Passionada (2002)

Passionada is a romantic comedy about a Portuguese widow whose husband, a fisherman, died at sea. The widow's naive teenage daughter wants to be a professional gambler and she convinces her... See full summary »

Director:

Dan Ireland

Writers:

David Bakalar (story), Jim Jermanok (screenplay)

Stars:

Jason Isaacs, Sofia Milos, Emmy Rossum

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Isaacs	...	Charles Beck
Sofia Milos	...	Celia Amonte
Emmy Rossum	...	Vicky Amonte
Theresa Russell	...	Lois Vargas
Lupe Ontiveros	...	Angelica Amonte
Seymour Cassel	...	Daniel Vargas
Chris Tardio	...	Gianni Martinez
Benjamin Mouton	...	Frankie the Pit Boss
Robert Montano	...	Father Emmanuel
Luis Colina	...	Anthony
Bill Burr	...	Blackjack Player
Russ Vigilante	...	Roberto
Anthero Montenegro	...	Joseph Amonte
George Gund	...	Fisherman
Shawn FitzGerald	...	Blackjack Dealer

Storyline

Passionada is a romantic comedy about a Portuguese widow whose husband, a fisherman, died at sea. The widow's naive teenage daughter wants to be a professional gambler and she convinces her mother to date a British man who's new in town. The widow falls for the Brit, a professional gambler who pretends to be in the fishing business.

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Taglines:

This Summer, passion needs a little persuasion.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sensuality and a conversation about drugs

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Portuguese

Release Date:

16 June 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Con pasión

Filming Locations:

Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$123,568, 17 August 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$536,906, 28 September 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Command Performance Productions,Sandyo Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The DVD includes two deleted scenes: a dance scene showing Vicky in a club an alternate ending in which Charly goes to play Poker with Russian gangsters and gets beaten up for cheating and saving Vicky (who was searching for Charly)

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Quotes

Charlie: You left me speechless!

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Soundtracks

Triste Sina
Performed by Mísia
Written by Nóbrega e Sousa and Jerónimo Bragança

User Reviews

Another familiar ethnic story

"Passionada" is a very light and enjoyable film. But the story has been done a million times over by Hollywood and on TV. It's the typical tale of a worldly, WASPy guy who meets and romances an ethnic, family-devoted girl. You just knew that there would be a clash of cultures and an eventual break-up. She would undoubtedly tempt her guy with ethnic food, dance and song, and even sensual sex. And he would tempt her with excitement, luxuries, and new adventures that only a man from outside her world could promise her. Sound familiar? Some people here complained about the lack of authenticity due to the director using non-Portuguese actors and Brazilian music. I don't think it made any difference. The acting and music and shots of the locale were very authentic and first-rate. The only thing that I couldn't figure out was all the casino scenes, since there are no casinos in New Bedford, Mass. The nearest ones are Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods in Conn., over an hour away. And Vicky, the young daughter, drove her scooter all the way over there and back on school nights? And if Charlie was such a professional card counter at Blackjack, banned from every casino, why was he broke? I must've missed something during a bathroom break. Other than that, "Passionada" is a fun film and a good insight into Portuguese-American culture, if that's your thing.