THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
In the 1990s, there were many outstanding stars in the business of music, whether they surpass their prime or left us too soon. One that left us too soon was Selena Quintanilla, after being murdered at the age of 23. When this happened, many studios wanted to capitalize on making a biopic film of her without consent of her family. So, the family quickly decided to make one with Warner Bros., releasing it in 1997. Was it worth the rush? I think so.
PLOT
The film starts from a further beginning, showing her father Abraham who was part of his own band, ‘The Dinos’, in the 60s. When the band got rejected by both American and Mexican audiences, it led to them disbanding and settling down. In 1981, Abraham found inspiration to try again being involved with the business by making a band with her children. The inspiration came when discovering what a great voice Selena had in her youth. The band had her as lead singer, whereas her sister Suzette was the drummer. Her brother AB would be the guitarist and later wrote their songs. Together, they started out as ‘Selena y Los Dinos’. They performed daily at their father’s restaurant, until the Reaganomics era caused them to go bankrupt. After losing the restaurant, they would perform locally and would gain popularity by the time Selena was in her late teens. In 1990, she falls for the new guitar recruit Chris Perez. They date in secret because Abraham finds him a bad influence, due to trashing a hotel room. He wants to fire him but AB convinces him to keep him due to the fact that they won’t be able to find a new guitarist in time. During a tour in Mexico, she does win over the Mexican audience as she shows her care for the fans. She shows it by being able to calm a large and hectic crowd that was rushing the stage. Abraham does notice of Selena and Chris’ relationship and says it must end now, due to not approving Chris. The argument got worse because when both confess their love to each other, Abraham chooses to fire Chris and threatens to disband the group if Selena were to pursue him. She does so in secret, until deciding to elope without her father’s approval. When confronting him about it, he admits to have gone too far, only wanting her to be safe. They make amends and accepts Chris as part of the family, rehiring him as part of the band. Selena’s popularity grows bigger than ever as she wins a Grammy for a live album, starts recording an English album and opens a boutique. However, there is a side bump discovered as Abraham confronts Selena that her fan club manager Yolanda Saldívar (Lupe Ontoveros) has been irresponsible as in: Not providing for the fans who pay for membership and losing vital business records. This causes worry because she is also in charge of the boutiques. When she is confronted about it, she denies the accusations and promises to prove her innocence. Despite being disappointed of the truth presented by her father, Selena chooses not to fire her. A month after a live performance at the Houston Astrodome, she was shot to death by Yolanda who claimed to have missing financial documents. As her family mourns for her at the hospital, the film ends with her fans at Texas performing a candlelight vigil.
THOUGHTS
This was a film that I’ve seen many times since my late childhood. When the Netflix series came out, I knew I had to see it again. I’ll get it out of the way and admit that a lot was missing when comparing. The example is not properly fleshing out Yolanda, AB or Suzette. Because of that, you can feel that this was partly rushed, ensuring the focus on the titular lead. If there’s one thing I learned one from 2020’s Mank is that telling one’s entire life within two hours is impossible and the least you can do is leave an impression of it. With that being said, I think that writer/director Gregory Nava gave a very interesting summary of this iconic musician. I definitely enjoyed the cinematography by Edward Lachman because whenever we see saw the star perform, it felt like I was there attending. The reason that film has remained watchable is because of the stellar breakout performance from Jennifer Lopez. This was the role that made her the household name we know her to be now. I am aware that she doesn’t look the part, in comparison to the Netflix counterpart Christian Serratos. The reason that she has been so lovable after all this time is because in a way, she is able to bring to bring the same positive energy that Selena was all about. She was someone who was humble, ambitious and went out of her way to ensure her own happiness. Every time she went onstage, she spread nothing but joy to her loving fans. If you were to ask me a favorite song of mine from her discography, I would say her English track ‘Dreaming of You’. That one has a special place in my heart because it gently expresses the pure love people have for each other. She may have been the star of her family, but she wouldn’t grow up to be so without her family. I know AB and Suzette don’t get proper development in their given time. However, I still believe that Jacob Vargas and Jackie Guerra did do a good job displaying them as loving siblings. I was off guard recognizing Constance Marie as Selena’s mother Marcella, due to remembering her for comedic performance on abc’s George Lopez. She makes her mark in this movie by encouraging her daughter to be herself and remained supportive no matter what the topic. Jon Seda was a solid choice for Selena’s husband Chris Perez. She loved him because he was like her, as in being perceptive, adaptable and having a good taste in music. The only thing they couldn’t adapt to was deny their love. Last but not least, Edward James Olmos was arguably a force to be reckoned with as Abraham Quintanilla. He was a respectable figure in the family because he was firm with business and wanted his children to have the success he couldn’t get. It was cruel for him disapprove of Chris, because of the hypocrisy that Selena couldn’t be in a relationship like her siblings did (as shown in the series). He acted that way for two fair reasons: As a manager, he thought of him as a bad influence. And as a father, he didn’t want to lose her. So when he made amends with his youngest daughter, there is relief that he chose to come along with her husband. I also respect him for calling out Yolanda’s actions because had no one noticed, Selena’s image would’ve been ruined. To wrap up, 1997’s Selena is a solid summary of a respected musician who was able to live life to the fullest. If you love this artist or just enjoy biopic dramas, than this one is up your alley.
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