Returning to his absurdist comedy roots after taking years off, Pedro Almodóvar keeps it (mostly) playful with his unfiltered, druggy, cocktail-crazy sex party in the sky, I’m So Excited.

90 percent of the film is set on an airplane stranded in the clouds—one of the landing gears has been damaged (by the bumbling Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz in the film’s brief tone-setting prologue). The pilots search desperately for a solution for their dire predicament while three unflappably optimistic, gay flight attendants (Javier Camara, Carlos Areces, and Raul Arevalo, like a bitchy three-headed dog of fabulousness) attempt to keep the business class passengers’ spirits high despite the morbid situation that needles them. The economy class passengers? They’ve been drugged to sleep, ignorant of the impending danger (Almodóvar’s take on the Spanish proletariat).

Now, back to the business class folks. They’re a pill-popping, sex-starved freak show of sleaze. Lola Dueñas, an Almodóvar alumnus, plays a perpetually grinning 40-year-old-virgin psychic who can “smell death” and enhances her “powers” by groping a pair of male genitalia like a forklift driver. The rest of the weirdos include an assassin, a whore queen, and young newlyweds who have sleepwalk-sex right in their seats. “Shhhh!” the young husband—afraid his wife will be jostled from her sleep-state—snips to the vocally curious Dueñas, who is sitting right by them, fascinated by their lovemaking. From her inexperienced sexual perspective, she sees the couple’s amorous display as an impromptu sex-ed class. “What is it?!” the husband snips, hilariously, in between moans. “Are you doing it from the front or the back?” inquires Dueñas. That’s Almodóvar for you. Bawdy moments like this are plentiful and infectiously funny.

The film’s title refers to its brilliantly camp, wildly choreographed dance number performed by the three flight attendants, set to the classic Pointer Sisters tune. The trio is so committed to their flamboyance and semi-synchronized dance moves that you’ll be dying to jump into the screen, grab a Valencia cocktail, and join in on the fun. It’s joyously sloppy Cabaret.

Theatricality is the name of the game here, as all of the scenes on the plane feel like a filmed stage play (in a good, kinetic way, though not terribly cinematic). Almodóvar feels like early ‘80s Almodóvar, the guy who directed outlandish shock-fests like Pepi, Luci, Bom… This is a good thing, but while the in-your-face crudeness of his early work is very much present and potent here, the dramatic beats—there are more than you’d expect—don’t leave a lasting impression. The scattered tender moments (however melodramatic) are constantly elbowed aside by the gags, which are tastier and easily digestible. Even the parabolic commentary on Spain (something Almodóvar spends much time on) is overshadowed by the raunchy, “Fuck you, you’re gonna love this shit” humor. There’s a love story mixed up in here somewhere, but all I can think about is the scene when Lola Dueñas rapes a guy (gasp)!

Has Almodóvar’s filthy comedic mind lost its edge during his extended respite? No—his edge is sharp, and he’s still fiendishly provocative, no question. He had me constantly shaking my head in disbelief at the dirty things he got me to laugh at. What keeps I’m So Excited from being one of his very best is that the narrative threads running throughout the film, while ambitious and well-acted, ultimately add very little to the overall experience. Though the film’s half-hearted narrative is underwhelming, the rowdy airborne shenanigans, bitch-fest dialog, and irresistible cast will grab you by the face and give you a big smooch you won’t soon forget.

First of all let’s get something straight, Extraterrestrial does not have any aliens in it. In fact, the only real science fiction in the film is used to keep the characters locked in an apartment from fear of alien invasion. From there the Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo turns the film into a dark romantic comedy that focuses on human relationships and human flaws.

Extraterrestrial begins with the lead character Julio (Julián Villagrán) waking up in an unfamiliar bed. He has no idea where he is but a bra on the floor lets him know that he got lucky after a night of heavy drinking. Soon he finds out that the apartment belongs to a beautiful woman named Julia (Michelle Jenner) as the two shared those awkward-next-morning moments that are typically accompanied by hangovers. With nearly identical names maybe Julio and Julia are meant to be?

As Julio is about to leave her place he notices that his cell phone has no coverage and asks her if he could use her cell phone. Sure enough, Julia’s cell phone lacks reception as well. Being without cell phone reception and internet access is pretty much a crisis in of itself in our modern world. Then he begins to notice how empty the streets are in the busy city, not even a single soul is walking about.

Using the oldest form of technology Julia owned, a radio, the two hear an emergency broadcast telling everyone to stay indoors. Julio glances out the window towards the sky to see a huge alien ship covering the city. Luckily, Julio is an industrial designer so he is able to estimate that the ship is probably around 4 miles wide. The two do what they are told and remain indoors. Being that Julio finds Julia attractive, he has no problem obeying the request.

As night falls Julia is getting tired so she goes to sleep in her room. It appears as if Julio is stuck on the couch in the living room which is an ironic turn of events from the previous night. It is funny how when they were both drunk and did not really know each other they were alright to sleep together but now it is completely opposite. Julio does not seem to mind much because he is not sleepy anyways.

Things begin to get real interesting the next morning and not because of any alien attacks. Julia’s boyfriend Carlos (Raul Cimas) returns home so the two make up a story that Julio blacked out and Julia brought him in to save him. Carlos is a fairly laid back kind of guy, accepts the story and insists that he stays for his own protection.

As if a love triangle was not enough drama for one apartment, the creepy stalker neighbor Angel (Carlos Areces) is invited over, turning it into a love square. I am not exactly sure what the reason is that Angel is invited over, since Carlos despises him because he knows he has a thing for Julia. Angel is an important player in this game though because he knows the secret Julio and Julia are keeping from Carols.

It sure sounds like a synopsis of a soap opera but Extraterrestrial is more of a dark romantic comedy than anything else. The science fiction elements disappeared as quickly as it entered and you start to see what the film is really about, the study of human relationships and how we react in critical and awkward situations. The film is also about how one lie has a snowball effect to more and more lies and lies within lies.

Vigalondo took what could have been a sci-fi heavy story and turned it into a rather simple yet entertaining film about human relationships. Not only that but Vigalondo got us to side with each of the characters in the film despite each one have their own flaws. I went into Extraterrestrial not knowing much about the film and it was completely not what I expected. I believe the film benefited a lot from that.