Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Theatrical Release Date: 1988 11 11 (USA)

UPC: 043396332218

Studio: Sony Pictures

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Profanity]

Summary: Though the kinky characters and aberrant social behavior common to the works of Spanish director Pedro Almodovar are very evident in his Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, the film is at heart a door-slamming farce in the grand tradition. The tiny apartment of pregnant actress Carmen Maura is the "Grand Central Station" setpiece for this dizzying tale. Distraught over her recent breakup with her lover, Carmen prepares to overdose on sleeping pills, which she blends into a gazpacho so they'll go down easier. She is diverted from her suicide by her best friend Maria Barranco, a fugitive from justice (her boy friend is a Shi'Ite terrorist) who needs a place to stay. Later, when Carmen's apartment is empty, her ex-lover's grown son (Antonio Banderas) comes to the apartment with his fiance (Rossy de Palma) in answer to Carmen's "room to let" newspaper ad. The wife inadvertently ingests Carmen's "pill sauce," and as she blissfully snoozes, the husband inaugurates an affair with Carmen's friend Barranco. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Awards: Best Foreign Language Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Foreign Language Film – null Best Actress – European Film Academy Best "Young" European Film – European Film Academy Best Foreign Language Film – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Foreign Film – National Board of Review Osella for Best Story – Venice International Film Festival Film Presented – Telluride Film Festival Best Foreign Language Film – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Format: DVD

Release Date: 11/03/2009

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 89 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) Spanish

Subtitles: English,French

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdwon
1. Words of Romance [7:33]
2. Fainting Love [6:53]
3. Nerves on Edge [6:32]
4. Chasing Cabs [6:07]
5. Family Ties [6:08]
6. Chance Encounter [9:35]
7. Terrorist Trouble [9:30]
8. Secret Fugitives [8:10]
9. Ivan's Baggage [8:27]
10. Gazpacho for Everyone [6:51]
11. Crazy Woman [4:42]
12. Losing Her [8:03]

Rebecca Flint Marx

Pedro Almod?var at his outrageous best, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is the most delightful of farces: charming and kinetic, it envelops a message of strange lucidity in a package of vibrant absurdity. Everything in the film's parallel universe abides by its own bizarre but oddly rational logic, from the premise that a forgotten pitcher of sleeping pill-spiked gazpacho meant for one person's suicide will of course be consumed by someone else, to the idea that no matter how much of a lout your ex-lover may be, he's no match for the Shiite terrorist your best friend happens to be dating. Throw in the ex-lover's gun-toting, bewigged wife; a tangle of friends, lovers, and their previously unheard-of relations who all show up at the same place; and a bed set afire by a stray cigarette, and you have the unique reality of Pedro Almod?var. Almod?var had previously directed a number of films that found success (and, more often than not, controversy) in his native Spain, such as Matador, Law of Desire, and What Have I Done to Deserve This?, but none reached the level of international acclaim achieved by Women. A stylish, sophisticated farce, it was a perfect blend of the director's candy-colored vision and his offbeat, devilishly witty brand of humor. In addition to establishing him as a master of farce, the film enhanced Almod?var's reputation as a woman's director and solidified his standing as an important figure in world cinema, with many critics hailing him as the most significant Spanish director since Luis Bu?uel. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Imanol Uribe  Actor 
Gabriel Latorre  Actor 
Guillermo Montesinos  Actor 
Agustín Almodóvar  Actor 
Lupe Barrado  Actor 
Jose Marco  Actor 
Agustín Almodóvar  Executive Producer 
Pedro Almodóvar  Director 
Pedro Almodóvar  Producer 
Pedro Almodóvar  Screenwriter 
Bernardo Bonezzi  Composer (Music Score) 
Carmen Maura  Actor 
Antonio Banderas  Actor 
Fernando Guillén  Actor 
Julieta Serrano  Actor 
Maria Barranco  Actor 
Rossy de Palma  Actor 
Kiti Manver  Actor 
Chus Lampreave  Actor 
Yayo Calvo  Actor 
Loles Leon  Actor 
Ángel de Andrés Lopez  Actor 

Country: Spain