Casual Day is a 2007 Spanish dark workplace comedy film directed by Max Lemcke. The ensemble cast features Juan Diego, Luis Tosar, Estíbaliz Gabilondo, Arturo Valls, Alberto San Juan, Malena Alterio, Álex Angulo, Carlos Kaniowsky, Secun de la Rosa, Marta Etura and Mikel Losada.

Casual Day
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMax Lemcke
Written by
  • Pablo Remón
  • Daniel Remón
Produced by
  • Iker Monfort
  • Álvaro Augustin
Starring
CinematographyJavier Palacios
Music byPierre Omer
Production
companies
Release dates
  • September 2007 (2007-09) (San Sebastián)
  • 9 May 2008 (2008-05-09) (Spain)
CountrySpain
LanguageSpanish

Plot edit

Ruy is a young man who has always had it easy. But José Antonio, the father of his girlfriend Inés, gets him a job promotion in the company as José Antonio wants to groom Ruy as his successor, even if Ruy actually wants to dump Inés, so he finds himself cornered.

Cast edit

Production edit

The screenplay was penned by Pablo and Daniel Remón.[3] A Monfort Producciones, Telecinco Cinema and Videntia Frames production,[4] the film was shot in between Madrid and Amasa (Gipuzkoa).[3] Shooting wrapped in 2006.[3]

Release edit

The film premiered at the San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2007.[5] It also screened at the Gothenburg Film Festival, the Miami Film Festival and the Málaga Spanish Film Festival.[5][2] It was theatrically released in Spain on 9 May 2008.[4]

Reception edit

Reviewing for Fotogramas, Mirito Torreiro rated Casual Day with 4 out of 5 stars, drawing out the entire cast, "without exception", to be the best thing about the film, assessing it to be "a stimulating opera prima that sheds light on the real situation of labour relations".[6]

Javier Ocaña of El País deemed the film to be a "choral portrait of private and public contempt as stark as it is humorous, performed by a magnificent group of comedians", "written with precision, simplicity and an extremely dark sense of humour".[7]

Accolades edit

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2009 64th CEC Medals Best Film Won [8]
Best Director Max Lemcke Won
Best Actor Juan Diego Won
Best Supporting Actor Luis Tosar Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Estíbaliz Gabilondo Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Daniel Remón, Pablo Remón Won
Best Newcomer Max Lemcke Nominated

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Juan Diego, Luis Tosar, Alberto San Juan, Marta Etura y Javier Ríos protagonizan la "comedia ácida" 'Casual Day'". Europa Press. 7 May 2008.
  2. ^ a b "'Casual day', de Max Lencke, muestra las relaciones de poder en la empresa". Diario Sur. 4 April 2008.
  3. ^ a b c "Concluye en Madrid el rodaje de 'Casual Day', una comedia sobre las rivalidades laborales". El Mundo.
  4. ^ a b "Películas españolas estrenadas" (PDF). Academia (151). Madrid: Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España: 25. December 2008. ISSN 1136-8144.
  5. ^ a b "El Festival de Miami acoge con entusiasmo película española "Casual Day"". Diario de Mallorca. 4 March 2008.
  6. ^ Torreiro, Mirito (24 June 2008). "Casual Day". Fotogramas.
  7. ^ Ocaña, Javier (9 May 2008). "Humillación laboral". El País.
  8. ^ "Medallas del CEC a la producción española de 2008". Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2022.