The Queen of Spain

With the Generalissimo keen to build bridges with Uncle Sam, his government entices famed Hollywood legend "Macarena" (Penélope Cruz doing her best Sophia Loren) back to Spain to star in a star-studded biopic of Queen Isabella. It's to be directed by "John Scott" (Clive Revill) and co-star the dashing "Gary Jones" (Cary Elwes) as the husband with whom she set her country on the road to unification. Her arrival on set does little to disguise the fact that the civil war is still very fresh in the minds of the people - and of the still shackled creative community too, so while they try to get the filming organised she finds a bit of romance with the hunky grip "Leo" (Chino Darín) and gets herself embroiled in a daring plan to smuggle one of the most wanted people in the place, the proscribed "Fontiveros" (Antonio Resines), to safety. It is a bit hit and miss this film but there is fun to be had from Elwes doing his sexually fluid version of a past his sell by date Errol Flynn; Revill trying his hand as a nodding version of Admiral John Ford and Cruz herself who manages to bring a little thrusting and buxom levity to the proceedings. Along the way it pokes some fun at the film-making community; the McCarthy witch-hunting and of the stars dominating the silver screen who had more than their fair share of peccadilloes - just ask Cary Grant or Charles Laughton. It's at it's best when it is just Elwes and Cruz, and there is some scene stealing commentary from Loles Léon's "Trini" - her personal assistant, factotum and general Bette Midler lookalike as the story mixes "El Cid" with "Topkapi" and includes some glamorous costumes along the way. It is too long and at times goes off on just a little too meandering a course, but there is still enough here to occasionally raise a smile if you like your parodies tinged with a little politics.