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MOVIE
REVIEW: BELLA
10/25/07
Bella in Spanish
means beauty or beautiful and this movie surely is. Both
Writer/Director Alejandro Gomez Monteverde and leading man
Eduardo Verastegui were eager to bring a decent, powerful
and meaningful movie that not only has a positive message
but also portrays Hispanics in a more realistic light. They
succeeded. It is a simple movie with a strong story based on
true events combined with good acting. The fundamental theme
of this picture can be summed up by its opening line given
by Jose (Eduardo): “My grandmother used to say, You want to
make God laugh? Tell him your plans.” In the real world,
your life can change completely in an instant. Many times,
those changes involve a lot of pain and suffering, and
whatever your plans were are completely out the window. This
movie tells the story of a few such cases.
The backdrop for this film could not be more appropriate. It
is the city of a million stories, New York. In the hustle
and bustle of New York life, this story purposely highlights
the fact that human virtues such as hospitality, family
ties, caring and true friendship can still be found. Jose is
a star soccer player on his way to sign a contract with a
professional team. He is larger than life and without a care
in the world. In an instant, his plans were changed and he
ends up being the head chef of his brother’s restaurant in
the city. There is where he meets Nina (Tammy Blanchard),
one of the waitresses. She has a life changing problem of
her own to deal with. Still tormented by his own life
changing event, Jose unselfishly steps in like a true friend
to help Nina get through her situation. This move in turn
not only helps Nina, it indirectly ends up helping Jose as
well.
The characters in this film represent a typical slice of
people trying to survive their lives in the Big Apple. They
are approachable people that we can relate to and connect
with. They are the people we run into everyday but don’t
know it. What makes some of these characters extra special
is how being hospitable, helpful, and caring comes as second
nature to them. Another major theme in this movie is the
importance of people helping people and being that friend
that truly cares. The amazing thing is that we are all
capable of filling such a tall order. The cast of performers
have done a wonderful job bringing that theme to life on the
big screen. It is most evident in Eduardo’s and Tammy’s
performances. Tammy nails the role of Nina, the struggling
waitress trying to make ends meet on her own. She looks and
sounds like a genuine New Yorker too. Eduardo was impressive
as Jose going from superstar to humbled human being but all
the while remaining a decent, noble man. How these two
intertwine is the making of a special story. It might not
necessarily be unique, but it is a powerful story worth
telling. We as a society need to see more movies of this
caliber to keep us in check. Heck, even the dialogue was
relatively clean given the down-to-earth, realistic nature
of the film. The cinematography also helped with the cause.
It was cozy and comfortable. It made you feel right at home.
I see a promising future for Director Alejandro Monteverde.
He really got the message across in this humble production.
Hispanics are not drug dealers or criminals by default, and
people’s lives can change drastically at turn of a corner so
we should not take our lives for granted and be a little
more caring towards others. The decisions we make help bring
about these life changing events. I recommend you decide to
see this movie for it might change your life.
Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
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People Movie Review
Bella
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Architectlink |
100 |
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I agree it is a great
movie to see...my friend said her
husband cried through the whole movie.
For anyone who HAS seen
it, can you please find any varification
of the true story it is supposed to be
written about? There are many comments
saying it is true story, but I cannot
find out any info about the facts behind
the movie.
They are going to need to know the facts
of the true story if the movie continues
to win awards...or the media will skewer
them for saying it is a true story. |
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Director: Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
Writer: Alejandro Gomez Monteverde,
Patrick Million
Leo Severino
Genre: Drama
Duration: 1hr 31mins
Staring: Eduardo Verástegui
Tammy Blanchard
Manny Perez
Ali Landry
Angélica Aragón
Jaime Tirelli
Ramon Rodriguez
Producer: Jason
Jones
Alejandro Gomez Monteverde
Denise Pinckley
Leo Severino
Eduardo Verástegui
Sean Wolfington
Distributor: Roadside
Attractions
Rating:
PG-13 for thematic elements and
brief disturbing images.
Release Date: October 26, 2007
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