Selena (1997)

The true story of Selena, 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.

Director:

Gregory Nava

Writer:

Gregory Nava

Stars:

Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jennifer Lopez	...	Selena Quintanilla
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	...	Self - Dinos 1990's
Rueben Gonzáles	...	Joe Ojeda - Dinos 1990's (as Ruben Gonzalez)
Ricky Vela	...	Self - 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

Storyline

The film tells the story of the life of Mexican "Tejano" style singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez and the progress of her career resulting in her No. 1 US album.

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Plot Keywords:

singer | tejano | latin music | marriage | on tour | 

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Taglines:

For One Brilliant, Shining Moment...The American Dream Came True.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some mild language and thematic elements

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where Chris Perez (played by Jon Seda) first appears, the close up of his hands playing the guitar are in fact the hands of the real Chris Pérez.

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Goofs

In the "bidi bidi bom bom" scene, in some of the concert shots, you can see that there are only a few audience members and that behind them it's an empty field

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Quotes

Selena Quintanilla: I may not be street wise and all that, but at least I'm not that dumb!

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Crazy Credits

The producers wish to thank The Quintanilla Family

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Alternate Versions

On the Superstation and TNT versions, the scene where Selena sings "No Me Queda Mas" is extended, as is the scene where she sings "Si Una Vez". On all television showings, the word "Damn" is edited out of the scene where Abraham brings home the music equipment.

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Connections

References Late Show with David Letterman (1993)

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Soundtracks

Over the Rainbow
(1939)
Music by Harold Arlen
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Used by permission of EMI Feist Catalog, Inc. (ASCAP)
Performed by Jennifer Peña

User Reviews

Simple, basic and extremely powerful!

I only sat down to watch this movie because I smelled sex appeal. Probably before the movie started I could not tell you which was Jennifer and which was Selena. But by the end of the movie I was an emotional basket case.

The movie itself is simple and basic. It is innocent and honest and you kind of think to yourself that SELENA feels like a TV movie although the acting is solid. But unlike any TV movie something happens -- the movie jells -- and the end hits you as sudden and hard as a lightning strike.

SELENA and MAN IN THE MOON are the only two movies that make my eyes water just by thinking of them.

Powerful.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

21 March 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Selena: The Movie

Filming Locations:

Aransas Pass, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,615,722, 23 March 1997

Gross USA:

$35,281,794

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$35,281,794

Company Credits

Production Co:

Q Productions, Esparza / Katz Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1