Evita poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce, Jimmy Nail, Ina Clare

Evita is based on the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Actually, the film is more of an opera, with only short moments devoted to dialogue. "Evita" is the friendly, family version of the p... read more read more...roper name "Eva," and this film tells the story of Eva Peron (1921-52), a woman whose name evokes powerful feelings in her native Argentina. Throughout this film, as in the musical, the story is explained and commented on by a character known as "Che," played here by Antonio Banderas. The film begins with the news of Evita's death, and then turns to a much earlier scene at her father's funeral. Eva (Madonna) was an illegitimate child (one of many) of a rural landowner and her seamstress mother. Hers is not a wealthy childhood by any means, and she is constantly discriminated against because of her lowly birth. She is refused admission to her father's funeral for this reason. This scene is contrasted with her own funeral, a spectacular affair, not different from the funeral of a beloved head of state. Eva Peron leaves her village at age 15, in the arms her lover Agustin Magaldi (Jimmy Nail), a traveling singer. With his help, she goes to Buenos Aires and begins her campaign to become a performer, actress, and public figure. Many men help her during these years, and she is reported to have given her favors freely. That changes when she becomes involved with Juan Peron (Jonathan Pryce). In 1944, when they meet, Peron is an ambitious young army officer, serving in the right-wing government of the time. When he falls afoul of the government and is imprisoned, Eva uses her position as a celebrity and radio performer to get him released. Peron marries his feisty mistress when he is freed from prison. Eva is a formidable supporter, and her help is crucial to his later becoming head of state. Once Juan Peron becomes the President of Argentina, Eva expects better treatment from Argentina's high society, but they snub her brutally. She, in response, diverts government money from society-led charities, and starts the Eva Peron Foundation. As its president, she works tirelessly to directly better the lot of Argentina's poor. For this work, and for having risen from poor origins to glory, she is beloved by huge masses of her fellow citizens, if not by those in high society. She also arranges for the enfranchisement of women in Argentina. Thus, her death of uterine cancer at age 33, while she was at the height of her power and influence, strikes the whole world as tragic. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Flixster Users

65% liked it

53,076 ratings

Critics

59% liked it

32 critics

PG, 2 hr. 14 min.

Directed by: Alan Parker

Release Date: December 14, 1996

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: March 24, 1998

Get It:

Stats: 2,241 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Madonna in Evita Evita Evita Who says Madonna can't act? Madonna as Eva Peron evita Evita Madonna
Upload a Photo | View All Evita Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (2,241)

  • spielberg00
    September 12, 2011
    spielberg00
    EVITA most certainly is not the best musical, but it has somewhat good acting, two great lead actors, and fantastic (I repeat: fantastic) music. For some strange reason, I think Madonna should have won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1996, because she did a splendid job perf... read moreorming as the title character, Eva Peron, a woman who has been poor as a little girl and, though also having experience as a prostitute, actress, and singer, inherits power over Argentina. EVITA, to compare with another Andrew Lloyd Weber silver screen adaptation, is a lot better than 2005's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. On the list of musicals that are likely to be remembered half a millennium from now, this is somewhere slightly below OLIVER!, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, and THE SOUND OF MUSIC, and just barely above RENT. It is one of those musicals that once you have heard the first sing, you are hooked until the very last song and are therefore stuck to the TV for two well-spent hours watching the point here the History Channel and Broadway meet.
  • FrizzDrop
    November 24, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    This film includes the largest amount of costume changes in history, so you already know it's lavish. Taking all the leather and lace away from this production, you're left with no plot, all music, and two hours of watching Madonna spiral into an abysmal performance. Eva Peron, E... read morevita to her people, deserved a bit more of a bang for her buck.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    August 30, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    Haha! Antonio Banderas' part was the best bit. I think his kind of phantom character/ narrator role was very good and witty. And I thought Madonna did a fantastic job, too bad she hasn't done that since with acting. With a more analytical look, I thought it interesting the two (t... read moreechnically) main characters were white, Madonna and Pryce. But in Madonna's defense, she can sing and dance really well and pulled off the look very well.
    The biggest thing that grated on me what the full on opera-style musical. And the fact it's and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical wears on the brain a bit. >_<
  • 76Majikat
    March 28, 2009
    76Majikat
    The impressive production by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Tim Rice brought to screen by an impressive cast. There may have been doubt over Madonna being a lead in this film during it's release, when in actual fact I can not imagine anyone else portraying Eva Peron in quite the... read more same way. Antonio Banderas gives a charmed performance as Che (perhaps his best role to date) who is cleverly worked in to all the scenes to act as a Narrator.

    Eva Peron?s ambitions were, perhaps, ahead of her time for a woman of that era and shows quite an honest account to the life she lead up until her early demise.

    Fans of this film or Musical Theatre in general, should definitely watch the stage show which is equally impressive.
  • RCCLBC
    March 24, 2008
    RCCLBC
    It's RARE that a film staring Madonna (or co-staring for that matter), amounts to much. She's basically 'box office poison' as far as I'm concerned.

