Like a foreign episode of “Three’s Company,” the Spanish “Km. 0” (“Kilometer Zero”) features a lot of humorous mistaken identity, homosexuality and sex. Usually that’s a pretty decent mix, but here it often gets melodramatic in all the wrong places. There are funny moments (and an out-of-place musical number), but there aren’t enough laughs to keep you from seeing where the film is headed.
To help detract from the cliched plot, there are about a forty-seven different characters to keep viewers occupied. There is an actress, a male prostitute, a female prostitute, a director, an older woman (played by the noble Concha Velesco) who is neglected by her husband, a bride-to-be with a run of bad luck (the beautiful Silke), a crazy cop and more! While that sounds like it could be quite fun, most of the characters are stereotypes in one form or another. There is hope for this film, though, despite my complaints.
The story, while far from original, does a lot to remind us of how easy it is to change our lives just by changing our outlook on things. It also teaches us that love may not always be the answer to life’s little problems, and fast and easy sex can make your day. Of course, everything has its price, which is where the film gets its conflict. The price viewers have to pay is a whole other story, however, and the hundred plus minutes of time you’ll never get back may be too expensive for all but the most forgiving of audiences.
