Director: Gregory Nava
Writer: Gregory Nava
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Jon Seda
Synopsis: The true story of Selena, a Texas-born Tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart topping albums on the Latin music charts.
When Jennifer Lopez missed out on a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance in Hustlers, I read a lot of pieces talking about how this had been her first genuine shot at the Academy trophy. Sure, she had been terrific before in films like Out of Sight and The Cell, but her daring and commanding turn in Hustlers was apparently the first we were all supposed to take seriously. Nothing could be further from the truth. I stand by the belief that Lopez’s Oscar nomination omission for Lorene Scafaria’s 2019 drama was an egregious one, but let’s not forget she delivered another astonishing dramatic performance early in her career, one that also had a chance of getting recognition from the Academy if the film hadn’t been released so early in the year—1997’s excellent biopic Selena, written and directed by Gregory Nava.
Jennifer Lopez had appeared in a few prior movies, notably 1995’s Money Train opposite Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes, but Selena, released twenty-five years ago this month, was her true breakthrough. Lopez is dazzling from beginning to end as the real-life Selena Quintanilla, a Texas-born singer whose star was on the rise, leading to performances at sold-out arenas and a Grammy Award win, until her life was tragically cut short when her manager shot her to death. The film gives us a sweeping and specific look at the most pivotal moments of Selena’s life, showing the passionate relationship she had with her fiancée Chris Perez (Jon Seda) and the at-times adversarial relationship she had with her father Abraham (an excellent Edward James Olmos).
It’s a riveting rags-to-riches story, a young woman with a dream who will stop at nothing to become a singer. It tells an engrossing family story where compromises have to be made and sometimes ego gets in the way of the right decision being reached, Abraham refusing to let Selena lead a normal life while she wants to have fame and marriage and everything in between. It’s a great behind-the-scenes tell-all about the music industry, especially as we watch her star status rise. And it’s also, in the simplest terms, a fantastic musical, scene after scene showcasing Selena’s powerful vocal instrument (Lopez lip-synched all but one song in the film) and her emotionally resonant songs, particularly “I Could Fall In Love” and the film’s haunting closing number, “Dreaming of You,” in which Lopez steps away and footage of the real Selena plays for a few minutes before the end credits roll.
What I always find remarkable about the film is how fast it was made following the singer’s sudden death, released to theaters less than two years after the tragic shooting. In some ways it seems as if a few more years needed to pass to tell the most honest life story of this incredible person, yet at no point does the viewer feel the story has been rushed or created in a haphazard fashion. Gregory Nava’s screenplay takes its time, shows in all its detail and glory Selena’s extraordinary ascension to fame, and the pacing of his film is also just right, the focus always on character rather than a formulaic musical plot.
And then there’s Jennifer Lopez, who is still a revelation in the film. She inhabits Selena to such a degree I always forget I’m watching Lopez, the quirks found in some of her later roles not on display here. If Selena had opened at the end of 1997 and had gotten a big awards push, Lopez absolutely could have snuck into that Best Actress race, especially considering she managed a Golden Globe nomination for her performance nearly a year after the film’s initial release. Not a lot of films from the early part of 1997 have had much staying power. Liar, Liar, Jim Carrey’s box office smash released the same weekend as Selena, hasn’t aged well, and in some ways it’s the quieter films from that time like this and the beautiful love story Love Jones, starring Larenz Tate and Nia Long, that have lasted the best.
Selena Quintanilla is an ageless star, and Selena the film is ageless, too. It is one that will continue to have tremendous rewatchability for the next twenty-five years and beyond. It’s one of the best examples of Lopez’s charismatic power on screen, evidence she absolutely has an Oscar nomination in her future—it’s just a matter of when.
