"Passionada" is a very light and enjoyable film. But the story has been done a million times over by Hollywood and on TV. It's the typical tale of a worldly, WASPy guy who meets and romances an ethnic, family-devoted girl. You just knew that there would be a clash of cultures and an eventual break-up. She would undoubtedly tempt her guy with ethnic food, dance and song, and even sensual sex. And he would tempt her with excitement, luxuries, and new adventures that only a man from outside her world could promise her. Sound familiar? Some people here complained about the lack of authenticity due to the director using non-Portuguese actors and Brazilian music. I don't think it made any difference. The acting and music and shots of the locale were very authentic and first-rate. The only thing that I couldn't figure out was all the casino scenes, since there are no casinos in New Bedford, Mass. The nearest ones are Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods in Conn., over an hour away. And Vicky, the young daughter, drove her scooter all the way over there and back on school nights? And if Charlie was such a professional card counter at Blackjack, banned from every casino, why was he broke? I must've missed something during a bathroom break. Other than that, "Passionada" is a fun film and a good insight into Portuguese-American culture, if that's your thing.

You may be interested in this merely because Emmy Rossum is so appealing. She has one of those accidental faces that's somewhat over-sized featurewise. But like others (Kyra, Julia) she can light up the area with her smile. But she has more natural range and appeal than they do. And she's helped by another natural, Theresa Russell.But this story is a disaster. You can see how the writer worked: to the ordinary story of single mother seeking love from a pretender while daughter watches they add stuff. And what stuff: threads about gambling, fishing, cooking, singing and "Latin" love. But none of these threads go anywhere, none of them connect with each other or the main story. The result is a mess. The DVD has an original ending that is entirely apt in its discontinuity, and an accompanying commentary that expresses disgust over that same disconnectedness. Amazing.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

After reading all the glowing reviews on this site for this movie I wonder if I saw the same movie. To me it was little more than a made for TV movie shown on the Lifetime channel on a Sunday afternoon. First of all, the plot and lives of the characters did not ring true. We saw the mother at work once. We never saw the daughter going to school, yet she stayed out all night at the casino. The mother let her daughter meet people from the internet? The dialogue was stilted and the acting was bad. The mother asked "What?" several times. That was annoying. I cringed at the performances of Vicky, Grandma, Lois, and Lois' husband. The movie dragged on and on. Oh, well. Such is life.

"Passionada" is all about Milos as a beautiful Portuguese widow and cabaret singer who mourns the loss of her fisherman husband while her daughter and gambling prodigy Rossum consorts with professional card player Issacs to get good old mom out of her funk. The result is a beautifully shot film with marginally interesting characters and an uneventful story which spends most of its time with Issacs courting a reluctant Milos with his English accent and glib patter. The film wanders somewhere between romantic drama and romantic comedy not taking a firm position thereby diluting its ability to be engaging in either genre. Nonetheless, romantics and sentimentalists will appreciate this languorous but pretty film with a cosmopolitan flavor. (B-)