Friend Zone (2009)

For her, there have always been two kinds of guys: the ones you desire and the ones who buy you drinks. For him, she is the woman of his dreams, the one he's been waiting for. He is madly ... See full summary »

Director:

Borja Cobeaga

Writers:

Borja Cobeaga, Diego San José

Stars:

Gorka Otxoa, Sabrina Garciarena, Julián López

8 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gorka Otxoa	...	Chema
Sabrina Garciarena	...	Claudia
Julián López	...	Rubén
Óscar Ladoire	...	'Tío' Jaime
Kiti Mánver	...	Gloria (as Kiti Manver)
María Asquerino	...	Señora Begoña
Bárbara Santa-Cruz	...	Elisa
Michel Brown	...	Sebastián
Teresa Hurtado de Ory	...	Chica discoteca
Pilar Gil	...	Ana
Mauro Muñiz	...	Iñaki
Maribel Salas	...	Sara
Fernando Mikelajáuregui	...	Profesor Universidad
Ernesto Sevilla	...	Primo 1
Borja Echevarría	...	Primo 2

Storyline

For her, there have always been two kinds of guys: the ones you desire and the ones who buy you drinks. For him, she is the woman of his dreams, the one he's been waiting for. He is madly in love with her and patiently waiting for her to realize it. The thing is that she actually wants him to buy her a drink and stay in the friend zone.

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Plot Keywords:

friend zone | beta male | illegal immigrant | nice guy | friend | 

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Taglines:

All girls want him... as a friend.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Mariví Bilbao, who had starred in every short by Borja Cobeaga, was set to play Begoña, but she had healthy issues and can't shoot. She was replaced with María Asquerino.

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Goofs

In the scene of the persecution when Chema and Claudia are being followed by Tio Jaime in the van, they pass twice by Plaza Circular, the first time, they are going to Navarra Street and to the Arenal Bridge, the second is after they get to the bridge. Besides, Navarra Street is a street where no vehicule other than public transports can go that way.

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Connections

Referenced in Tipical Spanish: Españolada a la plancha (2009)

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Soundtracks

Entre dos tierras
Written by Enrique Bunbury (as Bunbury), Joaquín Cardiel, Pedro Andreu and Juan Valdivia
Performed by Gorka Otxoa and Sabrina Garciarena

User Reviews

Witty original idea badly carried out

An enjoyable comedy with a thin plot by young Spanish director Borja Cobeaga.

This is the story of Chema -played by Gorka Otxoa-, a looser nice guy, the sort of guy that women find adorable as a friend but never as a boyfriend, i.e. a "pagafantas"- who falls for the sweet, independent and illegal Argentinean Claudia -played by Sabrina Garciarena- who thinks he's... her best friend.

The story is fresh and funny, the characters likable, the premise and storyline promising. The linking sections about the mating characteristics of the human species are truly entertaining and witty, and some of the situations in which the characters are placed are funny. The two leading actors are OK in their respective roles, especially Garciarena. However, I found much more interesting to watch the supporting actors: Oscar Ladoire as Uncle Jaime, Kiti Manver as Chema's mother Gloria, and Julian Lopez as Chema's best friend.

To me, the main problem with the film is that the script gets stuck half way, due to the lack of ideas regarding where to take the story of the leading couple, and the viewer feels that the movie has ended before it does. In fact, the end of the movie is a reflection of the inability of the scriptwriters to put closure to the same. I thought that the movie would have made a terrific short-film, not a full-length one. I found the role of Mrs Begona -played by an uninspired Maria Asquerino- completely superfluous, as she's not funny nor has any purpose in the story.

The movie is not good enough but it has glimpses of talent and savoir-faire, proof of Cobeaga's promising future.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

3 July 2009 (Spain)

Also Known As:

A nyámnyila

Filming Locations:

Bilbao, Vizcaya, País Vasco, Spain

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,954,240

Company Credits

Production Co:

Antena 3 Films, Canal+ España, Euskal Irrati Telebista (EiTB)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1