Critics seem to really like this biopic about famed Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, but I gotta tellya, I was bored stiff from beginning to end. It's not a horrible movie, but it's a story that doesn't interest me. The only reason I was even mildly interested in this film is because of the director, who I'll get to in a second.
Actually, I take it back, I'll talk about the director now. And this review is gonna be pretty short, because I'm really tired, and I don't wanna spend too much time writing about a movie I didn't enjoy.
"Frida" was directed by a woman named Julie Taymor, and this is only the second feature film she directed. The first movie she directed was "Titus," a brilliant adaptation of one of William Shakespeare's earlier plays. Aside from the 1968 version of "Romeo & Juliet," "Titus" is my favorite movie based on one of Shakespeare's plays. It's extremely dark, sinister, and twisted. Who ever thought that William Shakespeare could be so morbid? But it's not just Shakespeare's work that's impressive, Julie Taymor crafted an amazing film that's beautiful to watch. "Titus" is a true feast for the eyes, and I absolutely love that movie. I was hoping that with "Frida," I'd get something similar, but no. There are a few cool moments where Taymor does some great stuff visually, but it wasn't enough to keep me interested. I just couldn't get into this movie. Sorry, folks.
Salma Hayek stars as the title character, and she's very good, though not astonishing. I have a lotta respect for her as a person, because she busted her ass to see to it that this movie got made, and with her as the star (she was also one of the film's producers). Also, in interviews, she comes off like a very cool, very intelligent person. And, of course, she's really hot. Also in the movie is Alfred Molina, who plays her husband, another famous Mexican painter, "Diego Rivera." Alfred Molina is half-Spanish and half-Italian, and he seems to be able to easily play any nationality. He's a good, versatile character actor who can play just about any kinda role, and he's excellent in this movie. Salma Hayek is good, but Alfred Molina really stands out. Geoffrey Rush (an excellent actor who won a well deserved Best Actor Oscar for his performance in "Shine"... he was also really good in "Elizabeth," "Shakespeare in Love," and "Quills") is strangely cast as "Leon Trotsky," but he somehow manages to do a good job with it. Ashley Judd is in the movie, but she seems miscast. She was pretty good, and very sexy, but the accent was awful. Edward Norton, who is currently dating Salma Hayek, plays "Nelson Rockefeller." He's hardly in it, but he's good.
The screenplay for "Frida" was written by Clancy Sigal (the only other screen credit is for "In Love and War") and Diane Lake (her debut) and Gregory Nava (he wrote and directed "Selena" and "My Family") & Anna Thomas (she often helps Gregory Nava write scripts, such as with "My Family"). The screenplay was based on the book, "Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo" by Hayden Herrera. I don't think the screenplay was all that bad, it's just a story that didn't appeal to me, ya know?
If you're a big fan of Frida Kahlo, then you'll probably really like this movie, otherwise, I'm not sure I'd say that this is a movie you need to see. I mean, it had some good stuff in it, and it's very possible that I'd like it more if I were to try watching it again, but based on my first time watching it, I was bored. If you wanna see a REALLY good movie, though, check out "Titus."
Scale of 1-10: 4