Fernando Trueba's film The Girl of Your Dreams appears on the surface to be like any other war film... a group of people are studied amongst the carnage and eventually come to learn of the true horror of the holocaust and grow in their personal lives as a result. While this is an admirable pretense, the tacky jokes and schmaltzy shout outs to films like Casablanca work against Trueba. Another shortcoming of the film is the portrayal of Goebbels; while it plays on the historical fact that he was a womanizer, he is shown to be a dithering Neanderthal, while in reality, he was a terrifying and calculating genius. Had Trueba shown Goebbels obsession with Macarena as a manifestation of this madman's carnal desires, the themes of the film may have been the better for it.
Cruz is fabulous (much more so than in any other English speaking film she's been in) and offers an enticing performance in an otherwise overcooked and ill-humoured extravaganza.
Cruz is fabulous (much more so than in any other English speaking film she's been in) and offers an enticing performance in an otherwise overcooked and ill-humoured extravaganza.