The Maldonado Miracle

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 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 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.

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.

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.