Rating: 
Summary: A flawed, but appealing, romantic comedy
Review: (Note: this review is based on the theatrical release, not the DVD version) I am not generally a fan of romantic comedies; I drove 400 miles to New Bedford, MA, to watch this one purely to see Jason Isaacs, and I was not disappointed! The movie apparently went through a change of cast (Isaacs replaced another actor at the very last possible minute), it went through at least one change of ending, and I suspect the script was still being tinkered with the night before I saw it, all of which goes some way to explaining its somewhat uneven pacing and lurching storyline. The script was reportedly written on spec, at least in part to promote the town of New Bedford, last the location for a movie when Gregory Peck appeared in "Moby Dick", and the screenwriters have ladled on the atmosphere with a vengeance.
The basic storyline, as it finally comes down to us, has the *gorgeous* Sofia Milos, absolutely radiant here, playing Celia Amonte, the subdued widow of a drowned Portuguese fisherman, giving vent to her passion and grief at night singing 'fado' in undeserving clubs. There she is encountered by inexplicably British card-counting unsuccessful professional gambler (*phew*) Charlie Beck, the aforementioned Jason Isaacs. Charlie is immediately, understandably, smitten with Celia and sets about trying to weasel his way into her life.
Isaacs has a wonderful ability to imbue the most two-dimensional character with significant backstory, and his Charlie, recently released from a prison sentence served in part to protect wealthy pal Daniel Vargas (the always delightful Seymour Cassel) has drifted rootlessly, never accepting what he was dealt, always on the lookout for the scam. Clad in a lurid array of Hawaiian shirts, he is, in a sense, always on vacation from real life. After another series of unlikely coincidences he enlists the aid of Celia's teenage daughter (the winsome Emmy Rossum) to pull the wool over Celia's eyes with the help of some of Daniel's handy expensive props, and cons Celia into believing that not only is he a legitimate businessman, but his intentions also involve a boffo plan to reinvigorate New Bedford's ailing fishing industry (sadly unlikely, unless he can figure out a way to restore global fishery stock).
Anyway, the course of true love never does run straight, at least in Hollywood movies, and there are numerous twists and turns for Charlie and Celia to contend with. Many of these feel false and imposed, but Isaacs and Milos have incredible chemistry together, and despite yourself you find you really care about seeing these two together. Their delicate love scenes (the most memorable involves Celia producing what looks like a banquet for 30, rather than refreshment for an intimate tête-à-tête, including about $150 worth of seafood, gorgeously displayed in long lingering shots worthy of Gourmet magazine) positively smoulder, though they are devoid of any graphic content.
Director Dan Ireland worked hard at wresting a coherent story out of this, and too much of his labour shows on screen, but the movie itself is beautiful, a paean to the community of New Bedford and to its two stars, a refreshing change from the usual bland 20-somethings. I found it, despite its flaws, thoroughly enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: A flawed, but appealing, romantic comedy
Review: (Note: this review is based on the theatrical release, not the DVD version) I am not generally a fan of romantic comedies; I drove 400 miles to New Bedford, MA, to watch this one purely to see Jason Isaacs, and I was not disappointed! The movie apparently went through a change of cast (Isaacs replaced another actor at the very last possible minute), it went through at least one change of ending, and I suspect the script was still being tinkered with the night before I saw it, all of which goes some way to explaining its somewhat uneven pacing and lurching storyline. The script was reportedly written on spec, at least in part to promote the town of New Bedford, last the location for a movie when Gregory Peck appeared in "Moby Dick", and the screenwriters have ladled on the atmosphere with a vengeance.
The basic storyline, as it finally comes down to us, has the *gorgeous* Sofia Milos, absolutely radiant here, playing Celia Amonte, the subdued widow of a drowned Portuguese fisherman, giving vent to her passion and grief at night singing 'fado' in undeserving clubs. There she is encountered by inexplicably British card-counting unsuccessful professional gambler (*phew*) Charlie Beck, the aforementioned Jason Isaacs. Charlie is immediately, understandably, smitten with Celia and sets about trying to weasel his way into her life.
