"Bill Condon's entertaining enough melodramatic musical fails to accomplish what it most needs to do: move us in tremendous ways. That's a boulder-sized problem given how this oft-told tale of a relationship between a romantic gay man in love with movies and an idealistic political rebel tenderly bond in a dank prison cell has consistently moved generations for decades. We should be a blubbering mess by its end. Just doesn't happen here."
"Condon's version throws a bit of everything from these various into the sauce and that overpowers the emotional impact. To the film's credit, a few energetic old-school musical numbers are visualized in bold Technicolor wowza moments and deftly harken to big movie musicals of yore. But some of the handsomely mounted numbers are the ones responsible for creating that oil and vinegar mix."
"Rather than complement each other, they are at war with each other, tugging us away just when we start to get the feels. The result is we want to get back into the prison cell to observe, and yes feel, more about the intimate connection between queer hairdresser Luis Molina (relative newcomer Tonatiuh) and political prisoner Valentin Arregui (Diego Luna, in a heartbreaking turn)."
A lavish musical adaptation blends source materials but fails to deliver the emotional payoff expected from the story of two men bonding in a grim 1975 Argentine prison. Grandiose cinematic fantasy numbers provide Technicolor spectacle and occasional exhilaration, yet those same sequences create a jarring contrast with the intimate, tender prison scenes. The stylistic collision prevents sustained emotional investment and pulls audiences away from the core relationship. Tonatiuh commands the screen as Luis Molina, Diego Luna turns in a heartbreaking portrayal of Valentin, and Jennifer Lopez energetically embodies the screen siren idol, though the balance falters overall.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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