If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This is a cute comedy from Spain, not meant to confuse audience members who can't keep with the subtitles or understand the movie without them. It's about a man, unsure of his sexuality, who goes to Madrid to work at his uncles' restaurant (Marcos, played by Jorge Sanz). On his first day at work, he meets a young Dominican (Marisol) who falls head over heels for him, but Marcos thinks he is gay.Ergo, the gay bar scene, where Marcos meets a young and extremely handsome struggling actor,Daniel (magnificently played by Santiago Magill), who also falls head over heels for Marcos. They become a couple although both men clearly have different tastes in food, sports and theater. The movie doesn't go into more details about their personal relationship until.....THE POINT OF NO RETURN At a karaoke disco, while both are performing a Franki Valle tune, a disco ball comes loose and conks Marcos on the head, knocking him unconscious. Now the question becomes....Was Marcos really Gay, or just Experimenting?? Because when he regains his senses, he is less and less attracted to Daniel and breaks up with him, leading Daniel to think the bump on the head was responsible for his "straightness". Santiago Magill gives a very versatile performance as a love-sick Daniel who confides in his flighty, but lovable friend Carmen, who tries to explain the reality that Marcos didn't really look as if he cared for Daniel as much as Daniel was clearly in love with Marcos.SPOILER ALERT!!!! The rest of the movie deals with how Daniel tries in vain to woo back Marcos, who has become involved with the Dominican immigrant, Marisol. Daniel, takes a cue from his idol Boy George, and sets out to trick Marcos into falling in love with....Daniel's female alter ego, who is a big hit with a local Dominican man, to his/her surprise. Magill gives a great, versatile performance for such a young actor who is paired up with Sanz, one of Spains' most popular actors. You can feel Daniel's pain as he realizes he's lost the love of his life, and you laugh with him as he changes into his alter ego.The movie has a great, happy ending. Look for the Boy George Cameo!!

Unexpected events take a while to digest. Some can eventually be understood as to cause and effect; some cannot. The latter is evident in two ways regarding this film: first, the main premise of the story just makes no sense at all, even after lengthy reflection and generous second-guessing; and second, one wonders why one bothered to watch the last half, which is something of a phenomenon for a viewer who should have known better.Still, it is well-made and technically proficient as a movie. The actors and the direction cannot be faulted. Set in modern Madrid, it presents us with believable characters involved in totally unbelievable interactions with each other. Marcos and Daniel are lovers, but the again maybe they're not. Marisol and Marcos are variously not attracted to each other, but then they are. Daniel and Maria are one and the same, but Daniel winds up with a Maria like-alike -- sort of. The sensible viewer will hit the off switch when the disco ball drops.It makes me think about a nightmare in which I am run over by a truck, then find the rewind button and make it all go away before I wake up.Watch it for the good job the actors do in spite of a lousy script.

I watched this movie the other day, and I have a few observations about it. First, I don't see what Daniel saw in Marcos at all. While Marcos is a physically attractive fellow, he seems to be totally devoid of humor and warmth. Daniel, on the other hand, appears to be someone who is in love with life and it's possibilities. Second, the whole issue of the falling disco ball and Marcos's change from gay to straight is, in my opinion at least, ridiculous. I understand that the filmmaker was trying to make a point, but does anyone on the planet think that sexual orientation is so malleable? I can recommend this movie, albeit with strong reservations. If you're looking for a foreign gay-themed movie, you may wish to consider "L'Homme que j'aime" or "Les Roseaux sauvages", both of which I, for whatever it's worth, thoroughly enjoyed.

I LOVE YOU BABY takes you places you don't expect in its own quiet way, never pushing, just coaxing you along via the four charming lead characters. Though its description (on both the IMDB and on netflix--where I rented the DVD) sounds Almodovarian, I LOVE YOU BABY is a gentle, wise, beautifully performed story of love in its many facets--gay, straight, parental, friendship--with particular emphasis on exploring the continuum from hetero to homosexuality. (The falling disco ball, rather than offering some magical means of transformation, simply shows how easily we can fall in or out of sexual attraction.) Set yourself up, not for a rolling-in-the-aisles comedy, but a sweetly believable story of four people whose connections withstand surprising complications, including one of the most engaging and credible cross-dressing stints in a long while. Santiago Magill (from the fine Peruvian film "Don't Tell Anybody"), Jorge Sanz and Veronica Forque (both quite different here from the funny "Why Do They Call it Love When They Mean Sex?") and the lovely, young Tiare Scanda all give lustrous performances that go deeper than most romantic comedies. Most surprising, given the bizarre events, there is not a false step in the entire film because everyone plays each moment for real. I LOVE YOU BABY is highly recommended to anyone interested in (or struggling with) issues of sexual preference, commitment, and the meaning of love (and who doesn't struggle now and again with one of those themes?). An added bonus is the interesting look at the Dominican community in Spain. Oh, yes--there's a special treat here for Boy George fans, too. Though I don't know the work of the two directors, I am going to search out their other films--fast!