Isaacs has a wonderful ability to imbue the most two-dimensional character with significant backstory, and his Charlie, recently released from a prison sentence served in part to protect wealthy pal Daniel Vargas (the always delightful Seymour Cassel) has drifted rootlessly, never accepting what he was dealt, always on the lookout for the scam. Clad in a lurid array of Hawaiian shirts, he is, in a sense, always on vacation from real life. After another series of unlikely coincidences he enlists the aid of Celia's teenage daughter (the winsome Emmy Rossum) to pull the wool over Celia's eyes with the help of some of Daniel's handy expensive props, and cons Celia into believing that not only is he a legitimate businessman, but his intentions also involve a boffo plan to reinvigorate New Bedford's ailing fishing industry (sadly unlikely, unless he can figure out a way to restore global fishery stock).
Anyway, the course of true love never does run straight, at least in Hollywood movies, and there are numerous twists and turns for Charlie and Celia to contend with. Many of these feel false and imposed, but Isaacs and Milos have incredible chemistry together, and despite yourself you find you really care about seeing these two together. Their delicate love scenes (the most memorable involves Celia producing what looks like a banquet for 30, rather than refreshment for an intimate tête-à -tête, including about $150 worth of seafood, gorgeously displayed in long lingering shots worthy of Gourmet magazine) positively smoulder, though they are devoid of any graphic content.
Director Dan Ireland worked hard at wresting a coherent story out of this, and too much of his labour shows on screen, but the movie itself is beautiful, a paean to the community of New Bedford and to its two stars, a refreshing change from the usual bland 20-somethings. I found it, despite its flaws, thoroughly enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet and Simple
Review: Being a Jason Isaacs affectionado, I could not pass it up. I'm glad I didn't. It's a sweet little romance about a Portuages women who vows never to love again after loosing her husband at see. Then in comes Jason,aka Charlie Beck who is a gambler and falls in love with the lady after hearing her sing. I'm quite curtain this is Jason's first Romantic-Comedy leading role and he pulled it off without a hitch. The other actors were just as wonderful, which is important to make a movie memorable.
Rating:
Summary: The girl next door
Review: For several years of my life, I lived next door to the house where this movie was filmed. The characters in the movie actually used my old driveway as their own. Living in New Bedford a good part of my life, I found the opening scene of New Bedford Harbor breathtaking and it really touch my heart. The movie is very romantic. If you love romance movies or novels, I'm sure that you will not be disappointed. My favorite scene, next to the opening one of New Bedford Harbor, is when all the characters are at the Portuguese Feast. Having gone to the Portuguese Feast in New Bedford year after year, it was interesting to watch. This is a very different, refreshing, romantic movie that I really enjoyed.
Rating:
Summary: The girl next door
Review: For several years of my life, I lived next door to the house where this movie was filmed. The characters in the movie actually used my old driveway as their own. Living in New Bedford a good part of my life, I found the opening scene of New Bedford Harbor breathtaking and it really touch my heart. The movie is very romantic. If you love romance movies or novels, I'm sure that you will not be disappointed. My favorite scene, next to the opening one of New Bedford Harbor, is when all the characters are at the Portuguese Feast. Having gone to the Portuguese Feast in New Bedford year after year, it was interesting to watch. This is a very different, refreshing, romantic movie that I really enjoyed.
Rating: 
Summary: Predictable but pleasing
Review: I recently saw this movie on my flight back from Paris. "Passionada" is set in the small port town of New Bedford, MA with a charming Portugese community. Sofia Milos plays Sally Amonte: a widowed mother who's a textile worker by day, and a diva by night. Years ago, she lost her fisherman husband at sea and is still remorseful of his death. Jason Isaacs plays a motel-dwelling gambler named Charlie who's trying to lie and cheat into her heart. Emmy Rossum (who plays Jake Gyllenhall's crush in "The Day After Tomorrow") is Vicky: Sally's sexy, rebellious daughter who tries to learn the art of gambling from Charlie and set him up at the same time.
