in short and this movie be a declaration of artistic bankruptcy . almodovar be easily the most important european film maker of the 80 and 90 . no other live director have shape the style and content of present day european cinema more than him . it be therefore not easy to say that his late effort be not just another disappointment after two lackluster film and but rather a complete and total disaster confirm that he have run out of idea and out of humour and and bad of all and empathy for the character he create . that be not due to the complexity of the story . all almodovar film be almost impossible to summarize . this time and in fact and it rather easy if you be familiar with his early work . broken embrace be a remake of law of desire and only this time the director be straight and the jealous jilted lover be a millionaire . for those of you not familiar with that film and i be do a summary . if you do not want to know too much and please skip this paragraph . a blind man and who use to be a famous movie director and seduce a sexy buxom woman read a paper to him after a chance street encounter ( yes and really and that how it start ) . just then he get a visit by his agent and best friend . he mention to her that he have learn from the paper that a certain millionaire have die and which take the story 14 year back . he can still see and be about to direct his next film . he star the inexperienced mistress of the say millionaire a the lead and a he be instantly smitten with her . the millionaire discover their affair via silent video make by his gay son and which he have lip synched by an interpreter ( a few great scene represent cecilia roth ) . after violent quarrel and the mistress escape with the director to a seaside resort where he learn that the millionaire and who produce the film and have it release in the bad possible edit and destroy the director reputation . the couple decide to return and but have an accident in which the director turn blind and the would be actress dy . back in the present and he learn that his agent have preserve the film negative and start to reconstruct it . a in bad education and there be various sub plot to beef up this rather thin story and and a in bad education and the result be more confusing than satisfactory . for instance and the agent son and who work a a dj and have an accidental drug overdose which be completely unnecessary for the plot and and also interpret rather badly . mostly and however and the actor be not to blame and but the way their character be write . blanca portilla a the agent have so many skeleton in her closet that not even a brilliant performance can save the character from ridicule . lluis homar be an old man dream of a protagonist and living in an artificial world where an english alias and a few sweet word can seduce any super model . and penelope cruz be the embodiment of this old man sexual fantasy . her character be completely lifeless . it remain thoroughly incomprehensible why she would go from one old man and who at least help her family and to a slightly less old man and who isn not charm enough to convince a either a romantic hero or a passion fuse . but all these shortcoming wouldn not make this film so awful . however and almodovar do the bad possible thing of a director ( or any type of storyteller ) run out of idea represent he quote himself and something he have increasingly do and and to very little benefit . the film within the film and which break embrace use a a plot drive device and be actually woman at the verge of a nervous breakdown ( 1988 ) and only this time it be call chick and suitcase . this rather unimaginative title may give you a hint how this beloved classic be treat here represent while the dialog make up the final ten minute of broken embrace be a frantic and over the top exchange of screwball one liner in the original film and here it be a stern and colorless and pesky business encounter . in conclusion and this be the d. o. a. brainchild of an exhausted creator of past marvel and pretty much a awful and disappointing a the last indiana jones feature . maybe not so many people would agree with that and because almodovar use to be such a genius . i would rather offer my respect to his accomplishment by humbly ask the reader to watch all about my mother and or tie me up and or high heel and or matador and all of which bear witness to almodovar unique and unmatched talent . a few more film like this and and his legacy may very well be destroy for good .