Selena (1997)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Gregory Nava

Writer (WGA):

Gregory Nava (written by)

Release Date:

21 March 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

The story of a girl who had the spirit to believe in a dream and the courage to make it come true.

Plot:

The true story of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, a Texas born tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart topping albums on the Latin music charts.

Plot Keywords:

Singer | Tejano | Marriage | Texas | Band

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Lopez	...	Selena Quintanilla-Pérez
Jackie Guerra	...	Suzette Quintanilla
Constance Marie	...	Marcela Quintanilla
Alex Meneses	...	Sara (as Alexandra Meneses)
Jon Seda	...	Chris Perez
Edward James Olmos	...	Abraham Quintanilla
Jacob Vargas	...	Abie Quintanilla
Pete Astudillo	...	Himself - Dinos 1990's
Rueben Gonzáles	...	Joe Ojeda - Dinos 1990's (as Ruben Gonzalez)
Ricky Vela	...	Himself - Dinos 1990's
Don Shelton	...	Stage Dancer
Richard Emanuelle	...	Concert Reporter (as Richard Emanuele)
Panchito Gómez	...	Young Abraham - Dinos 1961 (as Panchito Gomez)
Richard Coca	...	Bobby - Dinos 1961
George Perez	...	Seff - Dinos 1961

Also Known As:

Selena: The Movie (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild language and thematic elements.

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | USA:PG (certificate #35172) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:TE | Finland:S (video premiere) | Singapore:PG | UK:PG (video premiere)

Filming Locations:

Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

Company:

Q Productions

Trivia:

Salma Hayek was considered for the role of Selena, but she refused because she wanted to play Frida Khalo (in Frida (2002)) and did not wish to play two different Mexican heroines.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Selena goes back to Chris's room and tells him she's tired of hiding still, his bangs are in his face. During this whole scene, his bangs move from in front of his face to on top of his head.

Quotes:

Selena Quintanilla: [their elopement has been heard on the radio and Chris tries to turn to the Corpus Christi entrance] Don't go to Corpus, go the other way!
Chris Perez: Where are we gonna go, Alaska?
Selena Quintanilla: Anywhere but Corpus!

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Mira Canto Amor

Good Movie, Great Music

Not expecting to enjoy this movie, I was very pleasantly surprised. Jennifer Lopez, Edward Olmos and the rest of the ensemble cast do a marvelous job in bringing the close-knit Quintanilla family to life. The screenwriters and director skillfully lead the viewer from the father's failed attempts at rock 'n roll in the early 60s through Selena's childhood and her eventual rocket to the top of the Tejano music charts as a young woman. Thankfully her murder is not addressed as a major plot item, its almost irrelevant. And the concert scenes are fantastic. Its Selena's voice and Lopez does an incredible job. Definitely worth a rental regardless of your musical tastes.