`Kika': In The Spirit Of The Early Almodovar

------------ MOVIE REVIEW ------------

XX "Kika," with Veronica Forque, Victoria Abril, Peter Coyote, Alex Casanovas, Rossy de Palma. Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar. Egyptian. "NC-17" - No one under 17 admitted because of sex scenes, graphic rape scene.

Pedro Almodovar is one of those unfortunate filmmakers who became popular just as they were going to seed.

For those who discovered Almodovar via his most vital films, "Law of Desire" (1987) and "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" (1985), the international acclaim he finally received for "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" (1988) may have seemed excessive and misplaced.

The earlier movies were full of rage as well as outrageousness, but "Women" seemed flamboyantly, deliberately artificial. "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" (1990) and "High Heels" (1991) flirted with tedium. Many critics have also dismissed "Kika," yet for me this film communicates more of the old Almodovar spirit than anything he's done since the mid-1980s.

One reason may be that for the first time in years Almodovar has a satirical target worthy of his jabs: television tabloid shows that specialize in invasion of privacy. While much has been made of "Kika's" politically incorrect rape scene, which is played for laughs, the central joke here is that physical rape may not be as damaging as the media rape committed by greed-driven reporters.

The chief representative of this revolting late-20th-century development is Andrea Scarface, the ruthless hostess of a voyeuristic show called "Today's Worst." To keep her abreast of the most sensational current events, she keeps a pair of corrupt cops on her payroll. The ultimate busybody, forever turning private lives inside out, she zips around Madrid on a motorcycle, her crash helmet merged with camcorder headgear.

Almodovar keeps Andrea's villainy funny by dressing her in a gadget-stuffed latex suit that makes her look like an inquisitive extraterrestrial - and by casting the endlessly inventive Victoria Abril in the part. It's an inspired combination of actress, costume and role.

The title character is a motormouth makeup artist, played by Veronique Forque, whose withdrawn lover, Ramon (Alex Casanovas), was once Andrea's boyfriend. Kika is also involved with Ramon's stepfather (Peter Coyote), a shady American writer who may have killed his wife or driven her to suicide. In any event, Ramon is so depressed about her death that he's nearly comatose.

Complicating the situation further are a lesbian maid who adores Kika (Rossy de Palma) and her brutish brother (Santiago Lajusticia), a former porn star who makes the most of his one-day leave from jail.

"Kika" is far from perfect. Almodovar lets the joke run on too long (nearly two hours), and he spends too much time with the mild Kika. The driving force of the movie is Abril's relentlessly exploitative media monster. No wonder that given the choice between playing Kika and Andrea, she chose the latter.