Okay...so don't kill me and hear me out...I found Emilia Perez to be an okay film. Not as bad as everyone was saying but not as good as the industry was saying. It is just okay.
Like I really liked the El Mal song and the papa song was nice too. Selena Gomez was definitely bad at it, but I never liked her performance in anything, including wizards of waverly place that made her a star in the first place. Lol. I really liked that show as a child, but even then, I found her performance to be the weakest of an otherwise funny cast.
Now the song that is most mocked online, "La Vaginoplasty", I thought that song was meant to be a bit cheeky. Like if you see the film, it definitely plays out in a dark humorish way, so I think the song itself is somewhat on the joke. Though the lady song is trying to be serious and is actually pretty terrible.
I actually like the central premise of it, like someone transitioning and trying to start a new life to escape from a dirty past and also living as their true self that they wanted to live, but being pulled back after the people they love get into danger. However, I do think it kind of squanders that premise by the finishing line.
Like act one does a fine job introducing characters and act two does a good job showing the world and raising some stakes...but act three...yeah I have no defense for that as well. I think I wanted the plot to go more in the direction of Emilia having to deal with past victims of her gang and having to make a final deal with rival gangs to get her family out of trouble, putting her life on the line, but instead it goes into a weird direction, where it is her wife's new boyfriend and all that...and I just lost interest at that point. Like Act three definitely squanders good potential.
So this is not even much of a defense, but more like. I don't think it is completely trash, but it could've been better.
Like it is definitely overhated because of the oscar thingey. I personally don't care much about the oscars, I can't even name all the nominees this year, but I have always seen with cinephiles that they will always, each year say, "Oscars are irrelevant" but will get mad if something they don't like gets nominated. Lol.
There is good talk to have there on its representation of mexicans, and the lack of cultural research which may cause for mexican viewers to feel out of film because it not being very well researched, but there have been plenty of films that are not well researched and still kind of turned out good. Gladiator (2000) infamously had walk outs by historical consultants from the set, and yet that film was amazing. Like if your film is good, audience won't care much about inconsistencies i guess.
But yeah, to summarize my point.
Is Emilia Perez a great film? No.
Is Emilia Perez a bad film? Also no.
Is Emilia Perez an average film with some potential here and there, with a central premise that could be interesting but doesn't go in the direction it should have and squanders the entire thing by lack of research and a really weak third act? Yes.
Did I hated my time watching it? No.
Did I loved my time watching it? No, but it didn't bore me or annoyed me. I was able to see it like any other normal film.
Would I have forgotten this film alongside other average Eurpoean arthouse films like High Life (2018) and Zombi Child (2019) that similarly wastes potential of a good premise, if it were not for all the media hubub and the memes? Absolutely.
Is there any better films than this in the LGBTQ market? Thousands and thousands. Go watch Bound (1996), The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of Desert (1994), Farewell To My Concubine (1994), Tangerine (2015), and A Fantastic Woman (2017).
Is there any better films than this in the crime drama market? Thousands and thousands. Start with the godfather and then go down the rabbit hole. Bound is also a crime drama.
Is there any better film in the crime drama musical genre? Just watch Blues Brother. Duh.
Am I stretching this reply way too long? Kind of.
Am I struggling to find an ending to post? Also kind of.
Am I about to reference a tired old meme? Yep.
Hotel? Trivago. Hehehehehehe.
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