, María Barranco, Terele Pávez, María Jesús Hoyos, Pepón Nieto (more)Plots(1)
When a bank heist in the city doesn't all go according to plan, José and Tony find themselves in possession of some hostages and speeding through the mountains of Spain, hoping to quietly slip over the border. Not wanting to give up his custody days to his ex-wife, José has also brought his son along, for both the robbery and the ride. Little do they know that this is only the beginning of their troubles. When they decide to make a stop in a small tavern in the Basque countryside, the group encounters a series of local wackos. Falling victim to a mysterious spell, they soon find themselves the honored guests of a fractured family of witches who are preparing for an ancient ritual. More colorful characters begin to enter the picture, including a pair of hapless cops hot on the trail, a defecting vixen witch and José's controlling ex-wife, and the situation spirals further out of control, heading towards a jaw-dropping climax. From its opening moments involving a shootout between a series of street performers in costume (including Minnie Mouse, the Invisible Man and Jesus), it's clear that director Alex de la Iglesia is in top form here. Capturing all the wit of his previous films, but employing a much more streamlined energy, he serves up the laughs, action and thrills in spades. Creative effects and frenetic, tongue-in-cheek jokes make for a visual inventive comedy with plenty of scares and surprises along the way. So grab your iron dentures and sharpened utensils. Dinner is served. (IFC Midnight)
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Reviews (3)
The border between entertaining and energetic madness and annoying and overcooked bullshit can be bloody thin sometimes. For about 60 minutes, I was having fun rather than suffering, but some time around the entrance to the underground, Iglesia stopped paying attention to things and the witches started to lean into the bullshit territory.
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Álex de la Iglesia is the second best contemporary Spanish director after Jaume Balagueró! The guy is crazy! If you've seen The Last Circus, Witching & Bitching is more or less on the same wavelength in terms of visuals and the amount of weird and bizarre characters. It even seemed to me that the finale took place in the same setting as in The Last Circus. If you like anarchic, politically incorrect and black humour, go for it, but be warned that the film has almost nothing to do with horror, it's more like a crazy and wacky fantasy comedy with a decent atmosphere. For me solid fun and the witches were perfect!
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Let's face it, Witching and Bitching doesn't really work as a horror film; it's more of a modern action horror, where it's not just about scary scenes but about the fast-paced drive of the film, where something is always happening and there are monsters or something evil present. Witching and Bitching thus becomes a modern comedic fairy tale, where the witch remains the main villain - most of the time - and can fly, often without a broomstick. It’s good, but it has its flaws.
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