Bella
by Alejandro Monteverde
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ali Landry, Ang?lica Arag?n, Eduardo Ver?stegui, Manny Perez, Tammy BlanchardDirector: Alejandro Monteverde
Brand: BELLA (DVD MOVIE)
Cinematographer: Andrew Cadelago
Composer: Stephan Altman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-06
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Lions Gate
Movie Reviews of Bella
Movie Review: Sweet in a sentimental sort of way, but with a big gaping hole towards the end...
Summary: 2 Stars
Bella is supposed to be a heartwarming film about love, redemption and family. A chef, and former soccer star, Jose, makes a fateful decision to follow a waitress who has just been fired from his brother's restaurant, changing both of their lives forever. Although the reason he follows her is never made clear, eventually you figure out that he is looking for a way to redeem himself for a tragedy that has ruined his life.
The film's message is fairly clear--love of family wins in the end--but how it gets there is a mystery. One minute, Jose and Nina are sitting on the beach getting to know one another, the next minute it's years later and everything has worked out just fine. How was the fundamental crisis resolved? Shouldn't we have seen the drama? The neat, and entirely too pat, ending seemed like it was pulled out of thin air.
Jose's family was also pulled out of thin air. The mother is Latina (Mexican)and a fluent speaker of English. The father is a non-English speaking Puerto Rican. Two of the sons speak English fluently, while the third, Jose, has a heavy accent. So, where were the kids raised? If in the States, then all three would be fluent. If in Mexico, then all three would have a Spanish accent. I have the feeling that the producers thought, "Hah! Dumb gringos! They'll never know the difference!" (And, while we're on the subject of dumb gringos, why does a Mexican soccer star have an Argentinian agent? Mexicans are entirely too nationalistic for that kind of shenanigan.)
The "Watch me pull rabbit out of my hat!" character of this film is no doubt due to the fact the Verastegui, a devout Catholic, is on a one-man mission to "save" Hollywood. He had originally volunteered to do missionary work in the jungles of Brazil (why is it always Brazil?), but then decided that Hollywood, that hotbed of sin, was more of a challenge. The fact that this film was basically propaganda, in the original sense of the word (to propagate the faith), accounts for why the acting was so bad, the script so minimal, and the plot so contrived. But I will say that if the gorgeous, intense and thoroughly sexy Verastegui ever does manage to produce a good movie, then get in line, because there will probably be a rush to the confessional.
Summary of Bella
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.Life is a complicated journey in which right and wrong are sometimes indistinct and where the things that really matter are often unclear. Bella is a powerful, leisurely-paced film in which Jose (Eduardo Verastegui) and Nina (Tammy Blanchard) struggle to do what's right while seeking meaning in their lives. A quiet, brooding man with a dark past, Jose works as a chef in his brother Manny's (Manny Perez) restaurant where he mostly keeps to himself until young waitress Nina is fired. Touched by Manny's unfair treatment of Nina, Jose impulsively leaves work to follow Nina and spends a day with her where he discovers that she is pregnant and alone. The two become incredibly close in the space of a day, sharing their pasts, feelings, and fears, and a lasting friendship is born. As Nina struggles with her pregnancy options and Jose comes to terms with a horrific incident from his past, the pair's newfound friendship aids in growth and healing. In the end, Jose and Nina's lives become permanently intertwined in a most beautiful and unexpected way. Bella is a moving, introspective film that will inspire serious personal reflection. --Tami Horiuchi
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