Evita (1996) | REVIEW

Evita is a musical based on the life of Evita Duarte, a B-picture Argentinian actress who eventually became the wife of Argentinian president and dictator Juan Perón, and the most beloved and hated woman in Argentina. Why is she hated? Simply because it's obvious that she sleeps her way to the top, if you know what I mean. Madonna's acting was great in this flick. Antiono Banderas was a great addition. And Evita was directed by an all-time great, Alan Parker. But for many (including myself), Evita isn't a movie that's good to sit down to watch on a regular Sunday afternoon. Despite the critical acclaim and the relatively good reviews, this movie will bore you to death if you're not into the genre. Don't get me wrong, I admire the fact that they wrote the entire thing with songs and very, very little dialogue, and there's no doubt that Madonna has an edge when it comes to acting, but this movie that spans well across 2 hours could have been pulled-off with a mere 45 minutes. There's an interesting start and an interesting finish and maybe one or two scenes in the middle that holds one's attention. Otherwise, it's just song after song and a steady, unchanging theme that gets too draggy and is capable of annoying the sh*t outta' somebody. Take my word for it; if you're looking for a casual flick to kick back and relax, Evita is definitely NOT the right choice. This is a film that you'd want to study in film school or analyze for filming expertise, but NOT rent and watch with your girlfriend. That would be relationship suicide, folks. Unless your girl's a Madonna freak, you're gonna' get dumped halfway through the movie. All kidding aside, there are some notably good sides to Evita (which is obviously why it won an Oscar and was nominated for a dozen or more other awards). If you're into musicals, this one's for you. 120minutes of non-stop song which at times doesn't rhyme at all, but who am I to judge. Director Alan Parker also manages to keep the thematic value of the movie constant throughout, without speeding-up or slowing down too much. Basically, if you're into heavy movies with heavy content, musicals, or anything to do with politics and history, Evita is for you. It's worth a watch, but only if you have enough time on your hands and you're not easily bored.
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Wrap : I'd give Evita 3 starts out of 5, not because I enjoyed it but because the movie has its good quality and a certain standard about it. It's easy to make a regular box-office hit, but making something purely with song isn't really a bed of roses. `