Lisístrata (2002) from Tuna

Lisistrata (2002) is a Spanish production based on a Ralf König comic book, which is in turn based on the most famous Greek comedy by Aristophanes. In the original Greek play, the women of Athens and Sparta tire of the constant wars. Organized by Lisistrata, they deny sex to the men until they stop the fighting.

NUDITY REPORT

Breast exposure from Cristina Sola, Gloria Cano, Marina Gatell, and several unknowns.

Ralf König's version has an additional twist or two. After a few days, the men are all sporting huge erections, making it difficult to fight. Also, the women are holed up with the entire treasury. Then, one of the local transvestites has a stroke of genius. He convinces the commander that homosexual acts when women are not available, and done for the good of the country, do not make you gay. The commander orders all the men to find relief this way. Problem is, the men come to enjoy it. The battlefield also does not go well, as the opposing soldiers are too busy kissing to kill each other.

The widescreen, anamorphic Region 2 DVD is only available in Spain 2.

This film was a much-anticipated treat for many in Spain because it stars many women from popular TV sitcoms, but the quantity of nudity was disappointing. Furthermore, I didn't find the broad farce amusing, and the performances were all far over the top.

The Critics Vote ...

  • No major reviews online.

The People Vote ...

  • It grossed only about $700,000 in Spain, and has not been released elsewhere.
The meaning of the IMDb score: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence equivalent to about three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, comparable to approximately two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, equivalent to about a two star rating from the critics, or a C- from our system. Films rated below five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film - this score is roughly equivalent to one and a half stars from the critics or a D on our scale. (Possibly even less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. (C+ means it has no crossover appeal, but will be considered excellent by genre fans, while C- indicates that it we found it to be a poor movie although genre addicts find it watchable). D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well. Any film rated C- or better is recommended for fans of that type of film. Any film rated B- or better is recommended for just about anyone. We don't score films below C- that often, because we like movies and we think that most of them have at least a solid niche audience. Now that you know that, you should have serious reservations about any movie below C-.

Based on this description, this is a C-. Perhaps those who enjoy this sort of comic book satire might enjoy it more.

Return to the Movie House home page