My Big Night (2015)

A huge cast of performers and extras are stuck in a studio filming a special gala performance for New Year's Eve. When one of the audience members is injured, an out of work actor is called in to take his place, but discovers there is a riot going on outside and numerous plots schemes going on inside - including one deranged superfan who has come to make good on the death threats he has been sending to his idol.

MY BIG NIGHT is classic Alex De-la Iglesia, colourful and crazy and masterfully weaving together numerous plot threads amidst the beautifully orchestrated chaos of a big show production. The hosts hate each other, the stars are prima donnas and the producers and the extras have their own agendas. The film is constantly in motion, juggling its many plot lines just like the show runners who try to make sure the cameras keep on rolling - the show must go on... even if it is being pre-recorded in October.

Pepón Nieto is adorable as the ingenue unprepared for all the back stabbing beneath the superficial conviviality of the show, and who can't believe his luck when he finds himself sat next to stunning Blanca Suárez, who has a heart of gold but seems to bring bad luck to those around her. Carolina Bang and Hugo Silva are terrific as the bickering co-hosts, constantly trying to upstage each other, whilst Raphael (the stage name of Miguel Rafael Martos Sánchez) and Mario Casas are both delightful as sex symbols from very different generations. Hell, everybody is great!

The script is as witty as you would expect from the writing team of Jorge Guerricaechevarría and Alex De-la Iglesia. In some ways it's by the books, following a similar formula to Muertos De Risa or Crimen Ferpecto, but it contains enough twists and surprises of its own to feel fresh.

The film sends up the vanity, superficiality and fakeness of show business but also celebrates its magic and spectacle, its capacity to bring joy and to bring people together. It's a feel good film that comes from the more family friendly side of Alex de-la Iglesia's filmography, light hearted and fun and with hardly any vials of semen involved.

I'm delighted that this film is available on Netflix in the UK, and hope it introduces a wider audiences to the delights of de-la Iglesia.