Woman on Top (2000)

Director:

Fina Torres

Writer (WGA):

Vera Blasi (written by)

Release Date:

22 September 2000 (Greece)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

It's gonna be one hot summer.

Plot:

Brazilian chef Isabella Oliveira moves to San Francisco when her husband, frustrated by her motion sickness, cheats on her.

Plot Keywords:

Brazil | TV Show | Infidelity | Flashback Sequence | Magic

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Penélope Cruz	...	Isabella Oliveira (as Penelope Cruz)
Murilo Benício	...	Toninho Oliveira
Harold Perrineau	...	Monica Jones (as Harold Perrineau Jr.)
Mark Feuerstein	...	Cliff Lloyd
John de Lancie	...	Alex Reeves (as John De Lancie)
Anne Ramsay	...	TV Director
Ana Gasteyer	...	Claudia Hunter
Analu De Castro	...	Little Isabella - Age 2
Thais De Sá Curvelo	...	Little Isabella - Age 5
Eliane Guttman	...	Isabella's Mother (as Eliana Guttman)
Eduardo Mattedi	...	Isabella's Father
Ana Paula Oliveira	...	Cook
Marilice Santos	...	Sexy Neighbor
Giba Conceição	...	Troubadour #1
Joaquim Pinto	...	Troubadour #2

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong sexuality and language.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Singapore:M18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bahia, Brazil

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

All interiors for the San Francisco scenes were shot in soundstages in Brazil.

Goofs:

Continuity: Isabella and Monica burn the photo of Toninho but later, while Isabella and Cliff are fooling around on the sofa, the same picture is in the frame on the table.

Quotes:

[talking to operator about Monica]
Tonihno: But she is unique! 5'10, braids, great legs and... she's a man!
Operator: In San Francisco, that is not unique!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Jay Leno Show: (#1.44)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Acordei

Penélope Cruz is a fish

This, overall, is a cute movie. While Cruz is far and away the star of this movie, the stories strong point is that it is a "chick flick" with an attitude. The best performance comes from actor Harold Perrineau Jr. who plays a gay side kick to Cruz. Much like the movie, Cruz is unique and at many times sexy. Although this is a romantic comedy, there is drama to be found. Cruz is something between a fish and the hot chili like peppers that are used in her character's cooking. She is simple like a fish, yet she is exotic and original like the peppers she uses to make her simple dishes breath taking. This is not a sexually driven movie, although the dishes she makes in the kitchen are nothing but sex, sex, and more sex. Overall, a nice story that puts a smile on your face.