Selena (1997)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Gregory Nava

Writer (WGA):

Gregory Nava (written by)

Release Date:

21 March 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

The story of a girl who had the spirit to believe in a dream and the courage to make it come true.

Plot:

The true story of Selena Quintanilla-Perez, a Texas born tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart topping albums on the Latin music charts.

Plot Keywords:

Singer | Tejano | Marriage | Texas | Band

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Lopez	...	Selena Quintanilla-Pérez
Jackie Guerra	...	Suzette Quintanilla
Constance Marie	...	Marcela Quintanilla
Alex Meneses	...	Sara (as Alexandra Meneses)
Jon Seda	...	Chris Perez
Edward James Olmos	...	Abraham Quintanilla
Jacob Vargas	...	Abie Quintanilla
Pete Astudillo	...	Himself - Dinos 1990's
Rueben Gonzáles	...	Joe Ojeda - Dinos 1990's (as Ruben Gonzalez)
Ricky Vela	...	Himself - Dinos 1990's
Don Shelton	...	Stage Dancer
Richard Emanuelle	...	Concert Reporter (as Richard Emanuele)
Panchito Gómez	...	Young Abraham - Dinos 1961 (as Panchito Gomez)
Richard Coca	...	Bobby - Dinos 1961
George Perez	...	Seff - Dinos 1961

Also Known As:

Selena: The Movie (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild language and thematic elements.

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | USA:PG (certificate #35172) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:TE | Finland:S (video premiere) | Singapore:PG | UK:PG (video premiere)

Filming Locations:

Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

Company:

Q Productions

Trivia:

In the scene where Chris Perez (played by Jon Seda) first appears, the close up of his hands playing the guitar are in fact the hands of the real Chris Perez.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Selena goes back to Chris's room and tells him she's tired of hiding still, his bangs are in his face. During this whole scene, his bangs move from in front of his face to on top of his head.

Quotes:

Abie Quintanilla: What's Dad gonna say?
Selena Quintanilla: [imitating Abraham] I don't believe this, son! What were you thinking?
[scene switches]
Abraham Quintanilla: I don't believe this, son! What were you thinking of? Who's that laughing? Is that Selena? Listen, where are you?

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

A Summer Place

A Moving Tribute

Jennifer Lopez proved that she was a high-class actress with this true story of the Tejano Superstar whose life was cut short by a disgruntled employee. Lopez shines and Edward James Olmos is super (as usual) as her tough-nosed father. The rest of the cast is adequate, but the show is shared between Lopez and Olmos. The screenplay is a little sappy, but fine overall. Director Gregory Nava is always focused and this keeps the film interesting throughout. A fine film all the way. 4 stars out of 5.