Átame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Victoria Abril, Antonio Banderas, Loles Leon, Julieta Serrano, Francisco Rabal ... see more see more... , Rossy de Palma , María Barranco , Lola Cardona , Montse G. Romeu , Emiliano Redondo , Angelina Llongueras , Manuel Bandera , Agustin Almodovar , Rodolfo Montero de Palacio , Carlos Garcia Cambero , Miguel Garcia

"I'll never love you . . . ever!" the sexy and attractive Marina (Victoria Abril) states emphatically to the love-struck Ricky (Antonio Banderas). You know she means what she says because when she mak... read more read more...es this statement she is handcuffed and lashed to a bed, not exactly the proper way to warm anyone up for romance. Yet in Pedro Almodovar's Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! the way to a woman's heart is depicted as being held in captivity until the Stockholm Syndrome kicks in. The film concerns the plight of Marina, a "B"-movie diva trying to adjust to her recent success after years of porno films and drug addiction. But then into her life comes Ricky, a part-time handyman and full-time mental patient, who, during one of his past escapes from the mental ward, had spent the night with Marina -- who gave in to him during one of her less-discerning moments. Since then, Ricky has been thinking of her constantly. Determined to win her affections, he kidnaps Marina, holding her captive in her own apartment and trying everything to convince her to love him -- then they could marry and have a big family. All Ricky's attempts to woo Marina fail. Finally, after taking a severe beating from some street thugs, he strikes a chord in Marina's nurturing heart so that when her sister Lola (Loles Leon) finally discovers her plight, Marina no longer wants to be rescued. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Flixster Users

78% liked it

16,170 ratings

Critics

74% liked it

23 critics

NC-17, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar

Release Date: January 22, 1990

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: December 12, 2000

 

Stats: 615 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

¡Átame! Marina and Ricky Marina and Ricky Marina and Ricky Victoria Abril Átame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) Tie Me Up
Upload a Photo | View All Átame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (615)

  • flixsterman
    April 7, 2012
    flixsterman
    Wow! Almodovar is a master at finding humor and romance in the most unlikely places.
  • bookmunki
    January 16, 2012
    bookmunki
    My kind of love story...
  • Saxia
    February 25, 2011
    Saxia
    I can honestly say that Almodóvar is starting to become one of my favorite directors. His movies are so fresh and unconventional!

    Átame! is a joy to watch. Victoria Abril and a very young Antonio Banderas have a chemistry which comes together in one of the best lovemaking scenes... read more I've seen in a long time!

    Victoria Abril's eyes are mesmerizing. When she's introduced in those first scenes she looks plain and dull, but when she starts acting (in the movie she stars in a movie) she will sweep you off your feet!
  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    I love Almodovar's style of film making. Great story with some really funny and quirky scenes. I love the scenes of the film they are making within this film too, I almost want Almodovar to make it for real!
  • 76Majikat
    February 11, 2009
    76Majikat
    Like many of Almodovar?s work, the beauty is always found in the most unusual circumstances. Just like Penelope Cruz, we see a very different side of Antonio Banderas than the Hollywood Actor we all know him to be.

    A compelling watch with an enjoyable plot.
  • RCCLBC
    March 14, 2008
    RCCLBC
    A little dark, a little twisted, totally Almadovar.

    You'll laugh (even though you think you shouldn't).

    You'll feel slightly aroused (even though you think you shouldn't).

    You'll feel an odd sense of familiarity with these 'crazy people' (even though you hate to admit it... read more).

    That's the beauty of Almadovar.
  • danieljparsons
    July 8, 2007
    danieljparsons
    Almodóvar's usual skill at deftly juggling many shifts in tone is not in evidence here in this rather scattershot and awkward mixture of comedy, drama, romance and sex. It's a little too subversive to work as slapstick and too light in tone to work as a dark comedy, but is not wi... read morethout its pleasures.

    Antonio Banderas stars as Ricky, a discharged mental patient who kidnaps a former drug addict and porn star now trying to make it big as a struggling actress; his reasoning is that if she only gets to know him she will start to fall in love with him.

    Enlivened by three fantastic performances from Victoria Abril, Loles Leon and the usually ham-fisted Antonio Banderas and an interesting story, this well liked film is no masterpiece but worth checking out if like me you're a fan of Pedro Almodóvar.
  • wbgoose13
    December 30, 2006
    wbgoose13
    A modest, but effective rom-com between hostage and captor.
  • Lemure
    May 9, 2012
    Lemure
    A dark - yet colourful - love story by way of Stockholm syndrome. And my first Almodovar. Want more.
  • InaHH
    June 2, 2009
    InaHH
    Not Almodovar's best film - but still interesting & entertaining enough to be worth checking out. The performances by Victoria Abril and Antonio Banderas and the chemistry save an otherwise rather contrived plot that struggles between drama and comedy. Almodovar's visual narrativ... read moree works well, as always, but the movie as a whole seems rather disjointed.

View All Átame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Mr. Almodovar's comic invention runs out too soon, leaving the audience to giggle weakly in anticipation of the big laughs and disorienting shocks that never arrive. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

A writer-director driven by his passion, Almodovar allows his movies to moan and sweat and writhe. Sex looks like sex, not pornographic but messy and warm. The curtains do not billow, the sheets burn. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Almodovar's polarities are so perfectly lined up in opposition to my own that it is quite possible for one of his movies to shoot right through my brain without striking a single cell. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 17, 2011
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Though this controversial film about romantic, sado-masochistic love in the hetero world is weak and ultimately disappointing, it's still worth seeing for understanding Almodovar's evolution. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
May 26, 2006
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

One of those movies that makes you laugh if you sit back and absorb the entire absurd situation at once. Full Review

Rob Thomas
April 21, 2006
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)

Typically nutty and passionate Almodovar

Nick Schager
May 4, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

An off-kilter - and off-putting - mix of humor, sex, and Stockholm Syndrome obsession. Full Review

October 1, 2003
Austin Chronicle

Psychodrama and dark humor flow freely from this setup. Full Review

James Sanford
August 5, 2003
James Sanford, James Sanford on Film

Perhaps its greatest truth comes from two of its characters watching a movie in production: one notes that the film is more a love story than a horror story. Replies the movie's director, 'Sometimes t... Full Review

Richard Natale
January 9, 2002
Richard Natale, Movieline

If you've never seen an Almodovar film before, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! would be a good place to start because it contains many of the virtues of his best films... Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Matador
    Matador (100%)
  • Volver
    Volver (62%)
  • Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown)
    Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios (Wom... (100%)
  • Ages of Lulu
    Ages of Lulu (100%)

More Movies like Átame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!)

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Ricki: I had to kidnap you so you'd get to know me. I'm sure you'll get to love me as I love you.
    • Ricki: If you're untied, will you escape?
    • Marina Osorio: I don't know. You'd better tie me up.
Submit a Fact | View All

Átame! (Tie Me Up... : Watch Free on TV

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Átame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Átame! (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?