Ask the Dust

A relatively smart and undemanding romance, whose first half is pleasantly light, full of humour and creativity, followed by a second half that is typically clichéd and overly melodramatic. However, both Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek deliver truly outstanding performances, and above all their scenes together are incredibly powerful. The depiction of 1930s Los Angeles is also nice. Despite its relatively small budget, the film can boast solid production design and beautifully detailed sets. Ask The Dust doesn't offer anything groundbreaking, but that doesn't matter, because even the old is sufficiently impressive to captivate the viewer. (08.06.2006)

I'm beginning to have a feeling that whenever Salma Hayek is involved, it is never about a great work. "Ask the Dust" has the potential to be a fairly good film, but it didn't turn out that way. The story takes place in the 1930s and focuses on a young writer named Arturo Bandini. He has written a somewhat successful book and is trying to create another one in Los Angeles. Unsuccessfully. He feels like he can't handle anything anymore, everything he writes is nonsense. But then he meets a woman. She is Mexican, energetic, annoying, and beautiful. Of course, he falls in love with her, of course, she becomes his muse. He is also annoying and mean to her, but they end up together. Despite being based on a bestseller, the film didn't make much out of it. In the end, it's just an ordinary romantic story that drags on. The actors are not bad, but they don't grow on you. Salma Hayek plays her usual standard role, which includes nudity, which is quite unexpected here and is actually the only deviation from the classic American romantic film. The depiction of the 1930s environment stands out and is portrayed really well. However, I can't say anything significantly positive about the film. It's a shame because it started off well. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/10/prach-uspesna-pokracovani-animaku.html (01.03.2013)