User reviews

Emilia Pérez has sparked significant controversy, and for good reason. From the outset, the lack of Mexican representation like a glaring oversight. The French director's admission that he didn't feel the need to research Mexico, paired with the casting director's claim that no talented Mexican actors could be found, only adds insult to injury. These choices reflect a tone-deaf and dismissive approach to authenticity.

What's even more baffling is how Emilia Pérez managed to garner so many Oscar nominations. While the Academy has a history of nominating films with problematic undertones (The Help, Green Book), those at least offered stories that entertained broad audiences. Emilia Pérez, however, doesn't even accomplish that. The story is dull and lifeless, so much so that out of three of us who watched it, two fell asleep, and the third decided to switch to another movie.

To make matters worse, Emilia Pérez is a musical - but not in a good way. The songs are forgettable at best and cringe-worthy at worst, and most of the cast can barely sing. The musical numbers, which should have been a highlight, drag the movie down even further.

That said, there are a couple of redeeming elements. Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón deliver strong performances and truly don't deserve the backlash tied to the film's broader issues. Their nominations are the only ones that feel genuinely earned. Unfortunately, the rest of the film is a mess.

Overall, Emilia Pérez is an underwhelming, uninspired production that fails to justify the attention it's received.

The problem with this movie is not Selena's Spanish, I don't find this movie particularly bad but some of the dialogue is really cringy and as a Mexican none of the people from here use the terms that were in the movie. The portrayal of Mexico in this film is very stereotypical and sometimes that isn't bad, but I think they should had cast real Latin writers and supervisors to make this movie more accurate and respectful to the country. The fact that the director doesn't speak Spanish or even English speaks volumes of the commitment to understanding what the movie is about and the emotions that triggers.

Also the songs are horrible.

The only thing salvageable is Zoe Saldaña's performance.

Sorry, I've got to say it. EMILIA PEREZ IS NOT A GOOD MOVIE. It's not a Razzie film by any stretch, but it's practically incoherent narrative flow, at times excruciating dialog and lack of internal logic leave it as a mediocre straight-to Netflix commoner in the movie space. I'll give you an example of its bad script, in the movie the characther says "Bienvenido" which means Welcome, but in the context of the conversation she means to say "Your Welcome", "De nada" in Spanish. It seems they did the writing in French and use google for translation. Yes, it covers some important themes and issues, but that doesn't make your movie good. You still have to build a fundamentally good film around the issues or it's just noise. And that's Emilia Perez... just noise.

I will start out by saying I am not a fan of operas. However this film was not what I had expected. The main characters were mostly unlikable. The plot was rather ridiculous. Certain actors were very miscast. Selena Gomez needed Spanish lessons. I am sure that anyone who lives in Mexico will hate this movie. The director isn't Mexican. I saw all the awards at the Golden Globes and that is the ony reason I decided to watch it. If you like any of the actors, you may want to give it a try. However I would have to say watch at your own risk. It is one of the worst films I have seen in the recent past.

Emilia Perez isn't a bad movie, but it felt somewhat flat. At times, the story seemed too easy for the characters, lacking tension or conflict. Emilia, in particular, transforms into an overwhelmingly positive character, even though we know from the backstory that she wasn't always so good.

The movie tackles a wide range of themes but struggles to fully explore them. Instead of diving deeply into any one idea, it spreads itself too thin, leaving several threads underdeveloped.

As someone who doesn't typically enjoy musicals, this film didn't change my mind. However, I can appreciate that this was the director's vision, and I know many viewers will enjoy the musical elements. To its credit, some of the musical numbers were well done, especially those performed by Zoe Saldana. Her performance was a standout and arguably the film's biggest revelation, elevating many scenes with her presence and talent.

Overall, Emilia Perez is an enjoyable film. While I don't quite understand its acclaim at Cannes, it has its moments.

As a Spanish native speaker i found this movie disrespectful and childish. The spanish speakers characters can barely pronounce two words, turning the whole script into an uncomfortable caricature. Although disguised as a modern production, they fall into the same errors of typecast Latinos into same old stereotypes. The only valuable thing is the attempt to offer something different by mixing a Spanish language film with a musical, however its execution becomes irritating to watch. I'm sure any positive reviews must come from someone totally unfamiliar with the Spanish language, as this is a determining factor in making this film totally inedible and a endless meme material.

"Emilia Pérez" is, at best, just okay. It feels incredibly overhyped, and I honestly don't understand how it's winning so many awards. Zoe Saldana delivers a strong performance, but the rest of the cast is just average.

The film tries to mix crime, drama, and musical elements, but the execution is uneven. Some scenes drag, making the pacing feel sluggish, and the emotional moments often seem forced rather than genuine. While the cinematography and production design are impressive, the storytelling lacks depth. It's a film that aims high but doesn't fully deliver. A 6/10 for me-decent but forgettable.

