Frida
(R, 2:02:51, Released 2002)
| Genres: | Drama, Romance |
| Release Date: | Oct 25, 2002 |
| DVD Release Date: | Jun 10, 2003 |
| Starring: | Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush, Ashley Judd, Antonio Banderas, Edward Norton, Valeria Golino, Mia Maestro, Roger Rees, Patricia Reyes Spíndola |
| Directed by: | Julie Taymor |
| Synopsis: | After being attached to a number of actors, directors, and producers, this long-gestating biography of one of Mexico's most prominent, iconoclastic painters reaches the screen under the guiding hand of producer/star Salma Hayek. Hayek ages some 30 years onscreen as she charts Frida Kahlo's life from feisty schoolgirl to Diego Rivera protégée to world-renowned artist in her own right. Frida details Kahlo's affluent upbringing in Mexico City, and her nurturing relationship with her traditional mother (Patricia Reyes Spindola) and philosophical father (Roger Rees). Having already suffered the crippling effects of polio, Kahlo sustains further injuries when a city bus accident nearly ends her life. But in her bed-ridden state, the young artist produces dozens upon dozens of pieces; when she recovers, she presents them to the legendary -- and legendarily temperamental -- Rivera (Alfred Molina), who takes her under his wing as an artist, a political revolutionary, and, inevitably, a lover. But their relationship is fraught with trouble, as the philandering Rivera traverses the globe painting murals, and Kahlo languishes in obscurity, longing to make her mark on her own. Frida was directed by Julie Taymor, whose Broadway production of The Lion King won her international acclaim. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi |
| Full movie details |
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Other Top Reviews
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May 30, 2011
Visually brilliant biopic about an original directed by an original. Love, love, love.
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March 29, 2011
A feast for the eyes...a famine for the ears.
This films moments of immense beauty are almost overshadowed by the mediocre acting.
While Salma Hayek certainly looks the part, there is a certain shallowness to her acting abilities that really did not do the character justice. And Ashley Judd's performance (though mercifully brief) is just painful to watch and hear.
I did learn a lot about Firda's life and with that insight gained a greater appreciation for her work, but what could have been an AMAZING film with a more solid lead...ended up feeling just like a beautifully filmed vanity piece. -
December 7, 2010
I never much cared for Kahlo's work. Still don't. But it made me respect the woman more. After this I can see how well suited this was for Taymor's directing style. The visual effects that worked for her here were very similar in Across the Universe.
Outstanding acting and beautiful cinematography. Probably one of my favorite biopics. (Much better than Evita...) -
August 26, 2010
Fascinating and insightful. Alfred Molina seems perfectly suited for the role of Diego Rivera and Hayek is simply fantastic. The dream sequence and artful animation took me by surprise. 4 and a half stars!
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July 13, 2010
The visual effects, and the basically brilliant acting by Hayek, makes Frida a must see, and original film.
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May 7, 2010
cant get past the unibrow...
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December 23, 2009
This interesting biopic of famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo has some good art direction and photography, in a fine but conventional story.
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September 30, 2009
Fantastic film. Everything from the direction, cinematography, acting and make-up was superb. It?s one of the best biopics filmed to date. You really do gain understanding of Frida's life and work, interweaving her famous paintings into the film was beautifully done. The only thing that would have given this film the full 5 stars, is if it had been filmed in Spanish. Still, a great film!
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May 12, 2009
I liked it, but it didn't really add anything to the biopics that I've already seen on her. I did like the cool ways they integrated her paintings into the film though. Frida's story just fascinates me, she was such a tortured soul.
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July 29, 2008
I don't think I've ever seen Salma Hayek act so well. I particularly enjoyed how they incorporated Kahlo's paintings into the plot, and how in part they shot New York and Paris using black and white (either collage through King Kong, or black and white with Kahlo in colour). It gave the film an eclectic feel which I felt fit well with Kahlo's painting style. However, it would have been nice if Edward Norton had been given a bigger part, though as who I don't know.
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February 9, 2008
Outstanding Biopic.
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January 4, 2007
Salma Hayek does a spectaular performance as the real-life artist Frida Kahlo as how much I love the famous biographies.
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December 30, 2006
Frida Kahlo: I love a man with melones that are bigger than mine.
Diego Rivera: And I love a woman with cajones.
