Synopsis
When a billionaire entrepreneur impulsively decides to create an iconic movie, he demands the best. Renowned filmmaker Lola Cuevas is recruited to mastermind this ambitious endeavour. Completing the all-star team are two actors with massive talent but even bigger egos: Hollywood heartthrob Félix Rivero and radical theatre actor Iván Torres. Both are legends, but not exactly best friends. Through a series of increasingly eccentric trials set by Lola, Félix and Iván must confront not only each other but also their own legacies. Who will be left when the cameras finally start rolling?
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Cast
- Antonio BanderasFélix Rivero
- Penélope CruzLola Cuevas
- Oscar MartínezIván Torres
- José Luis GómezHumberto Suárez
- Manolo SoloMatías
- Nagore AranburuJulia
- Irene EscolarDiana Suárez
- Pilar CastroVioleta
- Koldo OlabarriDarío
- Juan GrandinettiAriel
Recommendations
- 91
The Playlist
Detail is what makes Official Competition a joy to behold. - 80
Time Out
If awards season gets up your nose, with its self-congratulatory speeches and luvvie back-patting, this playful and wildly entertaining Spanish satire on the filmmaking process is the perfect antidote. - 80
The Hollywood Reporter
Despite its commitment to biting humor and acerbic analysis, Competencia Oficial is, at its heart, a celebration of artists and their process. - 80
Slashfilm
Cruz is the film's MVP as Lola, kookier than she's ever been, and playing well into the character's question mark of a persona — is she a true auteur or a hack? You never really find out, but watching Lola become increasingly disillusioned with the whole project makes her the closest we get to a relatable character in this whole heightened satire. - 75
IndieWire
Seeing Cruz and Banderas show off their comedic chops is definitely a pleasure, and the farcical final scenes will leave viewers on a high. But this film won’t win many competitions, official or otherwise. - 75
Slant Magazine
Official Competition is another film about filmmaking, but it escapes hermeticism by homing in on actors and acting. - 70
Screen Daily
Essentially a frothy bagatelle, and sometimes overworking the slightest of jokes, nevertheless this lively, sleekly executed farce from the Argentinian makers of black comedy The Distinguished Citizen offers comic and visual pleasures alike, plus crisp acting from its lead trio. - 70
Variety
Cruz is quite obviously having a ball sending up the ivory-tower vanities and mannerisms of the prodigious auteurs she’s worked with over the years. It’s a performance of fizzy, frenzied, physically elastic inventiveness, though she doesn’t render Lola a complete cartoon.
