Jul 9, 2020

Crossed Legs (1984)



(Original Title: Piernas cruzadas) A girl from a stifling puritanical home escapes to a hotel where a burlesque singer is also staying.  Trouble arises due to the fact that the two women look identical.



 Prudencia (Julissa) is the head of a pious judgmental women's group.

 During the meeting, Rosario (María José Cantudo), her daughter, freaks the fuck out.

 She cracks under the pressure of all this religiousness.

 At home, Rosario is courted by the bumbling Clemente Madrazo (Alberto Rojas).


 Clemente dares to touch Rosario's hand and all manner of alarms sound.

 Prudencia literally wears chastity chains to bed.

Due to her breakdown, Rosario is sent to a psychiatrist played by the great Hilda Aguirre.

Rosario's parents confront the shrink afterwards for telling Rosario to be more sexually open.

 Prudencia and her husband Lorenzo (Eduardo de la Peña) are shocked at Rosario's behavior.

Rosario tells them she's leaving.

 We meet feisty cabaret singer Lucerito Rioja (also played by María José Cantudo) and her manager Jeremías (Alfredo Landa)

 Her lover is Pepe (Rafael Inclán).

 Both Lucerito and Rosario check in to the Holiday Inn.  Uh-oh.

Rosario imagines herself as a sultry pop singer.


 Remember mild mannered shy-boy Clemente?  He's also at this hotel... and we see the real Clemente who is a sex-crazed monster, literally ripping the clothes off the maid and attacking her.

  
 Lucerito is taken by the police - mistaken for Rosario who is reported missing.

Jeremías doesn't realize this is not Lucerito.

 Rosario, going along with the mistaken identity, agrees to do the performance. 

She gets into it, and does an amazing job.


Lorenzo and Prudencia find that their daughter has changed quite a bit in this short time (not realizing this is actually Lucerito). 

Somehow, Lucerito is able to awaken the wild side of Prudencia, who now dresses different and tells the women's group to get fucked.


 She's definitely come a long way from the chastity chains.

 Lorenzo is beside himself.

Wow.  I must admit I wasn't expecting a full frontal nude scene from Julissa.  I mean, there's been basically no nudity whatsoever, and now "Ka-bam!"


 Rosario continues the charade as being Lucerito, and loves it - becoming more successful than Lucerito ever was.


Pepe (Rafael Inclán) comes to kill Clemente for taking his woman, not realizing, of course, the swapped identities.


This is a completely family-friendly PG affair (minus Julissa's out-of-nowhere full frontal nude scene).  So, it would have been nice to have amped-up the sleaze a few notches; but that's coming from a VZ1 perspective.  Aside from its very tame presentation, it was a pretty fun and well made film.  

Double Feature: For more twin "opposites" who collide, I recommend Twisted Sisters (2006); however, what would complement this film best is, without question, the great La Pretora (1976). 
★★★★☆

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