SELENA
 ** out of *****
Reviewed by Jiggy

Genres
Biography
Drama
Musical

1997
Written and directed by
Gregory Nava
Cast
Jennifer Lopez....Selena Quintanilla-Pérez
Jackie Guerra….Suzette Quintanilla
Constance Marie....Marcela Quintanilla
Alex Meneses....Sara
Jon Seda.... Chris Perez
Edward James Olmos....Abraham Quintanilla

Selena tells the true story of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, the beloved Tejano singer who was murdered in 1995 at the tragically early age of 23 by the founder and manager of the Selena Fan Club.

Selena was a hugely popular Tejano singer who was on the cusp of crossing over into the English-speaking entertainment world.  Selena follows the rise of the singer from humble beginnings, and documents her challenges to find success as a Mexican-American woman. 

While I appreciate that most biographical films will follow a certain format, I am afraid to say I found myself falling asleep during the film’s portrayal of Selena’s rise to fame.  Granted, I had just eaten a big taco dinner in props to the night’s entertainment.  However, I don’t think this is an excuse for the film boring me by following every tiny event of Selena’s life in exact chronological order.  I did learn, however, that anyone, even a Latino woman with a racist mother (oh wait, that's J. Lo), can be somebody if only they have a dream.

Selena is portrayed by Jennifer Lopez in her break-out role.  While I acknowledge that J.Lo did extend a certain amount of energy to the opening scene of the film, I found that I could not get past the fact that J.Lo is exactly the same in every role she plays!  People, we already have one whiny actress in Hollywood and her name is Winona Ryder. 

I actually thought the best part of the film was the 10-minute music clip at the end of the film of the real Selena singing at the Houston Astrodome in February 1995.  Sure Selena’s dress sense was a little bit funky...what with the one-piece purple glitter jumpsuit and all.  But her raw talent cannot be denied.  If you really want to see a film about Selena, I think it’d be better to watch a documentary of her life or a compilation of concert performances, and not this badly done biopic.

Trivia from the IMDb:

• Jennifer Lopez’s ex-husband Ojani Noa proposed to her at the "Selena" post production party, presenting her with a large marquis-cut diamond ring.


• Texas governor George W. Bush declared April 16, "Selena Day," in Selena’s honour.


• Dreaming of You, Selena’s final album, was released posthumously in the early summer.  It became the first Tejano album to reach number one in America and was double platinum by the end of the 1995.

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