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Ever watched a two-hour+ long music video? That's basically
what the new box office hit, "Evita," is - the longest music
video ever filmed.
Oh, well, I like music videos.
Watching "Evita" I was very impressed, although my mom and
dad weren't. Mom walked out and disappeared, and dad stayed,
but wasn't impressed either. He kept leaning over and whispering,
"You really like this movie? You really want to stay?"
Of course I did. Maybe mom and dad were less impressed because
they already knew the story of "Eva Peron", but I didn't -
I didn't even know she was a real person.
Madonna portrays Eva (Evita) Peron, a poverty stricken Argentine
in the 1920s and 30s. By marrying the politician Colonel Peron,
Eva overcomes her poor background and rises to power in Argentina.
Meanwhile, handsome Antonio Banderas portrays the common man
- the waiter , the servant, the film operator. Eva promises
the common people - like Banderas - "a new Argentina." Although
she does set up a charity fund and helps some people, she
really doesn't do all that she promises. If it weren't for
Banderas' singing about the real Eva, you'd come off with
the impression that Eva was some sort of saint. Was she?
I loved the movie. Madonna and Banderas are both excellent
- and the movie is very insightful. Although there isn't much
bad language or violence, I wouldn't recommend it for kids.
The entire movie is a musical - every line is sung, not spoken
- and you must pay careful attention to the words of the songs
in order to fully understand it. (Most kids under ten are
just not going to have the attention span for it. Even my
dad - and I won't tell you his age, but as you've already
figured out, it's obviously older than ten! - didn't seem
to have the patience to listen to the entire movie as he kept
getting up to use the bathroom.) Still, if you have the patience
to decipher the Argentinian accents and listen to every word
of every song, it's worth it. Unlike mom and dad, I found
Eva's story fascinating. The music made it more fun and gave
the movie a new twist. In fact, the story might have been
boring without the music. Sorry, mom and dad, I give it four
stars.
My rating: 4 stars
Rating: PG (thematic elements, images of violence, and some
mild language)
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