Woman on Top (2000)

Brazilian chef Isabella Oliveira moves to San Francisco when her husband, frustrated by her motion sickness, cheats on her.

Director:

Fina Torres

Writer:

Vera Blasi

Stars:

Penélope Cruz, Murilo Benício, Harold Perrineau

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Penélope Cruz	...	Isabella Oliveira (as Penelope Cruz)
Murilo Benício	...	Toninho Oliveira
Harold Perrineau	...	Monica Jones (as Harold Perrineau Jr.)
Mark Feuerstein	...	Cliff Lloyd
John de Lancie	...	Alex Reeves (as John De Lancie)
Anne Ramsay	...	TV Director
Ana Gasteyer	...	Claudia Hunter
Analu De Castro	...	Little Isabella - Age 2
Thais De Sá Curvelo	...	Little Isabella - Age 5
Eliana Guttman	...	Isabella's Mother
Eduardo Mattedi	...	Isabella's Father
Ana Paula Oliveira	...	Cook
Marilice Santos	...	Sexy Neighbor
Giba Conceição	...	Troubadour #1
Joaquim Pinto	...	Troubadour #2

Storyline

Isabella is a great cook, making her husband's restaurant in Bahia, Brazil, a success. To control her motion sickness, she must do the driving and be on top during sex, which drives her macho husband, Toninho, to infidelities. Heart-broken, she leaves for San Francisco, moving in with her childhood friend, Monica, a cross-dresser. To mend her heart, she makes an offering to Yemanja, the goddess of the sea. The goddess responds: Isabella no longer loves and the fish in Bahia no longer bite. Stricken, Toninho heads north to get her back; he finds her hosting a popular TV show, Passion Food, courted by its producer. Can he learn humility? Can she find happiness without him?

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Plot Keywords:

male objectification | reference to penis size | motion sickness | food | cross dresser | 

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Taglines:

a sexy, delicious fairy tale

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong sexuality and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Portuguese

Release Date:

22 September 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Las mujeres arriba

Filming Locations:

Bahia, Brazil

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,008,191, 24 September 2000, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$5,018,450, 26 November 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All interiors for the San Francisco scenes were shot in soundstages in Brazil.

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Goofs

Near the end of the film, when trying to salvage the souffle, they bring out a box of Kraft-like "Cheese and Macarroni". Should be "Macaroni".

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Quotes

Monica Jones: Melons are like boyfriends. Shall I tell you why? To get a single good one you must one hundred try.

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Connections

References Mary Tyler Moore (1970)

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Soundtracks

Berekekê
Written by Geraldo Azevedo and Capinan
Performed by Geraldo Azevedo
Courtesy of Geração Produtora Ltda.

User Reviews

Penelope Is Pretty, But Script Is Stupid

This started off very well....really well...and slowly got stupid, very stupid. The film is a fantastic vehicle, however, for Penelope Cruz to show us her beauty. The two men chasing her are all right, neither one particularly annoying.

The annoying part isn't the actors, it's the script. In this story, you can pray - and get a positive response - to the "sea goddess" - while other ridiculous curses and superstitions abound. Also, a lead character in here - portrayed as perfectly normal - is a transvestite. Despite these strange doings, the film has charm and beautiful, bold colors to it. If only the story wasn't so stupid.