Bella
Starring: Eduardo Verástegui, Tammy Blanchard, Manny Perez, Ali Landry, Angélica AragónDirector: Alejandro Monteverde
Studio: Lions Gate
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release: May 6th 2008
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DVD Review
An international soccer star (Eduardo Verastegui) is on his way to sign a multimillion dollar contract when something happens that brings his career to an abrupt end. A beautiful waitress (Tammy Blanchard), struggling to make it in New York City, discovers something about herself that she's unprepared for. In one irreversible moment, their lives are turned upside down...until a simple gesture of kindness brings them both together, turning an ordinary day into an unforgettable experience.
User Reviews
Wanted to like it but.... - Rating: 1/5
I love the idea of this film but it kept reminding me of a bad Spike Lee movie but with one dimensional Hispanic people instead of the usual one dimensional Black people that Lee's early films had. There is only good, bad and the plot hinges on the confused, middle-gound, characters as they spend the movie picking a side, staying true to their identities and picking up their failed lives. That is pretty much it. Good characters are disheveled and pick up teddy bears and sign soccer balls, whiles bad ones are blond, tall skinny women who express blatant stereotypes out loud or are Alpha male want-to-be's that yell out orders in a kitchen. Simple and one dimensional.
Other problems I had was with the jerky, distracting cinematography. I understand the budget was low and filming time was brief, but that does not justify the constant pacing around of the camera. I.E. when two characters are talking in a car the camera cuts to a loud NYC traffic moment from the point of view of a tire or traffic light and cuts back to a close up of the characters face as the face is jerking around. I'm not sure if the director tried to capture the daily energy of the NYC, but as a life long NYC resident it did not work for me and only made me dizzy.
As a minority myself with similar heritage as the characters I wanted to like this movie but could only take so much of it after the first hour before I ejected the DVD.
Little Film With Large Ideas - Rating: 5/5
Reading most of the other reviews posted they seem to reitereate my feelings about "Bella". It's a celebration of everything that is good in this world. It's about personal redemption after great tragedy. It extolls the virtues of family. It glorifies the diverse ethnic fabric that makes our country great. And, yes, without a degree of heavy-handedness it persusively makes the case for the sanctity of human life in and out of the womb. At the time of it's theatrical release most of the critics dismissed the film but word of mouth made it a success for a small film of it's type. When it was in the theatres I tracked it against some of the big releases (i.e. cynical anti-American tripe) and it's grosses either came close or surpassed some of these self-important works. I think it demonstrates that even though there may be some pessimism in these dangerous times people don't want it reinforced but want to be reminded of the good things in this world. What impressed me, though, which wasn't mentioned in too many of the other reviews is the towering work of Eduardo Verastegui as Jose. Verastegui moral stoicism and piercing eyes fall in the classic movie star tradition. My understanding is that he is huge in Latin films and hopefully he can latch on in American films without compromising himself.
EXCELLENT!!!!!!! - Rating: 5/5
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT MOVIE ESPECIALLY FOR TODAYS TEENS STRUGGLING WITH TODAYS ISSUES OF MORALITY ...GOOD WAY FOR PARENTS TO GET A PRO LIFE MESSAGE OUT THERE WITHOUT HAVING TO LECTURE THE TEENS.
Bella - Rating: 5/5
This is one of the best movies I've watched in the past year. It is a great story about loving life and respecting it.
breath of fresh air - Rating: 5/5
story about redemption. unusual positive portrayal about latino characters, family, and what is truly important. this story has many layers, it is refreshing and much needed!!! shows adoption as another alternative and choice. the producer's true life stories add another dimension of how our actions can affect lives in a positive manner. i'll be sharing my dvds with friends and family!