This movie is considered one of the best motion pictures of the past year? How? What a miserable experience. Why is this movie a musical? WHY? None of the songs do anything to advance the plot or tell us more about the characters, in fact the awful songwriting makes every scene with a song feel like instead of getting a deeper understanding of anything through song, the song is being used to tell us things that we can already see on screen and would be way more effectively communicated through better visual storytelling. The songs also don't really have any structure to them, they don't go anywhere. It genuinely feels like it was translated by Duolingo and the awful delivery of the lines (especially from Selena Gomez) doesn't help matters at all. Karla Gascón is fine...but not that fine to be nominated for an Oscar.

Emilia Perez is probably one of the most original movies I've seen in a long time. I saw it with no preconceived expectations, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The performances by the three female leads were excellent and unexpected. The characters are written well, and I was totally engrossed in the story. This movie really surprised me with its depth.

The visuals are stunning, and the music rhythms really meshed with the story. It's nice to someone thinking outside the box and bringing something different to the cinema. I applaud this story and the actresses that brought it to light. I think it's worth a look for any movie lover.

This is an ambitious film that certainly succeeds in combining several genres. It is also a film that manages to fascinate and captivate for its whole, long running time.

However, there are two major problems: First: the film is ridiculously moralistic.

Second: it is absurd to believe that nobody would immediately question the identity and therefore the background of the main character. Her motivation is legit, she wants to make amends, but it is mindboggling that the filmmakers apparently thought it could go unquestioned when the protagonist, a mysterious woman in every respect, carelessly decides to enter the spotlight.

I am speechless... I'm guessing all the positive reviews are from people who a) don't speak Spanish and b) wanted their caricatures of Mexicans and trans people confirmed.

The dialogues are insufferable, no one speaks like that, the music is jarring, the accents (even though Zoe Saldana is clearly making a huge effort. Let's not even talk about Selena) are not good.

The bad words sprinkled thought the movie feel so unnatural, not only because of the delivery, but how they are used. This was clearly written by somebody with some vague knowledge of Mexican culture, but definitely not enough to make something good.

The only redeeming quality this movie has is that it's undoubtedly pretty. That's it.

Mexican people should avoid it at all costs.

Only money is capable of making someone consider this "film" a good representation of history, culture or anything, on its own or considering the Mexican context. The number of nominations and awards only demonstrates this, that the outpouring of money moves the "vote". The Mexican majority itself finds the film disrespectful. A French director who thinks he "knows" enough about Mexican culture, an international cast (mainly American) with a Mexican actress who isn't even being considered in the awards campaign. It's simply bizarre and frightening that the film industry and academia genuinely consider this work.

The portrayal of Mexico is a caricature, riddled with lazy stereotypes - other than the mum saying her son teacher was missing - so it covers a couple of violent headline news, but far from a full critic of why it happens. The fact that not a single Mexican actor graces the screen, a slap in the face to a rich culture and talented performers dealing with difficult themes.

The music? An offensive assault on the ears. It's as if the composers Googled "Mexican music" and slapped together the first five results. No soul, no nuance, just a jarring cacophony. Sorry but "hasta mi pinche vulva te extraña" is so cringey in spanish!

And the trans representation? The film reduces a complex and nuanced identity to a cheap plot device, lacking any genuine depth or respect into a couple of poorly written songs about "de pene a vagina".

"Emilia Pérez" is not just a bad movie, it's an insult.

In what universe is this movie up for 13 Oscar nominations? No, no, Hollywood is trolling us right? I'm not even going to waste time outlining the complete lack of talent required to produce this film, and the complete lack of integrity of all the reviewers who are lauding this film for one reason only..."THE MESSAGE" must go out to the ignorant people. They must take their medicine, no matter how disgusting it tastes...Well I'm not going to take it anymore. I'm done with the Oscars. I'm done with Hollywood. I'm done. In what universe is this movie up for 13 Oscar nominations? No, no, Hollywood is trolling us right? I'm not even going to waste time outlining the complete lack of talent required to produce this film, and the complete lack of integrity of all the reviewers who are lauding this film for one reason only..."THE MESSAGE" must go out to the ignorant people. They must take their medicine, no matter how disgusting it tastes...Well I'm not going to take it anymore. I'm done with the Oscars. I'm done with Hollywood. I'm done. In what universe is this movie up for 13 Oscar nominations? No, no, Hollywood is trolling us right? I'm not even going to waste time outlining the complete lack of talent required to produce this film, and the complete lack of integrity of all the reviewers who are lauding this film for one reason only..."THE MESSAGE" must go out to the ignorant people. They must take their medicine, no matter how disgusting it tastes...Well I'm not going to take it anymore. I'm done with the Oscars. I'm done with Hollywood. I'm done.

Just finished watching Emilia Perez (2024) and it was fine I guess. There is a lot to like and dislike in this movie.

