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Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

Play trailer Poster for Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! NC-17 1990 1h 45m Mystery & Thriller Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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70% Tomatometer 30 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Newly released from a mental institution, Ricky (Antonio Banderas) heads straight for a reunion with the love of his life, B-movie actress Marina (Victoria Abril). The trouble is, Marina doesn't remember him -- or the fling they had during her years as a junkie and porn star. Determined to make Marina love him, Ricky barges into her apartment and ties her up. With a captive audience, Ricky is sure it's only a matter of time before his beloved returns his affections.
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Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

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Critics Consensus

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! undermines its own effectiveness with an excess of camp, but writer-director Pedro Almodóvar and an attractive cast make it all worth watching.

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Critics Reviews

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Keith Phipps The Dissolve Aug 26, 2014
3/5
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! comes from a transitional phase in Almodvar's career, one in which he was using bigger budgets to hone his aesthetic, create characters with greater depth, but still indulge a punkish urge to shock. Go to Full Review Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness May 4, 2005
C+
An off-kilter - and off-putting - mix of humor, sex, and Stockholm Syndrome obsession. Go to Full Review Vincent Canby New York Times May 20, 2003
2.5/5
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. Go to Full Review Terry Francis Southern Voice (Atlanta) May 9, 2023
4/4
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is about the nature of romantic obsession, and it's the most subdued Almodóvar film I know. Yet the effrontery is there. It lies in the ironic tenderness with which Almodóvar handles his themes. Go to Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Nov 18, 2022
A superior film with excellent performances. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review PJ Nabarro Patrick Nabarro Jul 1, 2020
1/5
This film hasn't aged at all well and really does, in light of #metoo, look like an unfortunate anomaly in the otherwise compassionate and humane filmography of Almodóvar. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C @bob25009 Mar 16, 2026 Ages 18 and older only. See more Raymond G. @AmonRay Jan 15, 2026 Fun, sexy, campy… pure Almodovar! See more Stephen C @dogfood23111 Dec 29, 2024 LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more dave s @RT68722908 Oct 20, 2022 It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what Pedro Almodovar's Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is all about. Stockholm Syndrome, perhaps? Maybe the fact that all relationships have a degree of possessiveness? Or maybe just an off-center romantic comedy? Hmmm. After being released from a mental hospital, Ricky (Antonio Banderas) abducts the love of his life, Marina (Victoria Abril), an actress he had a one-night stand with the previous year, with the intent of making her love him. Despite being extremely well-made (great performances, wildly colorful, intriguing but disturbing story), the whole thing feels ugly as Marina is beaten, held against her will, and tied to the bed repeatedly throughout the film. The film may have worked better if the comedy had been removed and been handled like a thriller, or if the violence had been removed and the movie handled in some way like a comedy. As it, though, it all just feels really uncomfortable. See more Jul 21, 2020 A crazy horror romcom. What to make of it? There are moments of genuine horror, genuine tenderness and genuine comedy, but combining them in the central relationship is hugely problematic, and ultimately it just doesn't work. Still worth the watch, even only for the luscious Morricone score. See more Apr 3, 2020 Beautiful shots, radiant colors, great performances and an insane screenplay. Almodovar tells a mad love story in an eccentric way. See more Read all reviews
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

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Cast & Crew

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Pedro Almodóvar

Director

Victoria Abril

Marina Osorio

Antonio Banderas

Ricky

Lolas León

Lola

Francisco Rabal

Máximo Espejo

Julieta Serrano

Alma

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Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990) Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990) Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Newly released from a mental institution, Ricky (Antonio Banderas) heads straight for a reunion with the love of his life, B-movie actress Marina (Victoria Abril). The trouble is, Marina doesn't remember him -- or the fling they had during her years as a junkie and porn star. Determined to make Marina love him, Ricky barges into her apartment and ties her up. With a captive audience, Ricky is sure it's only a matter of time before his beloved returns his affections.
Director
Pedro Almodóvar
Producer
Enrique Posner
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
El Deseo S.A.
Rating
NC-17
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Comedy
Original Language
European Spanish
Release Date (Theaters)
May 4, 1990, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 11, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.3M
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Surround
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