An uninteresting tale of kidnapping and mystery, spiced up by sexual confusion, a superior cast, and Barcelona settings, Susan Seidelman's Gaudi Afternoon revolves around an American translator named Cassandra (Judy Davis), who is enlisted by a vampy femme fatale (Marcia Gay Harden) to spy on her husband, a flighty babysitter (Juliette Lewis) and a butch stranger (Lili Taylor). Nobody is who they seem, none of the relationships are as conventional as they first appear, and--unfortunately--nothing is quite as intriguing as director Seidelman (Desperately Seeking Susan) seems to think (the film relies on its audience to be shocked enough by the whiff of an alternative lifestyle--read: homosexuality). Of the wonderful cast of actresses, only Marcia Gay Harden seems to be having any fun, offering exuberant flair to a project that otherwise seems satisfied with generalized quirkiness. Optional. (D. Fienberg)
Gaudi Afternoon
First Look, 88 min., R, VHS: $89.95, DVD: $24.98 Volume 17, Issue 6
Gaudi Afternoon
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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