Spanish import Queens, also known as Reinas in its country of origin, might be offhandedly described as
a sort of Pedro Almodóvar comedic B-reel, featuring as it does several actresses best
known for being part of his revolving repertory. A whimsical contemporary
ensemble about mothers and their gay sons, it’s a high-pitched hoot for fans of
energetic foreign flicks and alt-familial tales.

The story unfolds over the course of a weekend leading up to
Spain’s first
ever mass gay wedding. A quintet of uncompromising women (Carmen Maura, Marisa
Paredes, Mercedes Sampietro, Veronica Forqué and Betiana Blum) used to getting
their way must learn to cope with a variety of conflicts surrounding the marriages
of each of their sons. Chaos ensues, naturally, as prejudices and clashing temperaments
come colliding up against one another.

The madcap quotient is dialed up quite high here, and director
and co-writer Manuel Gomez Pereira does a good job of sustaining tone in a way
that makes the movie’s many pieces and intertwined storylines fit snugly up
against one another. Flitting to and fro in time, he drives the story forward
with snappish, breezily captured recollections, and if we don’t necessarily have
enough investment to really believe in the love affairs we’re being served, the
pace and energetic performances are such that one doesn’t dote for long periods
of time on that fact. Paredes in particular gives a memorable, cathartic turn as
a famous actress whose snooty inclinations are brought low by her son’s choice of
her gardener’s son as a mate, and in her sexually rapacious character Forqué is
given a lot of fun material. Amongst the men of the piece, meanwhile, Raul
Garcia also makes a nice impression.

Housed in a regular Amray plastic case and presented in 1.33:1
full screen, Queens comes with a
Spanish language Dolby digital 5.1 surround sound audio track, and
complementary English subtitles. There’s some slight grain during the second
act, and it seems mainly attached to the outdoor images, but overall it’s nothing
too sustained or bothersome, and certainly not a mitigating circumstance for casual
rental enjoyment. A brief but vibrant production featurette serves as the movie’s
bonus feature, alongside a collection of preview trailers for similarly themed
films and series from Here! Films and Genius Products, fare like Third Man Out and Dante’s Cove. B- (Movie) C+ (Disc)