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Eduardo Verástegui, Tammy Blanchard, Manny Perez, Angélica Aragón, Jaime Tirelli ... see more see more... , Ali Landry , Ramon Rodriguez , Sophie Nyweide , Ewa Da Cruz

A man whose life is about to be changed forever discovers that sometimes it takes losing it all to finally appreciate the things that truly matter in director Alejandro Monteverde's emotional tale of ... read more read more...self-discovery. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

80% liked it

19,708 ratings

Critics

43% liked it

63 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 31 min.

Directed by: Alejandro Gomez Monteverde

Release Date: September 9, 2006

Keywords: pro-life

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DVD Release Date: May 7, 2008

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Stats: 2,888 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,888)

  • romy861
    August 9, 2010
    romy861
    Quite a slow film, but engaging and moving. The cast are all fantastic, especially Tammy Blanchard as Nina. It reminded me a little of the Before Sunrise and Before Sunset films.
    Jose is an ex sports star who has fallen on hard times and is now working in his brother's Mexican re... read morestaurant as a chef. When a co worker, Nina, is fired for being late, he goes after her and the pair spend the day together getting to know each other. Ultimately he does something very unselfish to help Nina, and also to ease his own guilt about past events.
    I actually thought this was a foreign film, but it is set in the US, and though there is a little Spanish in it, the majority is in English, so don't be put off if you're one of those people who don't like to read subtitles.
  • aliceinpunderland
    February 14, 2010
    aliceinpunderland
    Another 4-star movie derailed by a nicely pat ending. Every shot is visual poetry, and the relationship between Nina and Jose is tenuous and bittersweet. Eduardo Verastegui with the beard and crazy hair looks almost exactly like Jim Caviezel - it's astounding. I was in love. ... read moreTammy Blanchard is gritty and endearingly aloof. She's got a great mouth for this role - a tough pout. Charming supporting characters, nice flashback/fantasy editing, effective mix of languages.

    The end leaves too many questions though. Where does Nina go for four years? Okay that's only one question, but without the answer and the turning point of Jose's choice, it just seems like a tacked-on happy ending.
  • 5oclockcoffee
    May 17, 2009
    5oclockcoffee
    I liked some little things like the "future" inside the present acting. The "insides" are not only from memories, but also from what will happen months after the scene we are seeing. In the other hand, these scenes could also be imagination of some of the two characters and we a... read morectually just don´t know if they happened or not. There are two examples: when Nina is supposed to make an abortion, gives up and Jose is there to support her; or in the end, when he adopts her child. This last scene seems real and I think we all take it as real, but it could not be... maybe in another film.



    Despite that, everything is too obvious end expected: it´s clear that it will happen a car accident and it´s even clear when we see Jose, now with a long beard, watching a little girl at the beach, that some tragedy happend and that it has something to do with a child.
    Also, Eduardo Verástgui/Jose didn´t convince me at all! Predictable and not authentic.






  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    May 5, 2008
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    A very profound and delicate yet great powerful movie. I absolutely loved it. Nina, a young, unmarried waitress at a Mexican restaurant, finds herself pregnant and without work after coming in late several days because of morning sickness. Jose, the restaurant's chef, is taken by... read more Nina's plight and becomes her sole confidant. Jose helps her walk through her decision on what to do with her pregnancy. In the process, he bears secrets from his own mysterious past, which reveal his tenderness and passion for her and the child she is carrying.
  • gator681
    January 23, 2009
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "Bella," Nina(Tammy Blanchard)'s pregnancy has been making her sick, keeping her away from work for the past couple of days. When she is late again for her job as a waitress at a Mexican restaurant, her boss Manny(Manny Perez) fires her on the spot. Feel... read moreing sorry for her, Manny's brother and head chef Jose(Eduardo Verastegui) chases after her, deserting the restaurant during the busy lunch hour. But at least Nina and Jose enjoy lunch together where Nina gets a new job. Afterwards, they go to the beach...[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]"Bella" starts off being just plain annoying as we get yet another magical New York City. The directing is amateurish and the acting is worse. Amazingly, the movie gets worse with an endless climactic scene that brings shamelessness to new heights before completely devolving into sanctimonious drivel by the end.[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]On the plus side, Nina does make some good points about looking for a job and that being pregnant does not automatically make one a parent. But it is awkward siding with Manny who is supposed to be the villain. What is he supposed to do when nobody wants to bring anything to his attention?(I hate guessing games, by the way.) If his employees are that afraid of him, then why don't they quit?[/font]
  • jeffboam
    August 13, 2010
    jeffboam
    It stands to reason that so many of modern cinema?s true success stories stem from a modest budget (Clerks, Swingers, Once). Feasibility aside (mega-budget spectaculars invariably recoup the studio?s initial investment), these ?smaller pictures? usually forsake expensive digital ... read moreeffects and A-list actors to rely on the proven formula of simple storytelling. Bella?s could not be simpler?and delightfully so. While there is nothing overly insightful about this satisfying non-love love story, the magnetic performances cannot help but draw filmgoers in. Though your reviewer would not go so far as to call the drama a character study a la John Cassavetes (Faces, A Woman Under the Influence), the players are the thing?and the thing proves to be pure bliss.

