I'm reading through pages and pages of reviews about what a great movie this is, its message, the beauty and complexity of the tale, the Oscar contention...
I didn't see any of that in "Bella." To me, it looks like an acting exercise for actors who need content for their demo reels. There was no ensemble feel as each actor was sort of off in his or her own direction. As for the message... What message? The writers don't appear to have the courage to make a statement of any kind and leave that decision to the spectators. Judging by many of the reviews on IMDb, most seem to think that Nina's made a "courageous decision." Not sure what decision that would be. All I know is that one second Nina and Jose are saying goodbye to each other on a NYC city street and a few minutes later Jose is with some little girl on a beach and Nina shows up and reveals that she's the girl's mother. The movies spends a lot more resources on how Manny runs his restaurant and how the parents assemble a meal to organize in impromptu fiesta for their unannounced guests than provide any hint at an explanation of the logistics of any decision Nina might have made.
Made me want to watch Steve Martin's "Simple Twist Of Fate" again.
I didn't see any of that in "Bella." To me, it looks like an acting exercise for actors who need content for their demo reels. There was no ensemble feel as each actor was sort of off in his or her own direction. As for the message... What message? The writers don't appear to have the courage to make a statement of any kind and leave that decision to the spectators. Judging by many of the reviews on IMDb, most seem to think that Nina's made a "courageous decision." Not sure what decision that would be. All I know is that one second Nina and Jose are saying goodbye to each other on a NYC city street and a few minutes later Jose is with some little girl on a beach and Nina shows up and reveals that she's the girl's mother. The movies spends a lot more resources on how Manny runs his restaurant and how the parents assemble a meal to organize in impromptu fiesta for their unannounced guests than provide any hint at an explanation of the logistics of any decision Nina might have made.
Made me want to watch Steve Martin's "Simple Twist Of Fate" again.