Director: J.J. Bigas Luna
Starring: Penélope Cruz, Anna Galiena, Javier Bardem, Stefania Sandrelli, Juan Diego, Jordi Mollà, Tomas Penco, Armando del Río

- Reviewed by Linda

There is a whole sub-genre of films in a category that I think we'll call Food & Sex. And for some reason, non-American films seem to do this genre the best. I'd say that Like Water For Chocolate made food sexy in a way that was much more fun than, say, the strawberries and honey in 9 1/2 Weeks. Jamón, Jamón (in the English subtitles: Of Ham and Passion) adds a dash of the wacky soap-opera-esque Spanish comedy to the recipe that viewers have come to expect from that country.

A very young Penélope Cruz (she had to be only 17 or 18) in one of her earlier roles already exhibits the sauce and sass that has lately made her a hot international star. She plays a young woman, pregnant by her irresponsible, annoying boyfriend (Jordi Mollà) who has a very domineering mother. Mom doesn't want the family name ruined by him marrying the daughter of the town tart, so she arranges for a local stud (Javier Bardem) to seduce the girl away from her son. It doesn't hurt that the stud looks like a Spanish Brendan Fraser, and his most marketable asset is his impressive "basket" (yes! actually in the subtitles!) that is prominently displayed on local underwear billboards. Of course, in best Spanish comedy style, it turns out that everyone is sleeping with and/or lusting after everyone else, so everything doesn't happen quite as planned.

This is a very funny, sexy movie, that goes a lot further than an American film would. A few scenes had me raising my eyebrows, including a moonlit naked bullfighting scene, but it was refreshing, not shocking, in its daring. The stars are all good-looking and have nice chemistry, and the plot moves along well and is often outlandishly funny. By the end of the film, you may have the urge to nibble on some garlic to see if it is really the aphrodisiac that the characters claim it is!

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