    But this was actually a beautiful film to watch and (to spite her warbling weak voice) wasn't too unbearable to listen to. The... read more strong supporting cast, great set design and cinematography helps.

    This is HIGH PRAISE comig from someone who can not stand Madonna and rarely enjoys musicals.
  • thmtsang
    July 15, 2007
    thmtsang
    Madonna was brilliant but Antonio can't sing.
  • YosemiteSamFan
    June 24, 2007
    YosemiteSamFan
    Evita has great songs and scenes. Based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway play, Alan Parker Directed it it in real Argentina settings. Madonna plays Evita wonderfully. It's large in scope with a huge cast. The songs are very catchy and beautiful. The story is a bit sad; it starts... read more with the announcement of Evita's death and has a huge funeral and mourning montage before transporting us back to Evita's humble beginnings. The film then follows her rise to become Argentina's first lady. I loved all of the songs, especially "High Flying, Adored", "Goodnight and Thank You" and the stunning "A New Argentina". It was all so thrilling, before I knew it, Evita's "Rainbow Tour" had come to an end. Gosh, I love Evita.
  • mjgildea
    November 28, 2006
    mjgildea
    So painful. So very painful. I like to call it Velveeta.
  • fb634852121
    February 1, 2010
    fb634852121
    I really enjoyed Evita and thought it was very enthralling. Compared to the other big cinematic Andrew Lloyd Webber film, 2004's The Phantom of the Opera, I thought it was so much better. Sure, it amounted to not much more than a caricature of Eva Peron, but it was a surprisingly... read more good performance by Madonna. My Mum was saying it's a pity she isn't in more films. Her voice is a little "pop" and not very "Broadway", but it was a good performance.

    I also really enjoyed Antonio Banderas as the narrator Che, a one-man Greek chorus who is critic, observer and well, critic. He pops up everywhere in various personas and it's very entertaining and amusing. Jonathan Pryce is also great as President Peron himself, shortly before he decided to ham it up as a Bond villain in Tomorrow Never Dies.

    And then of course there's the music. Andrew Lloyd Webber is a musical genius, no matter what his critics say. You can dance to almost every song in Evita, and there's a distinctive Argentine flavour in the beat. Tim Rice's lyrics are also witty and appropriate, and there's so much variety ranging from the exuberant "Buenos Aires" to the sad and emotional "You Must Love Me", and of course the most famous of them all, "Don't Cry For Me Argentina". My favourite song in the film was "High Flying Adored" an observation on how far Eva has come, delivered by Antonio Banderas in his charming exotic accent.

    It's overall a very atmospheric film with a wonderful period flavour provided by on-location filming in Argentina itself and Budapest. Seek it out if you like musicals, Evita will win you over if you don't.
  • fb1245361650
    June 5, 2008
    fb1245361650
    OH MY GOD!!! Amazing music, preformances, story, cast, direction! EVERYTHING about this movie reeks of INCREDIBILITY!!!

View All Evita Reviews

Critic Reviews

Mike Clark
January 1, 2000
Mike Clark, USA Today

With one of the most dazzling screen chassis in years, Evita is definitely worth a look -- maybe even two. But don't look under the hood.

Rob Gonsalves
July 30, 2007
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

I doubt any director could have made a good movie from Andrew Lloyd Webber's baffling and shallow musical. Full Review

Philip Martin
January 8, 2005
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

It is quite possible to hate Cats and deplore Sex and still enjoy this movie. Full Review

Wesley Lovell
September 5, 2004
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy

What makes "Evita" so powerful is its ability to convey complex emotions through its music. Full Review

Jon Niccum
June 7, 2003
Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World

Intolerable

Kevin Fiddler
February 18, 2003
Kevin Fiddler, Henderson Home News (Henderson, NV)

Don't cry for me Argentina, no please cry for me if I have to watch this one again.

Rob Vaux
January 9, 2003
Rob Vaux, Flipside Movie Emporium

Alan Parker has a knack for musicals... even ones starring Madonna.

Steve Rhodes
January 1, 2000
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews

The problem is that Madonna's performance is all style. She mugs for the camera, but her acting is rarely convincing and her songs are one disappointment after another. Full Review

Michael Dequina
January 1, 2000
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com

A brisk, involving, and highly entertaining spectacle. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • The Lady
    The Lady (100%)
  • The Phantom of the Opera
    The Phantom of the Opera (64%)
  • El Che - Investigating a Legend
    El Che - Investigating a Legend (38%)
  • The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de Motocicleta)
    The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de Motociclet... (29%)

More Movies like Evita

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Eva Peron: They actually called me a whore...
Submit a Fact | View All

Evita : Watch Free on TV

Evita Trivia

  • Madonna being cast for the lead role in which movie led to protests from many people in Argentina?  Answer »
  • who was the narrator of Evita?  Answer »
  • Which Andrew Lloyd Webber musical did Antonio banderas and Madonna star in?  Answer »
  • Which actress played in Who's that Girl?, Evita and A league of their own?  Answer »
More Evita Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Evita Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Evita to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

jay2Dque Skin by jay2Dque
133 Profiles
Add to Profile

More Skins