Positives for Emilia Perez (2024): The movie looks good with some great cinematography. The movie does get ambitious with the blending of genre thrown into the mix and I appreciate that. The performances from Zoe Saldana and Karla Sofia Gascon are very good. The musical numbers are fun to watch. And finally, I thought that the movie did a great job at telling it's transgender story.

Mixed for Emilia Perez (2024): While the movie is certainly ambitious with its blending of genres, there are elements to this that felt out of place in this movie. The musical numbers feel like they just came out of nowhere and it felt jarring at times.

Negatives for Emilia Perez (2024): The movie is way too long and I feel that this movie could've told its story with a shorter runtime. The movie lost my interest almost immediately and it just became background noise for me.

Overall, I admired the filmmakers and actors for being ambitious with this movie, it just fully worked for me. However, I would still recommend this movie to people, if they are interested with this movie.

The music is awful (objective) The characters are awful (morally questionable, really bad writing) Representation is awful (being all inclusive but telling "they didn't like Mexico" and only representing vague notions about everything else, even the trans representation is wrong in many ways) Privileged people thinking how exotic is to live in a country full of "violence" as if it was the wild west.

Devoid of the logical rationality behind human rights.

Finally, making the literal comparison of a cartel leader becoming a SAINT.

They absolutely have no idea of the real world.

Even from the title they thought of the most common stereotypical name...

Also it's really ironic how they used Google translate but couldn't use google search. I'm not even asking for realism, just for them to show they didn't do less than minimum effort.

I think the film juggles too many themes, and none of them are fully explored, leaving the narrative feeling rushed and incomplete. And as a result, it feels like a collection of ideas rather than a cohesive story.

I also didn't quite understand why it was framed as a musical-this choice felt disconnected from the rest of the story.

The performances are solid, but the characters aren't developed enough to create a lasting emotional connection.

However, I really liked the cinematography, beautifully shot and visually captivating.

To sum up, the movie leaves you wanting more depth and clarity.

As a Mexican and a musician, Emilia Perez was an absolute assault on my ears. The songs were atrociously written and horribly performed-an unbearable disaster from start to finish. The Spanish dialogue? Completely unintelligible, thanks to ridiculous accents and what seemed like Google Translate-level writing. Seriously, who thought this was acceptable?

The story might have had some potential, but even that was destroyed by how horribly written it was. Any shred of creativity was drowned in a sea of incompetence. This isn't just a bad movie; it's an insult to anyone who appreciates decent filmmaking. A complete and utter failure.

Enjoyable enough movie with two demanding leading roles and two supporting roles requiring excellent performers. The first two are played by Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofia Gascón, the second two by Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz. This quartet shared the Best Actress award at Cannes 2024. They deserved it. Saldaña in particular is a revelation.

Of writer-director Jacques Audiard's previous films, I've seen four (The Beat that My Heart Skipped, A Prophet, Rust and Bone, and The Sisters Brothers), each memorable in their different ways. None of them prepared me for this one, so hats of to him for not getting stuck in a genre rut.

There's a lot of story and a lot of singing in Emilia Pérez. When the singing is paired with Damien Jalet's incisive choreography, the effect is thrilling. Otherwise, the songs drag the movie down. They are musical-theatre lite, don't dig deep, so are not up to the dramatic demands put upon them. They're at their best in the rap-inclined numbers, where rhythm is the most important element.

The moral of Emilia Pérez seems to be that we can never slough off the past, change who we are or what we want. It's a strangely bleak vision to present in a musical.

As a Spanish native speaker, this was very hard to watch!! The songs are boring and lack good lyrics, it just repeats the same phrase over and over... it's a poorly representation of Mexican culture, almost like a joke. (Sorry about Selena, but her Spanish wasn't there :( there are soooo many talented latin actress that actually speak Spanish) The concept was actually decent but honestly I don't know what happened in the execution and script.

I fight myself to don't fall sleep because I honestly thought that it'll get better in some point hahaa but I was wrong!

A total waste of time, don't bother watching this.

(Totally questioning if there is people that really like this)

I want to be clear. I agree this movie is denigrating to the Mexican community and the trans community which by itself makes it an absolute disgrace. As a movie by itself it is truly one of the biggest pieces of garbage I have ever seen. Zoe Saldana is fine, but the acting from every other person is quite frankly abhorrent. Selena Gomez is truly shocking in both her grasp of Spanish and her singing. How this movie has garnered so much critical praise is beyond me. I feel it serves as a huge reminder with how deluded Hollywood is. Do not waste your time with this. You will wish you could have the time back.

Seriously??? This movie is such a joke! It literally lacks authentic representation of mexico?? As a mexican, i am deeply offended this movie is poorly directed and written. I was originallly very passionate and excited for this movie, but after watching this, it just upsets and offend me... On top of that, how did this film get nominated for oscar?? Anyone with a good pair of eyes could see this film has nothing good at all, especially the plot, what in the world is it?? It is ridicoulous, does not make any sense and again RIDICULOUS. Please do not spend time watching this movie, it is a complete waste of time.