Feb 20 • 04:30 UTC 🇪🇸 Spain El País

‘The Ghost of My Wife’: a crazy comedy that fails to find its tone

The new film by María Ripoll, 'The Ghost of My Wife,' is an inconsistent comedy filled with bedlam and infidelities featuring Javier Rey and Loreto Mauleón.

‘The Ghost of My Wife’ is the latest film by director María Ripoll, who attempts to deliver a screwball comedy filled with misunderstandings and infidelities. Despite starting with promising ideas, the film struggles to create a cohesive tone that can effectively elicit laughter. The pitfalls of this style are evident as the film lacks the polished brilliance typically expected in this genre, which affects the overall enjoyment of the narrative. With excessive gags and risqué jokes, creating the right balance is crucial yet elusive.

The plot centers around a dysfunctional marriage intertwined with a fatal misunderstanding, showcasing a manipulative mistress, a cowardly husband (played by Javier Rey), who describes himself as an “emotional idiot,” and an innocent wife portrayed by Loreto Mauleón. The classic comedic elements of mishaps and chaos aim to entertain but often fall flat due to the film's struggle to find its rhythm. This incompatibility between direction and script heightens the challenges faced by the characters and the audience alike.

The implications of this film extend beyond its comedic facade, as it reflects on the complexities of personal relationships and the sometimes absurd nature of the marital institution. While it offers moments of intrigue with its setup, the execution doesn’t fully satisfy, leaving viewers questioning the film’s overall delivery and whether it can resonate with audiences looking for both depth and humor in cinematic experiences.

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