''Masterpiece'' ( es, Obra maestra, links=no) is a 2000 Spanish comedy-drama film directed and written by

David Trueba David Rodríguez Trueba (born 10 September 1969) is a Spanish filmmaker and author. Biography David Rodríguez Trueba was born on 10 September 1969 in Madrid, the youngest of 8 siblings. His elder brother Fernando is also a filmmaker. In 198 ...

. It stars

Ariadna Gil Ariadna Gil Giner (; born 23 January 1969) is a Spanish actress. She is known for her performances in films such as ''Belle Époque'' (for which she won the Goya Award for Best Actress), ''Black Tears'' and ''Pan's Labyrinth''. Career Film dire ...

Santiago Segura Santiago Segura Silva (born 17 July 1965) is a Spanish filmmaker and actor. He also worked to a lesser extent as a television presenter, voice actor and comic book writer, as well as being a collector of original comic books. At 12, he began ...

and Pablo Carbonell.

Plot

The plot tracks two male friends, a film director and a wannabe leading man, preparing a musical film, intended to star Amanda Castro, a Spanish cinema diva at a low ebb. Upon the rejection from the latter, the two friends kidnap Castro and force her to star in the film.

Cast

Production

The film was produced by Fernando Trueba PC and Buenavida producciones, with the participation of TVE, Vía Digital and Amiguetes Entertainment. Shooting locations included the mountains of the Madrid region.

Release

The screenplay was penned by David Trueba. Owing to superficial similarities of the plot with ''

Cecil B. Demented ''Cecil B. Demented'' is a 2000 black comedy film written and directed by John Waters. The film stars Melanie Griffith as a snobby A-list Hollywood actress who is kidnapped by a band of terrorist filmmakers; they force her to star in their underg ...

'', lawyers representing the latter film threatened to take legal measures. Distributed by Lolafilms, the film was theatrically released in Spain on 27 October 2000. It grossed €1,056,713 (249,699 admissions).

Reception

Jonathan Holland of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' considered that despite being "dangerously straddled between genres in a way that could confuse audiences" the film "manages to be moving, funny and thought-provoking". The review in ''

Fotogramas ''Fotogramas'' is Spanish digital and print film magazine which has been in circulation since 1946. It is one of the early film magazines in Spain. History Founded in Barcelona, it was first published on 15 November 1946 by Antonio Nadal-Rodó a ...

'' rated the film 2 out of 5 stars drawing out Santiago Segura's character ("simply superb") as a man evicted from reality, as the best thing about the film while considering that there are too many characters who contribute nothing as the worst element of the film.

Accolades

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15th Goya Awards The 15th Goya Awards were presented in Madrid, Spain Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is t ...

, , Best Supporting Actor , , Luis Cuenca , , , , rowspan = "3" , , - , Best New Actor , , Pablo Carbonell , , , - , Best Special Effects , ,

Emilio Ruiz del Río Emilio Ruiz del Río (1923 – September 14, 2007) was a Spanish film set decorator and special effects and visual effects artist. Ruiz del Rio's career spanned over 60 years. Career Ruiz del Río's filmography includes work on over 450 fil ...

, Alfonso Nieto, Raúl Romanillos, Pau Costa , ,

References

{{authority control 2000 comedy-drama films 2000 films Spanish comedy-drama films Films shot in the Community of Madrid 2000s Spanish-language films 2000s Spanish films Films directed by David Trueba