Set from 1967 to 1980, the plot follows the onstage beginnings of Eugenio Jofra, a jeweller from Barcelona, as well as his relationship with love interest Conchita, whom he begins to perform in a musical duo, 'Els Dos'. Eugenio ends up improvising solo stand-up comedy shows upon Conchita's sudden absence.[5][6][3][7]
The screenplay was penned by Albert Espinosa based on the books Eugenio and Saben aquell que diu by Gerard Jofra, Eugenio's son. The film is an Ikiru Films, Atresmedia Cine and La Terraza Films production, and it had the participation of Atresmedia, Movistar+, and HBO Max and backing from ICEC and TVC.[6] Trueba advised Verdaguer not to obsess about impersonating Eugenio, telling Verdaguer that he was not [popular impersonator] Carlos Latre, but primarily about getting the hang of [Eugenio's] energy.[11] Verdaguer used nonetheless a prosthetic nose and a prosthetic ass.[12] Carolina Yuste worked for three months with a diction coach to improve her Catalan-language skills.[13] Shooting locations included Barcelona.[14] The film was lensed by Sergi Vilanova and featured the music of Andrea Motis.[15]
According to the American review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, Jokes & Cigarettes has a 100% approval rating based on 7 reviews from critics, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[17]
Raquel Hernández Luján of HobbyConsolas rated the film with 85 points ('very good'), highlighting the screenplay, the setting, and a "masterful" Carolina Yuste.[10]
J. Picatoste Verdejo of Mondo Sonoro rated the film with 7 out of 10 points, describing it as "a film far from sensationalism, warm and romantic".[18]
Blai Morell of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, highlighting the Verdaguer/Yuste duo as the best thing about the film.[7]
Rubén Romero Santos of Cinemanía rated the film 3½ out of 5 stars, predicting Verdaguer as the foregone Goya Award winner for his performance in his verdict.[19]
Top ten lists
The film appeared on a number of critics' top ten lists of the best Spanish films of 2023:
