El Calentito

Set in 1981 Spain, when the country's six-year-old post-Franco democracy was faced with a potential military coup, filmmaker Chus Gutiérrez's El Calentito is a connect-the-dots story about an all-girl punk band's attempt to achieve music stardom. At the center of the tale is Sara (the lovely Verónica Sánchez), who goes on a drunken spree after her boyfriend dumps her, eventually awakening in the home shared by lesbian Carmen (Ruth Díaz) and exhibitionist Leo (Macarena Gómez), two-thirds of the band Las Siux. The third member of the band quit abruptly, so Sara is quickly recruited to fill the void—which is convenient, since her first duty is to accompany Carmen and Leo to a meeting with record company executives. The three young leads each have screen presence, but as punk performers they are something of an embarrassment (unless you think that punk and camp are synonymous). Still, their cute posing and posturing helps detract attention from the tiresome transvestite bar owner Antonia (Nuria González), who seems to be doing his/her own private Almodovar film in the midst of this hubbub. Not only does El Calentito make little sense (the Spanish music scene can't really be this ridiculous), but the political backdrop will probably be lost on most American viewers. Not recommended. (P. Hall)