    In this PG-13-rated indie romantic drama, a chef with a mysterious past (Verastequi) befriends a waitress (Tammy Blanchard) who gets fired from a New York City Mexican restaurant due to an unwanted pregnancy.

    The story is far from momentous, but intelligent enough not to be predictable?rewardingly, ?romantic? does not necessarily mean traditional romance. At the root of Bella lies a plain truth: Sometimes, people just need a friend. While this statement may seem simplistic to the point of tedium, it proves so innately identifiable that audiences will seamlessly fall into the film?s easy-going rhythm. Thanks to Verastequi and Blanchard (and their well-written alter-egos), the slight semblance of a plot works. While the problems of these lil? people don?t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world (to paraphrase Rick in Casablanca), it does account for empathy.

    Bottom line: Blissfully keeps it simple, stupid.
  • crazydannielle16
    May 27, 2009
    crazydannielle16
    It was a good movie. I enjoyed the ending. I saw it coming from a mile away though. Still, I enjoyed the symbolism and how the movie didn't move in sequence but sort of skipped around.
  • wbgoose13
    October 28, 2007
    wbgoose13
    As maudlin a melodrama can get w/o actually disturbing any heartstrings.
  • lovablemisanthrope
    August 26, 2010
    lovablemisanthrope
    I enjoyed it. I felt it was lacking in some areas, but overall it was a good movie.
  • toejambaseball24
    December 15, 2009
    toejambaseball24
    The huge gap that separates the amount of praise this has received from audiences (Toronto Film Festival Viewers, theatergoers, "Flixter Users") and the negative reviews it received from critics has EVERYTHING to do with the fact that in this movie, a woman is talked out of getti... read moreng an abortion. Those liberal critics need to look themselves in the mirror and really ask themselves why the hell they're so passionate about women killing their unborn children. Really liberals....really.

    As both a Latino and a person of faith, I really really love how this film portrays...people. It has such a great message about the importance of family, and redemption, and learning to appreciate life that I really just felt so much better about everthing after watching it.

    Once you learn the tone of the film, and the personality of the characters, you pretty much know how this movie is going to end. But that didn't really matter to me. Why not make a movie about truly good-hearted people trying to do the right thing under difficult circumstances? Isn't that what life should be about?

    Anyways...this movie didn't really feel much like a movie, or a compelling film-story. It kind of felt like a nice hug. That's the best way I can describe it. And that's a good thing. It pulls at your heart and gives a wonderful message without overdoing it, unlike some of those "made for Christians" movies out there, like "Fireproof," which preaches and smothers your face with its message. "Bella" is something much more real, much more beautiful, and I think it's guaranteed to make its viewers appreciate life a little bit more than they did before.

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Critic Reviews

Susan Walker
April 11, 2008
Susan Walker, Toronto Star

This is not a weepy, but a story about healing, forgiveness and redemption. Full Review

Rick Groen
April 10, 2008
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

From the quiet performances to the sensitive direction, everything about this movie is convincing except the very story that drives it. Full Review

Gary Goldstein
November 9, 2007
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

Bella is certainly a sweet, life-affirming picture, but it's just not authentic or captivating enough to justify its wildly concocted scenario. Full Review

Colin Covert
November 9, 2007
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Rarely are crowd-pleasers so effortlessly artful. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
November 9, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Alejandro Gomez Monteverde's first feature may have more heart than head, but it's also just as interesting for what it leaves out of its romantic story as for what it retains. Full Review

Erin Meister
November 9, 2007
Erin Meister, Boston Globe

It wants to answer the questions it's clearly too timid to ask, but the questions are always so much more interesting. Full Review

Frank Scheck
November 9, 2007
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

While Alejandro Gomez Monteverde's film has its heart in the right place, its effectiveness is ultimately hampered by its awkward and maudlin execution.

Lisa Schwarzbaum
November 7, 2007
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

[A] defiantly unsubtle, structurally clunky specimen. Full Review

Stephen Holden
October 26, 2007
Stephen Holden, New York Times

Bella is a movie that wears its bleeding heart on its sleeve and loves its characters to distraction.

Ruthe Stein
October 26, 2007
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

A tearjerker that earns its sobs with heartfelt emotions. Full Review

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    • Jose: If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.
    • Nina: Hi, do you know who I am?
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