The Maldonado Miracle

Considering it was Ms. Hayek's first film, it is a remarkable achievement. "The Maldonado Miracle" is a film of rare, quiet beauty; one that touched and moved me without resorting to sentimentality. It touches on the subject of faith, love and grace in a simple way: showing us that the sacred is in the everyday and that hope creates it's own little miracles.

Bravo, Ms. Hayek! I for one hope you keep directing and producing. Your work, along with others in the independent film community, shows the promise of a new era of cinema: one in which substance triumphs, if for a brief moment, over style.

It was a pleasant surprise to see this charming little film directed with a lot of love by Salma Hayek. She has learned her craft well by just looking from the other side of the camera.

It is a very simple story that shows the power of the media in creating the right atmosphere for people in need to believe in something, given the right ingredients. There will always be those who will not question anything in life, but will trust blindly what is given to them as truth.

The town where the so called miracle occurs has seen better days, but it's now abandoned, a ghost town in the West. More interestingly, is the fact that such a small community has a priest in the local church. This Father Russell is reluctant to have his church become a three ring circus, but lets the show go on, against his better judgment. The miracle happens in many ways, as suddenly, for whatever reasons, his little church is the center of devotion from those who come in need. At the end, a real miracle has occurred in more ways than one.

Peter Fonda plays Father Russell with conviction. Mare Winningham, as the owner of the cafe, is very good, as is Ruben Blades' Cruz, secretly in love with her.

For being her first feature, this was a treat.

I agree with the flaw stated in the above review, however, I liked this film for other reasons. First of all, there is ethnographic value to this film. The religion student may also want to check it out. Peter Fonda is no Captain America here but he shows nice depth in his portrayal of the priest. Brother Amos, portrayed by Scott Michael Campbell, is also top-notch acting. The zealous "miracle-finding" woman drove me more than a bit crazy but I believe that is to Salma's credit for its realism. Check it out, as always, if you don't expect the world to rotate just for your purposes, you will walk away feeling good about the time you just spent.

If you want to see a beautiful movie that will bring tears and an uplifting feeling of joy, watch, 'The Miracle at Maldonado.' Ruben Blades turns in one of his best performances, and Peter Fonda plays a wonderfully under-stated Priest. Eddy Martin, who plays Jose, has a wonderful radiance and a maturity beyond his years. The movie is first time directed by Salma Hyek, one of my favorite actresses. Frankly I am amazed at the job Salma has done with this movie. What could have been just another low budget movie with has been actors turns out to be something very special. If this movie doesn't get at least an oscar mention, 'something is rotten in the state of Denmark.' Mare Winningham lends kind of believability to her role transcends acting. Do yourself a favor, watch this one. You'll be glad you did.

This is a great family film. The characters are interesting and you find yourself getting involved with the story and really caring about how it will end. Eddy Martin is a treasure ! He's not yet been robbed of the sweetness of youth that makes him so real. Peter Fonda is a little stiff in his character. Mare Winningham gives a touching performance. You will laugh at yourself while, at the same time, do some soul searching before being too critical. The bottom line, if you like a family movie with a religious flavor and inspirational ending....get this movie. I will be looking for more movies with Eddy Martin. Hopefully someone needing a great young actor will sign him to a contract.