Passionada


3/4

Starring: Jason Isaacs, Sofia Milos, Emmy Rossum, Lupe Ontiveros, Theresa Russell, Seymour Cassel

Rated PG-13 for Some Sensuality and a Conversation About Drugs

“Passionada” is everything a good romantic comedy should be.  It’s funny, well-acted and reasonably short.  But more importantly, we like the characters and even more so when they’re together.

Charlie Beck (Isaacs) is a card shark who is running out of places to go where the casinos don’t have his name on their “do not enter” list.  One night when he is out with a friend, he sees Celia Amonte (Milos) sing, and Charlie is instantly smitten.  His attempts to get a date with the widow are rebuffed, but Celia’s daughter, Vicky (Rossum) makes him a deal: if he teaches her to count cards, she’ll give him tips on how to woo her mother.

Jason Isaacs is one of my favorite actors.  Although he is known for playing utterly evil villains (most notably Col. Tavington in “The Patriot” and Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies), I’ve seen him in other, less antagonistic roles and have been impressed by his talent and versatility.  Isaacs can add his role as Charlie Beck into his repertoire of terrific performances.  There’s nothing particularly original about Charlie, but Isaacs makes him likable and he knows the concept of comic timing (something he hasn’t been able to show off before).  He also has a nice, understated chemistry with his co-star, Sofia Milos.  I don’t believe I’ve seen Sofia Milos in anything else (although she was a one-time regular on “CSI Miami”), but while her range appears to be a little on the limited side, she’s mostly effective here, and makes what is really a character out of a cheap romance novel into a living, breathing woman.  And she’s also quite beautiful, making it easy to believe how Charlie could become so infatuated with her.  Seymour Cassel and Theresa Russell (in a far cry from her role in “The Believer”) provide solid support.  Lupe Ontiveros has some very funny moments as Celia’s feisty mother-in-law.

To my surprise, the actor who got my attention the most was not Jason Isaacs.  That distinction goes to Emmy Rossum.  The young actress has been on the rise for quite some time, and while she had the lead in “The Phantom of the Opera,” she hasn’t made it to the A-list yet.  Be that as it may, Rossum is delightful as Vicky.  She’s smart, funny and isn’t going to let Charlie get his way easily.  Some of the film’s best laughs are because of her.

While this is certainly a good movie, and I don’t hesitate for a second to recommend it, there’s nothing that special about it either.  Nothing truly sets it apart from every other good romantic comedy.  Part of the reason is because the relationship between Charlie and Celia moves too fast.  Romances need to burn slowly then catch fire; director Dan Ireland uses gasoline.  One more scene that shows Celia slowly letting down her guard would have helped things immensely.

Still, despite its few flaws, “Passionada” is a good choice for those in a romantic mood.

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