PASSIONADA
Directed by: Dan Ireland.
Produced by: David Bakalar.
Written by: Jim Jermanok & Steve Jermanok.
Director of Photography: Claudio Rocha.
Edited by: Luis Colina.
Music by: Harry Gregson-Williams.
Released by: Samuel Goldwyn.
Country of Origin: USA. 108 min. Rated: PG-13.
With: Sofia Milos, Emmy Rossum, Jason Isaacs & Lupe Ontiveros.

Like an ardent suitor, this ethnic romantic comedy, (think a slightly older My Big Fat Greek Wedding), wins you over, no matter how much you resist it. Set within the Portuguese-American community of New Bedford, MA, perky teenager Vicki (“You can’t predict what I’ll say, but you can predict I’ll say it”) plays matchmaker between card shark Charlie (Isaacs) and her rigidly pious mother, Celia (Milos), who’s still morning after many years the death of her husband, a fisherman. (As Vicky, Rossum is an eerie doppleganger for Julia Roberts, who also played a Portuguese-American in Mystic Pizza.) Subtly charming, Charlie’s English accent is a convenient debonair cover for a man who is broke and dependent on the kindness of his friends. He instantly falls in love with the beautiful Celia while she sings fado, Portuguese folk music, in a bar. Only when she performs does Celia let her guard down. Despite her rejection, Charlie persists in wooing her, reinventing himself as a man of wealth and leisure--he’s still a grifter at heart. Milos’s moving performance overcomes the sitcom banter and uneven direction. Scenes do drag--you get the point long before a scene is over--with pauses within the dialogue, which betray the need for an extra take. And when Charlie begs for forgiveness, Celia angrily rejects him in a one-note scene with very little emotional shading. But for the most part, Celia is a paradox--sensual, but judgmental, and when her determination is finally broken, her vulnerability is moving. You can hardly blame Charlie for being persistent. Passionada will be right at home on Lifetime. KT
August 26, 2003