Wolff rating: NOT BAD
Plot summary: Biographical musical about the famous Argentinian First Lady based on Broadway hit of the same name.
Biased, pithy comments: The music is great. From Spanish guitar at the beginning to Madonna's silky tones, this is good stuff. It was also nice to be able to finally see this film so I could start listening to the soundtrack, but as a film, this isn't quite so strong. Although Madonna is interesting as Eva Peron (so much of Eva's tricks about reinventing herself for new audiences is reminicent of Madonna), she looks a little old for the part. Banderas is excellent (and can sing quite well), but the whole thing was a little distant. I found I wasn't worried about Evita or what she was doing to her country, and the editor kept cutting in footage from different parts of the movie which took away from those scenes when they finally occurred. Likewise, I kept getting jarred loose when scenes would happen several years apart in the story, yet look like they were shot on the same day. Likewise, the lack of foley made the whole thing seem like one long music video. So, not a perfect film, but good enough.
Other Notes: Eva Peron, by the way, was a flaming fascist, despite what this musical says.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Madonna, Antonia Banderas, Jonthan Pryce.
Directed by: Alan Parker