The Great Vazquez

Set in 1960s Barcelona,[1] the plot follows the vicissitudes of Vázquez, a cartoonist and wastrel whose rogue way of living is threatened by the arrival of a foe, Peláez, an accountant hellbent on setting things right in the publishing house.[2][3]

The film is a Distinto Films, Tornasol Films and Castafiore Films production, with the participation of TVE, TVC and Canal+ España.[7] Shooting locations included Barcelona and the Ciudad de la Luz studio in Alicante.[8][9]

The Great Vazquez was presented at the 58th San Sebastián International Film Festival in September 2010, screened as part of the festival's main competition.[10] It was theatrically released in Spain on 24 September 2010.[6]

In the view of Mark Adams, of ScreenDaily, the film constitutes "a delightful mixture of genial period comedy mixed with comic strip characters bouncing out of the screen".[5]

Carlos Marañón of Cinemanía gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, presenting it as a "Lopezvazquez-esque version of Catch Me If You Can full of city guards", considering that the imbrication of the setting with the lead character's spirit is so-so, while the supporting cast performs well.[11]

Sergi Sánchez of Fotogramas score 3 out of 5 stars, considering that the "faithful portrayal" of the working environment in Franco era and Santiago Segura's "spectacular performance", balancing "tenderness and cynicism", make the film a "pleasant surprise", while considering the animated segments to be "expendable".[12]

• List of Spanish films of 2010