The Spanish Apartment (2002)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Disturbing yet enthralling

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I was looking forward to watching l'auberge espagnole since one of my favorite language YouTubers recommended it as a learning device. I don't know what they drank when they watched this because this movie should not be praised. I think its possible to root for a protagonist who is not perfect. We have Heisenberg, we have Tony Soprano. But this guy comes off to seemingly everyone as perfect when he is really a sexist, hypocrital pig who doesn't get his comeuppance. I don't care how relatable this may be to the traveling foreigner. I'm just thinking why did they portray this guy so badly. He tells his mother to shut up, convinces a married woman to have an affair, and got mad when his girlfriend says she has moved on. He disgusts me and it disgusts me that this movie is revered. It makes me question if this is normal behaviour for people in France. Never has a film made me feel such disgust for a character. What makes it worse is that people like this movie, they relate to it. I'm sorry but I cannot relate to an awful human being. All they had to do was make him likable, that's all.

What a disappointment this flick turned out to be. It doesn't even merit the word 'film'.The camera-work is so-so, there are needlessly sped-up scenes of the main jerk walking around various offices and streets, and it generally left no real impression. With such a wonderful setting as Barcelona, much more could have been done with this.My main grievance is with the characters and the plot, all of which are terrifyingly hollow. The main chap, Xavier, is nothing short of an asshole. He cares about women only so far as he can use them sexually, thinks nothing of rape-seducing a married woman, and then sulks when his girlfriend dumps him for another. There's nothing to like about him. He isn't deep, he isn't exciting, and he isn't charming.The other people in the apartment suffer similar problems. They are cookie-cutter characters. The German is the studious, organised, anally retentive flatmate. The English girl appears to be a neat-freak, frustrated, and ultimately sexually somewhat immoral. (The one 'bonding' experience these flatmates have is in fact to hide her cheating from her English partner). The Spanish girl is just there for a few sentences, and the Danish guy also seems not to serve a purpose.Now to the plot, if such it is. Xavier is frightened of growing up and committing to anything. So he leaves France, and aims for Barcelona. There he parties up large, ostensibly studying, while trying to sleep with as many women as possible. He and girlfriend break up. He returns to France, can't handle the idea of an office job, and decides to turn his mediocre adventures into a book. All of this takes up nearly two hours, which is far too long for all this white noise.There is no message in this film unless one of cynical nihilism. It is a product of its time and generation, one that uses copious lazy stereotyping while trying to somehow claim it is being inclusive of European identities. It fails on all levels.

Thanks Mr. Klapish and Romain for this sweet movie (and its sequel) because if i want to talk me about me, i just have to recommend it: same name, same job in Treasure Ministry, same experience abroad with European fellows, same passion for writing, same confusion about romances, same feeling about not understanding how world spins.I can't say how personal the story is personal to the director but it speaks true about trips (it's about leaving what you know and going in the unknown), about arrivals (maps, accommodation, marking the streets, decorating your room with pictures), about romances abroad (a way to have new ones)...As in the sequel, the director isn't boring because it adds a lot of funny moments and innovative storytelling with a perfect voice-over from Romain.I never been too much attracted to Spain but the last two movies I saw happened there and were very personal for me. Is it an omen?

The film is about a group of almost exclusively Western Europeans all living together in Barcelona in order to save money. The apartment is just jam-packed with these students. The story centers on a French student, Xavier, but also shows what's happening in the lives of several of his roommates (though a few are just there--with little insight into them or what makes them tick). An interesting idea, but it might have been improved by the addition of more nationalities--especially non-Western Europeans. I applaud the film makers for doing something different. Here they have created a truly multinational movie--with many, many different languages. So, it's one of the few films that will require you to read subtitles no matter where you are from--though I suppose somewhere there is one person who actually understands Danish, Italian, French, German, English, Spanish and perhaps another couple languages.Now this does not mean I loved the film? I liked parts of it, but the film suffered from a few plot problems--at least for me. Two things about the film bothered me but I am sure not everyone will be as turned off by them as much as me. First, any film that shows someone vomiting has to lose a point or two. If you are have a character retching, that's fine--but to show it repeatedly in all its glory is just nasty. I don't like watching vomit come shooting out a person's mouth--just call me weird about that! Secondly, while this problem is not always serious (it depends on the type of film), I have a hard time with a film where the main character is unlikable. This doesn't mean they need to be perfect, but having Xavier be such a jerk was a major turn off for me. He has a lovely fiancée but sleeps with a married woman...not exactly an endearing behavior. Several others also have equally discerning taste or help their roommates cheat on their significant others--making many in this flat seem like jerks. Though I must admit that the acting and direction were still good.Finally, a word about the DVD and poster art as well as the casting. Although Audrey Tautou is featured prominently and receives billing near the top of the film, her part was actually quite small. But, with the success of "Amélie", the film makers decided to try to exploit her small part and fool the public. I hate film marketing people--because that's exactly why I watched the film in the first place! It is clearly NOT a starring vehicle for her and if you expect that, you'll be sorely disappointed, like I was.