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Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

Play trailer Poster for Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! NC-17 Released May 4, 1990 1h 45m Mystery & Thriller Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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69% Tomatometer 32 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Newly released from a mental institution, Ricky (Antonio Banderas) heads straight for a reunion with the love of his life, B-movie actress Marina (Victoria Abril). The trouble is, Marina doesn't remember him -- or the fling they had during her years as a junkie and porn star. Determined to make Marina love him, Ricky barges into her apartment and ties her up. With a captive audience, Ricky is sure it's only a matter of time before his beloved returns his affections.
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Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

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Critics Consensus

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! undermines its own effectiveness with an excess of camp, but writer-director Pedro Almodóvar and an attractive cast make it all worth watching.

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Critics Reviews

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Keith Phipps The Dissolve Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! comes from a transitional phase in Almodvar's career, one in which he was using bigger budgets to hone his aesthetic, create characters with greater depth, but still indulge a punkish urge to shock. Rated: 3/5 Aug 26, 2014 Full Review Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness An off-kilter - and off-putting - mix of humor, sex, and Stockholm Syndrome obsession. Rated: C+ May 4, 2005 Full Review Austin Chronicle Psychodrama and dark humor flow freely from this setup. Oct 1, 2003 Full Review Terry Francis Southern Voice (Atlanta) Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is about the nature of romantic obsession, and it's the most subdued Almodóvar film I know. Yet the effrontery is there. It lies in the ironic tenderness with which Almodóvar handles his themes. Rated: 4/4 May 9, 2023 Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) A superior film with excellent performances. [Full review in Spanish] Nov 18, 2022 Full Review PJ Nabarro Patrick Nabarro This film hasn't aged at all well and really does, in light of #metoo, look like an unfortunate anomaly in the otherwise compassionate and humane filmography of Almodóvar. Rated: 1/5 Jul 1, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/29/24 Full Review dave s It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what Pedro Almodovar's Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is all about. Stockholm Syndrome, perhaps? Maybe the fact that all relationships have a degree of possessiveness? Or maybe just an off-center romantic comedy? Hmmm. After being released from a mental hospital, Ricky (Antonio Banderas) abducts the love of his life, Marina (Victoria Abril), an actress he had a one-night stand with the previous year, with the intent of making her love him. Despite being extremely well-made (great performances, wildly colorful, intriguing but disturbing story), the whole thing feels ugly as Marina is beaten, held against her will, and tied to the bed repeatedly throughout the film. The film may have worked better if the comedy had been removed and been handled like a thriller, or if the violence had been removed and the movie handled in some way like a comedy. As it, though, it all just feels really uncomfortable. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review слободан е A nice film. Not too serious though. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A crazy horror romcom. What to make of it? There are moments of genuine horror, genuine tenderness and genuine comedy, but combining them in the central relationship is hugely problematic, and ultimately it just doesn't work. Still worth the watch, even only for the luscious Morricone score. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member Beautiful shots, radiant colors, great performances and an insane screenplay. Almodovar tells a mad love story in an eccentric way. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member A well made movie which ask the viewer to get rid of logic in order to get through it Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Pedro Almodóvar

Director

Victoria Abril

Marina Osorio

Antonio Banderas

Ricky

Lolas León

Lola

Francisco Rabal

Máximo Espejo

Julieta Serrano

Alma

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Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

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Movie Info

Synopsis Newly released from a mental institution, Ricky (Antonio Banderas) heads straight for a reunion with the love of his life, B-movie actress Marina (Victoria Abril). The trouble is, Marina doesn't remember him -- or the fling they had during her years as a junkie and porn star. Determined to make Marina love him, Ricky barges into her apartment and ties her up. With a captive audience, Ricky is sure it's only a matter of time before his beloved returns his affections.
Director
Pedro Almodóvar
Producer
Enrique Posner
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
El Deseo S.A.
Rating
NC-17
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Comedy
Original Language
European Spanish
Release Date (Theaters)
May 4, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 11, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.3M
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Surround
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