Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz bring laughs to Venice with ‘Official Competition’

The movie is about the pre-production of a film and the exaggerated rituals, tics and exercises that the director and actors go through to prepare for their roles

Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz brought some laughs to the Venice Film Festival on Saturday with a comedy that skewers their own craft, and apparently was as funny to make as it was to watch. . Audiences chuckled throughout “Official Competition,” by Argentine directors Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn, bringing some levity to the world's oldest film festival that is still vying with the coronavirus pandemic. The film is in the main competition at Venice, which ends Sept. 11.