The Maldonado Miracle

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 was definitely a pleasant surprise. When my wife brought it home, I was very skeptical, but it is an interesting and entertaining movie. Salma does very well with artistic moments--showing poignant images and voiceless narrative--but not letting them bog the movie down. It is impressive how she was able to let us peek into the lives of more than a dozen characters, letting us see their struggles and feel that we know them, without getting lost in a mishmash. She also had the good sense to end the movie when it was done. While not a great movie, it is a good movie and much more watchable than any movie Robert Redford has directed. Keep up the good work.

BTW, the song during the end credits is haunting and, interestingly enough, sung by Mare Winningham.

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.

I absolutely loved this film. It is beautiful, as well as profound, in its simplicity. "The Maldonado Miracle" is a film that can be enjoyed by all audiences. The story is of a young boy (Eddy Martin) in search of his father, who indirectly and unknowingly, influences the small town where he is hiding out to make a change for the better. He is the Maldonado miracle. This film expresses such a sweet message of looking for miracles within our individual lives; sometimes they can be found in the most unlikely situations.

Selma Hayek is fantastic in her first film as director. Also, performances by Peter Fonda and child actor Eddy Martin (who, by the way, has an amazing singing voice) are very near perfect. I was able to attend the world premiere of this film at Sundance with the cast and crew. It was such a neat experience and I give "The Maldonado Miracle" my highest praise. I recommend it to everyone who can get their hands on it!

I saw this movie on Showtime, because my wife wanted to see it. I like Selma Hyek's acting, but I wasn't especially interested in the story - or what I'd heard about it. Imagine my surprise when I found myself thoroughly enjoying the film.

The acting from the main characters was understated, and perfect for the story. The cinematography was beautifully competent, and the set design was exquisite - Showtime showed behind-the-scenes snippets before and after the movie, and the brilliance that was displayed in creating such believable sets on such a small budget (often from the ground up)was nothing short of a miracle itself.

All in all, I enjoyed this movie far more than I expected to, and I think the director and her crew show much promise.