(to continue..)

Manny is going to die soon, and heaven needs his soul so Marina sent their best agent to pose as the battared wife who left him. her name is Lola, (as in from Copacobana, she is a star singer in heaven) played by Victoria Abril. Not to be outdone, Bernal ( i forgot his character's name!) sent his: Carmen, played by Penelope Cruz. Carmen was to pose as Manny's cousin whom he taught how to box.

So there it goes, Lola and Carmen trying to outdo each other to get what they want. Lola was a conventional, stick to the rule book girl, very demure, while Carmen was so wild, plays dirty, and loves women. Lola tried to convince Manny to make peace with his mother, and to stop boxing, as he might die from playing. This would at least prolong his life a ittle more until he reconciles with his mother, and his soul is saved. Carmen on the other hand, coerces him to play again, because if he dies now, his soul is theirs.

But there's a twist, at hell, a secret rebellion is going on against Bernal and his 'old-fashioned ways' (they want air-condtioning, Bernal said no) and in order to squash his detractors, or at least keep them i line, Manny's soul must go to heaven. so he instructed Carmen to help Lola. ang gulo no? =)

well, in the end, Lola and Carmen cooperated tp help Manny. Lola learned to get a little 'nasty' and Carmen well, im not sure about her. Lola and Carmen got into some trouble and Manny helped them, in so doing, he also saved his soul. in the end, all's well that ends well.

p.s.

there were a lot of other twists pa and i really enjoyed watching the movie. but here are some 'funny' observations i had. 1)French is the language in heaven, while English is the language in hell. the Spanish on earth was just a case in point. anyway, are they saying that english is bad? 2)god can't easily be defined. he wasn't shown in the movie, and only has vague references to him. only one thing is for sure, he is the future. 3) there must be a balance between good and evil. yin-yang. 4) women are on the good side (heaven), men are on the bad (hell). carmen isn't really a woman. while (s)he was still alive, he was the worst kind of man, manyak as in. as punishment when he got to hell, he was turned into a woman. 5) heaven's purpose is to reward the deserving, hell's purpose is to punish the wicked. 6)there is always a love story. Marina(Ardant) and Bernal used to have a thing for each other.. (Bernal said Ardant is still in his heart, if he had one). Lola and Carmen might have something goin on for them too.. Carmen was turned back into a man after being promoted. 7)ultimate sacrifice beats all odds. it's a sure ticket to heaven.