Released in the US under the name As Luck Would Have It, this approachable Spanish feature, which blends satire, black comedy and soap opera, is better titled here with a direct translation of the Spanish original. The phrase was a slogan dreamed up years ago by Madrid advertising man Roberto (Mota, a popular TV comedian). Now 40ish and jobless - the commentary on Spain's parlous economy is subtle but persistent - he can't even get appointments with old colleagues.
After an unsuccessful job interview, he drives on a whim to Cartagena to see the hotel where he and his wife Luisa (Hayek) spent their honeymoon.
Here, in an accident whose complicated cause is best not described, he winds up on an archaeological site, pinned to some reinforcing steel like an insect on an entomologist's display case in such a way that doctors dare not move him.
If the symbolism seems straightforward, there's more to come. Roberto's plight becomes breaking news and before you can say "exclusive deal", PR firms are discussing product placement potential and asserting the contractual value of his delaying rescue. Crowds gather with "We are all Roberto" banners; ponderous commentators intone; authorities fume about the fallout.
Writer Randy Feldman (an American whose credits include Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude van Damme movies) keeps the pace agreeably jaunty.
