As Luck Would Have It (2011)
"La chispa de la vida" (original title)

An out-of-work publicist who suffers an accident looks to sell the exclusive interview rights to the highest bidder in an attempt to provide for his family.

Director:

Álex de la Iglesia

Writer:

Randy Feldman (screenplay)

Stars:

José Mota, Salma Hayek, Blanca Portillo

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
José Mota	...	Roberto Gómez
Salma Hayek	...	Luisa
Blanca Portillo	...	Mercedes
Juan Luis Galiardo	...	Alcalde
Fernando Tejero	...	Johnny
Manuel Tallafé	...	Claudio
Antonio Garrido	...	Dr. Velasco
Carolina Bang	...	Pilar Álvarez
Eduardo Casanova	...	Lorenzo
Nerea Camacho	...	Bárbara
Joaquín Climent	...	Javier Gándara
Juanjo Puigcorbé	...	Álvaro Aguirre
Antonio de la Torre	...	Kiko Segura
José Manuel Cervino	...	Presidente
Santiago Segura	...	David Solar

Storyline

An out-of-work publicist who suffers an accident looks to sell the exclusive interview rights to the highest bidder in an attempt to provide for his family.

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Plot Keywords:

corruption | publicity agent | accident | death | tv news | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Spain France USA

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

13 January 2012 (Spain)

Also Known As:

As Luck Would Have It

Filming Locations:

Cartagena, Murcia, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alfresco Enterprises, Trivisión S.L., La Ferme! Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Salma Hayek worked in the movie 18 days.

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Connections

References The Day of the Beast (1995)

User Reviews

Comedy , drama and amusement by offbeat filmmaker Alex De La Iglesia

¨As Luck Would Have It¨ (La Chispa De La Vida) deals with an out-of-work publicist (Jose Mota) and once popular ad exec can't catch a break, until a freak accident at a Roman theater located in Cartagena puts him at the center of a media frenzy, he hires an agent (Fernando Tejero) to help him cash in on his life-or-death situation in an attempt to provide money for his family . Roberto's loving wife (Salma Hayek) tries to convince him he's worth more alive than dead .

Dramatic comedy follows an unemployed advertising executive as he looks for work , ultimately becoming the focal point of media attention when he falls into a precarious situation . This is a full-on surreal psychotronic black-comedy that blends emotion , thrills , comedy , tension as well as an interesting script full of dark humor ,outrageous drama , odd /selfish characters and exciting situations . This satirical melodrama explores the greedy nature between the media and public consumption . Eloy De La Iglesia moves out from under the literal big top and sets his sites on the mass media , probably as close to a modern circus as you can get . De la Iglesia reigns in his style this time around and delivers a utterly watchable takedown of ambition and media obsession that certainly delivers a few madly inspired moments . But while he tips his hat knowingly to films like Network and Billy Wilder's ¨Ace in the Hole¨, the end result is curiously toothless, and far less outlandish , intense and angry than either of those media-satire hallmarks . The film works on various levels and is constantly reconfigured , however contains some embarrassing , contriving moments and also certain excess . Acceptable performance by José Mota as an executive who has been out of work for a long time and suffers an accident and attempts to sell the exclusive interview rights to the highest bidder . A real standout by Salma Hayek , Mexican-born actress certainly makes up for her short stature with her performance in the film, receiving much praise for her role . Excellent plethora of secondaries such as the recently deceased Juan Luis Galiardo , Joaquin Climent , Juanjo Puigcorbe , Blanca Portillo and Alex De la Iglesia's ordinary actors such as Santiago Segura , Manuel Tallafé , Fernando Tejero , Enrique De La Torre and Carolina Bang whose partner is the director . Colorful and glimmer cinematography by Kiko De La Rica . Thrilling as well as emotive musical score by Joan Valent , the soundtrack flows great with the film in every way, and creates enjoyable atmospheres in every moment.

The motion picture was well directed by the king of black comedy , Alex De La Iglesia , though failed at the Spanish Box office . He's a cool director has got much success as ¨Accion Mutante¨ ,¨Dying of laughter¨ or ¨Muertos De Risa¨ , ¨Baby's room¨ , ¨Oxford murders¨ and ¨Balada Triste De Una Trompeta¨ and winner of several Goyas (Spanish Oscars), however his movies have not yet reached box office in USA, but he has strong followers . Nonsense, ridicule , laughters , absurdity , disturbing scenes .. and many other issues ; you can find everything in this flick . The movie is a lot of fun, especially for those who enjoy surrealist humor . This is without a doubt a thrilling and enjoyable movie to be enjoyed for dark humor buffs and Alex De Iglesia fans.