Director Álex de
la Iglesia (El Crimen Perfecto, The Last Circus) has shown his ability
to find the comedic edge in dark and often morbid narratives in the past, but
he seems to be having more fun than ever with his latest, Witching & Bitching. Part crime film, part buddy action, part
horror, and part screwball comedy; this film crams a little bit of everything
into a concise and energetic 114 minutes that ends up feeling like a blend of From Dusk till Dawn and The Witches if Eastwick on crack. This
may not be a perfect film, but it is unique and fun enough to easily forgive
its minor shortcomings.
The movie opens
with a bank robbery, introducing us to characters dressed in ridiculous
costumes/disguises. José (Hugo Silva) is dressed as Jesus, and also brought his
young son along for the robbery, much to the dismay of Antonio (Mario Casas),
dressed as a toy soldier. There are others in costume and the robbery,
including a SpongeBob, but they are all either captured or killed in the
violent results of a poorly planned theft.
What begins as a
heist film quickly turns into a comedy about the battle of the sexes, which
turns into a literal fight when the robbers come across a coven of witches in
the Basque countryside. Running a small roadside tavern to lure in unsuspecting
victims, the witches make the thieves’ escape from the police seem easy. All
that is saving them are the disagreements of a dysfunctional witch family, and
the rebellious attraction José receives from the youngest member, Eva (Carolina
Bang).
Witching & Bitching is over-the-top
fun, and an oddity of energetic genre-blending that has a bit of an edge to it.
In order to decide whether it is a great film or just great entertainment, I
would have to see it again. And the truth is, this is a film enjoyable enough
that I wouldn’t mind watching a second time.
The DVD special
features include a few making-of featurettes and a trailer.
Entertainment Value:
8.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical Significance:
6/10
Special Features: 5/10
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