Disturbing yet enthralling

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This movie is horribly underrated. It's such a gorgeous piece of cinematography. It makes you cry without being over-dramatic, it makes you think without being preachy, it makes you laugh at the hilarious lines delivered so neatly by the young cast. It's not a movie about cancer or dying, it's about living. I've rarely seen a film so original, about 70% of this movie is memorable and you can still quote the lines months after. If you think "oh another movie with sick kids that you are supposed to pity" you are terribly wrong. Their grief and anger is awesomely crafted in the few moments where it appears. The jokes are very funny if you can understand some Spanish, but if you don't you may want to check this out as well cos it's one of the best I've seen. And I've seen some.

This movie is perfect. Everything is done so delicately, emotions are stirred into the movie in exact dose without any excess, and it left me with such good feeling. The director is such a genius. Each scene is meaningful, there is no such thing as a drag here. It's honest and realistic, funny and sad, inspiring not lecturing, it's such a blessing to chance upon this legend. Treat yourself to this movie and experience real film-making, not the usual Hollywood mumbo jumbo.It should win an Oscar, palm d'or, in fact every other prestigious award on the planet. It deserves 11 out of 10 ! Everybody should watch this true masterpiece to appreciate my comment.

I turned on TV the other night to find this playing(good old SBS, best TV channel in the world which also happens to be free-to-air). Seeing 3 or 4 bald young boys made me curious so I stood there watching a bit longer. It was a nice story but I watched to the end for two other reasons: The really nice shots of the action in the hospital corridors and those beautiful boy actors. Their enthusiasm really seems to lift the movie up a notch. Great casting and a great effort from those kids.Lacasito 01 mentioned that the English subtitles weren't up to scratch. I can only recommend that you find a copy of the version that I watched here in Australia. The slang and the swearing are translated into Aussie by the subtitlers on my favourite network. I sometimes get a bit of a shock when I sit down to watch a foreign movie and the characters are spouting lines that I could have heard down at the local pub. I think for non Australians though, that this might add just the flavour of foreigness that you need in the dialogue of a foreign-language film.

This is an excellent movie. It has a fine balance between humor and drama, portraying the main characters as normal teenage boys- who also happen to suffer from cancer. Don't let this stop you from watching it, though! The subject is very tactfully dealt with and it is all quite funny, and at times it can also touch your heart. My favorite scene, for example, is a sweet conversation between Miguel Angel and a boy. The little boy asks if a shark ate Miguel Angel's leg, and then recomends him to eat spinach, saying that this will make his leg grow. This little boy may be three or four years old but he got the part down perfect. So I definitely recommend it to anyone who is skeptical about watching it because it is in Spanish. There are subtitles in English- not capturing the essence of the movie as well as could be, but passable. It contains great scenes and very great actors (like hot Juan José Ballesta). It is one of my favorite movies of all times.