Besides getting to see Salma Hayek naked, there is also a very good movie here. It is about the aritist Frida Kahlo, who goes through a lot during her life time. She was a bisexual painter, married to a communist, who had some accidents in her life and affairs with many people, including Leon Trotsky. Her husband was also involved in different affairs and episodes during his time as an artist as well. The movie is well acted, featuring a broad cast beside Hayek including Doc Oc, El Mariachi, The Illusionist, and Captain Barbossa. The films style is very good as well, combing practical effects with Frida's actual paintings. A very good film about the life of this woman. -
July 4, 2006
In a perfect world, Salma Hayek should've gotten an Academy Award for her performance as the Mexican painter. But, living in a flawed world, you will still appreciate the courage it took to play such a strong woman and the art direction is simply exquisite.
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May 1, 2010
Visually stunning, has got to be my favorite film aesthetically speaking. Even the trolley crash that crippled Frida was beautifully shot and styled. Salma Hayak's performance was outstanding. I admire her perserverance to have this film made.
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March 14, 2008
The choice of Julie Taymor to direct a film about Frida Kahlo was an excellent stroke. Here was a director with the same fierce and energy and intelligence as Kahlo herself. Taymor also had just the right mixture of imagination and sardonic wit to keep Frida's story from turning into a melodrama, as the film was given a light touch without losing depth and without ignoring Kahlo's dark side.
Of course, most films on artists' lives drown in angst, grotesque behaviour on how and why the artist creates. Yet the film is a different kind of story that offered unusual insight into not only the creative impulses of a truly unique woman artist, but also into one of the most passionate and complex love stories of our time.
Thirty years of Frida's life are covered in the span of a two-hour film. It's a film with combination of epic tale of love, art and politics. -
November 5, 2011
This is a stunning biopic about painter Frida Kahlo. The screenplay seems a bit all over the place, but so was Kahlo's life. Impressive performance by Salma Hayek. Director Julie Taymor is one to watch.
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June 2, 2011
Exceptional biopic chronicling the life of Frida Kahlo, a prominent Mexican artist to whom I was completely oblivious. And what a life she lived! From suffering crippling back & leg injuries during a bus accident as a teenager, to romancing Mexico's most important painter of the 1930's Diego Rivera, to participating in her country's socialist uprising, to indulging in bisexual relationships, to gaining international fame as painter herself, to having an affair with communist fugitive Leo Trotsky!
The film does a great job of highlighting some of the turning points in Frida's life while exploring her psyche and detailing her artistic vision. They show many examples of her work, which are at turns captivating, surreal, and horrific. Her style evolves from simple portraiture to complex, sometimes grotesque imagery. "I don't believe that ever before has a woman put such agonized poetry on canvas," as Diego Rivera describes. The movie gave me a real, firm sense of this woman's motivations, as if it knows what is talking about, not some fuzzy portrait where I don't know any more than when I started which frequently is a biopic's pitfall.
The production is glorious, colorful, and authentic, harmonizing with a vibrant soundtrack and some ingenious visual effects that literally bring some of Frida's artwork to life. The acting is equally superb top to bottom. Salma Hayek is completely infused with her subject's spirit and clearly, as star and co-producer, this was a labor of love. I hadn't realized before how short she is, but she rocks a unibrow like no other.
Other than knowledge of some award nominations, I had no expectations for Frida and it emerged a real winner. -
April 12, 2009
Salma Hayek can now be added to the list of women who acheive greatness in a dramatic role, get nominated for an Oscar, and go back to making mediocre movies.
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March 27, 2009
I love the unibrow, I think if her and Liam Gallager had a baby it would be awful. I loved the camera work and the artistic effects transforming painting of real life into real life in front of our eyes. Salma Hayek plays a famous painter and revolutionary Frida Kahlo. There is a star studded cast take us on the journey of this amazing painter, from the tragic accident to the bitter end. She was quite a colorful person in a colorful world
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December 12, 2008
What a suprise. I didn't expect the movie to come out the way it did. Salma Hayek portraying Frida is one of her best roles ever in this intriguing movie. What Frida endured is a challenge for any woman, and the character that is potrayed by Salma brought sensitivity, charisma, talented and gifted. A great movie.
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October 2, 2008
It's what you'd expect from a bio-pic. It holds your attention and has some interesting cinematic flairs. It's definitely worth a watch just to get a sense of her life and see her great art, which is really fantastic.
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December 22, 2007
Ugh! Biopics, the most difficult genre to explore! Most of them fail miserably in my opinion. So does this one!
However, the cast is superb and there is great acting from Salma Hayek. Kudos to her!
Besides that, this is boring, uninteresting, what have you.
Did not captivate me one little bit. -
August 24, 2007
The music and colors of this picture are absolutely delicious for the ears and the eyes. Hayek did a very believable commited artist.
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February 3, 2007
Good.
