Selena - Ein amerikanischer Traum

Not expecting to enjoy this movie, I was very pleasantly surprised. Jennifer Lopez, Edward Olmos and the rest of the ensemble cast do a marvelous job in bringing the close-knit Quintanilla family to life. The screenwriters and director skillfully lead the viewer from the father's failed attempts at rock 'n roll in the early 60s through Selena's childhood and her eventual rocket to the top of the Tejano music charts as a young woman. Thankfully her murder is not addressed as a major plot item, its almost irrelevant. And the concert scenes are fantastic. Its Selena's voice and Lopez does an incredible job. Definitely worth a rental regardless of your musical tastes.

'Selena' tells the fascinating story of the late Selena Quintanilla, the first famous female tejano singer. In her short life, with the support of her parents and husband, the vivacious young Selena lived the dream of every girl. Nava does a fine job of telling the story. He shows us how happy Selena was with her life (even though there were ups and downs) and she lived it to the fullest. In her short 23 years she achieved what would take a lifetime for some. This was a life that wasn't a waste because Selena knew hot to live life.

But the best thing about 'Selena' is Jennifer Lopez. Those were the days when Lopez acted her heart out on screen as has also been apparent in 'Out of Sight' and 'Blood and Wine'. Not only that, but Lopez looks stunning. Many prefer the way she looks today but in 'Selena' there's an innocence and honesty about her beauty and this coupled with her natural and spirited performance is a delight to watch. The supporting cast that includes Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda and Constance Marie are all very good too.

I loved the way the soundtrack was used in the film and it brings a lot of energy to the story. The cinematography is quite good but I did not like the 3 split screen.

Even though we know the tragic fate of Selena, this film reminds us that it's more important to live a big life than a long life. Make full use of what you have and take your chance. That's what Selena did. She was loved by her friends and family and won the hearts of millions. Strongly recommended.

Jennifer Lopez proved that she was a high-class actress with this true story of the Tejano Superstar whose life was cut short by a disgruntled employee. Lopez shines and Edward James Olmos is super (as usual) as her tough-nosed father. The rest of the cast is adequate, but the show is shared between Lopez and Olmos. The screenplay is a little sappy, but fine overall. Director Gregory Nava is always focused and this keeps the film interesting throughout. A fine film all the way. 4 stars out of 5.

I remember seeing this film when it came out in theaters; needless to say, it has significant nostalgic value for me. Still, now that I'm older, I can take my rose colored glasses off and see it for what it realistically is. It has its flaws, it can be a bit corny in some scenes, but this was a late 90's film after all. The acting is great, all these actors/actresses really took the time to study the people they were portraying. Olmos is a convincing Abraham, the actor playing A.B. doesn't get much screen time considering he played a big part in Selena's career (writing the songs & producing) but when he does come out, he's very good. The actor playing Chris is great as well, got his shy mannerisms down.

I can honestly say, this is a movie that J.Lo does well in. Remember this film is the one that boosted her to stardom. See in this film she's playing Selena, she had to do Selena's mannerisms and act out Selena's personality as best as she could. She succeeds, if she didn't, she wouldn't be the woman you know her as now. It's true when they say that J.Lo needs to be grateful to Selena for her career. Why did J.Lo shine in this role ? Because she wasn't playing herself (like she does in 90% of her other, cheesy films) she had to play someone else and had to do it properly. She's a convincing Selena, even does her laugh really well, so it's hard to imagine anyone else do the role but I'm looking forward for the Netflix series nonetheless.

One thing that slightly disturbed me as I got older is how the family was so quick to releasing a biopic of their daughter, she had just passed away in 1995. The film has that rushed feeling to it (pacing is one of the flaws in this film) and it makes you wonder why the Quintanillas were so bent on having their version of things told and their version alone. I don't know you guys, I love Selena, but her family seems a bit shady sometimes.

If another film is made about Selena, I hope it's based off Chris' book and the Quintanillas don't block it from happening, again.

What a lovely biopic. I had barely heard of Selena when she was killed, and I'm no fan of Tejano music. But this picture was a wonderful tribute to the young talent. The movie is a celebration of her life, rather than fixating on her death, as one would expect with her family so involved (controlling) with the film. This approach also just felt right. I'm sure that Hollywood, if it had had its way, would have sensationalized this aspect to the max. I don't know how much of the film is factual, and how much is apocryphal. A local reviewer wrote that a true biography of Selena would have to wait a few years, and be done without a Quintanilla looking over both shoulders.

All I can do is rave about Jennifer Lopez. Her beauty, her talent, her sheer magnetism flows right out of the screen. She was amazing. Since her biography subject died so young, she was able to avoid the problems, inherent in the genre, of trying to age the actress to match the aging of the subject. Constance Marie, who I'm not familiar with, was quite good as Selena's mother, although she did have to deal with the question of appearing to age 15 years. Every cast member seemed right for their part, and everyone did very well. The film seemed well-directed, in that I never thought about the director at any time during the film.

Overall, the movie was very sweet, with obvious tragic overtones. Highly recommended.