It's a short and simple romantic film. My advice: rent it.
Rating:
Summary: Sofia Milos Shines in Otherwise Bland Romance.
Review: In the Portuguese community in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Celia Amonte (Sofia Milos) lost her fisherman husband to the sea. Seven years later, Celia works in a factory by day, sings passionate ballads by night, and still grieves for her husband. One evening, a professional gambler named Charlie Beck (Jason Isaacs) hears Celia sing and falls head over heels for her on the spot. But Celia is married to widowhood and distrustful of gamblers. Celia's brash teenaged daughter, Vicki (Emmy Rossum), proposes to help Charlie hide his lifestyle and woo her mother in exchange for lessons in card-counting."Passionada" was directed by Dan Ireland and written by Jim and Steve Jermanok. Setting this romance in Portuguese community of New Bedford gives the film a nice texture and sense of place. The cast is impressive. But somehow the story is just flat and not quite credible. Sofia Milos gives a charismatic and emotionally astute performance. She commands the audience's attention in every scene that she's in, and she is "Passionada"s greatest asset. The rest of the film's cast is convincing enough, but not able to overcome the story's clichés and general blandness. Lupe Ontiveros delivers another of many apt matriarch performances as Celia's mother-in-law. Emmy Rossum, whom you might recognize as "the daughter" in Clint Eastwood's melodramatic noir "Mystic River", plays another daughter of a different disposition here. Rossum is a real up-and-comer whose talent and screen presence shows through the weaker spots in this script. Theresa Russell gives a strong supporting performance as Lois, a friend of Charlie's, which made me wonder why I don't see more of her in movies these days. "Passionada" has some talent behind it, and Sofia Milos really impresses as Celia Amonte. But this film lacks spark in spite of its capable cast. The DVD: Bonus features include a deleted scene, an alternate ending, and two audio commentaries. The alternate ending is from an earlier version of the film and played poorly with test audiences. It's mismatched and ill-conceived by the director's own admission, so it's not worth your time. The deleted scene and alternate ending are accompanied by optional commentary from director Dan Ireland, Jason Isaacs, and Sofia Milos. The first audio commentary by director Dan Ireland and cast members Jason Isaacs and Sofia Milos is pretty good. The second commentary is by the film's writers, brothers Jim and Steve Jermanok. This commentary is very low-key and discusses the writing process from the screenplay's conception to fine-tuning the script. It's slow, but if that's your area of interest, it will give you insight into how people go about writing a film.
Rating:
Summary: a limpy but still watchable movie
Review: the actor was not a best choice and actually a very bad choice. the female actor, a top-notched choice and performance. the storyline, very limpy, loose and snail paced. the songs, fantastic and moving, even you don't know what the details and the meaning, because she sang from the heart and showed her soul. but one thing you have to ask yourself: are these sad songs good for your appetite? should these sad songs been sang in a restaurant that would enhance the appetite of the diners? these songs should be only performed in a concert or a funeral instead of in an eatery.
Rating: 
Summary: Good story, Poor male actor performance (Jason Isaacs)
Review: This is a nice story, very romantic set in a beautiful scenery. I enjoyed the beginning of the movie, but as the story unfolds the male character becomes more and more pathetic. The actress Sofia Milos is fantastic and Jason Isaacs is just not a match for her in this movie. The director should have chosen an actor with temperament. In certain scenes he is overacting a lot and in the love scene he is almost "slimey".
For the story and female actor it`s worth watching, but do not expect much.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute and funny!
Review: This movie is more the silly side of romantic, which is wonderful. Seeing Jason Issacs playng something other than a villan that seems to die all the time is great too! He does a good job with his character, but I wish they hadn't made hm wear a wig! The romance is cute,though at times a little childish. The music will have you dancing, or other times wistful. A truly beautiful movie.
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