''Passionada'' is a 2002

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

. It is directed by

Dan Ireland Daniel Frederick Ireland (May 11, 1949 – April 14, 2016) was an American-Canadian film producer and director.''. In: cinemawithoutborders.com, July 5, 2012 He was the co-founder of the Seattle International Film Festival. Biography Ireland was b ...

and stars

Jason Isaacs Jason Isaacs (born 6 June 1963) is an English actor. Isaac's film roles include Col. Tavington in '' The Patriot'' (2000), Michael D. Steele in '' Black Hawk Down'' (2001), Lucius Malfoy in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2002–2011), C ...

Sofia Milos Sofia Milos (; gr, Σοφία Μίλος, born 27 September 1969) is a Swiss-born actress. She is best known for her role as Yelina Salas on ''CSI: Miami''. She has also had a role on ''The Sopranos'' as Camorra boss Annalisa Zucca, as well ...

and

Emmy Rossum Emmanuelle Grey Rossum (born September 12, 1986) is an American actress, director, and singer. She is known for her portrayal of List of Shameless (American TV series) characters#Fiona Gallagher, Fiona Gallagher in the television series ''Shame ...

, co-starring

Seymour Cassel Seymour Joseph Cassel (January 22, 1935 – April 7, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in over 200 movies and television shows, and had a career that spanned over 50 years. Cassel first came to prominence in the 1960s in the pioneering in ...

and

Theresa Russell Theresa Lynn Russell ( Paup; born March 20, 1957) is an American actress whose career spans over four decades. Her filmography includes over fifty feature films, ranging from mainstream to independent and experimental films. Born in San Diego, R ...

. The story is by David Bakalar, and the

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

is by Jim and Steve Jermanok. The film is set in

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. Up throug ...

, a formerly wealthy port town with a sizable population of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

descent.

Plot summary

Celia Amonte (

Milos Milos or Melos (; el, label=Modern Greek, Μήλος, Mílos, ; grc, Μῆλος, Mêlos) is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. Milos is the southwesternmost island in the Cyclades group. The ''Venus d ...

) is a

Portuguese American Portuguese Americans ( pt, português-americanos), also known as Luso-Americans (''luso-americanos''), are citizens and residents of the United States who are connected to the country of Portugal by birth, ancestry, or citizenship. Americans and ...

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...

who lives in

with her daughter Vicky ( Rossum); her late husband was a fisherman lost at sea. Vicky sneaks out of the house to go to a casino, where she meets Charlie Beck (

Isaacs Isaacs may refer to: * The Isaacs, a bluegrass Southern gospel music group * Isaacs (surname) * Isaacs, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra, Australia * Division of Isaacs, a federal electoral division in Victoria, Australia * Divisi ...

), a British card counter, and attempts to convince him to teach her his trade. Charlie is apprehended by the casino staff, and told that he can either work to find other card counters, or be banned from the casino. After accepting a ban, Charlie meets with his friends Daniel (

Cassel Cassel may refer to: People * Cassel (surname) Places ;France * Cassel, Nord, a town and commune in northern France ** Battle of Cassel (1071) ** Battle of Cassel (1328) ** Battle of Cassel (1677) ;Germany * Cassel, Germany, a city in Hesse renam ...

) and Lois Vargas ( Russell) at the Shawmut Diner, where they attempt to convince him to stop card counting. Charlie goes to a Portuguese restaurant with Daniel and Lois, and becomes interested in Celia after seeing her sing

fado Fado (; "destiny, fate") is a music genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal, but probably has much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar Rui Vieira Nery states that "the only reliable information on the history of fado was ...

. He repeatedly tries to date Celia, and is rebuffed. Charlie later finds Celia's address in the phone book and goes to her house, where he encounters Vicky. Vicky agrees to help Charlie pursue her mother in exchange for card counting lessons, and threatens to reveal his identity as a gambler should he refuse. Vicky tells Charlie that her mother is interested in fisherman; Charlie lies to Celia and claims to be in town to open a fish-processing plant. Celia becomes increasingly interested in Charlie, and admits her feelings for him, and struggles since her husband's death, while on a date at Ned Point Light. After a festival, Vicky stays out all night at a casino, causing Celia to worry and go looking for her. While out, she sees Charlie with Lois in his car, and suspects an affair. Charlie reveals his lies to Celia and asks for her forgiveness; she tells him to never come to her house again. Devastated, Charlie prepares to leave New Bedford. Lois visits Celia at her home, and convinces her to take Charlie back. After singing one night, Celia follows a trail of fish on the ground to find Charlie, who has become a successful fisherman. He explains that he wants her back, and would be willing to do any job to be with her. She accepts him, and the two kiss. Sometime later, Charlie is employed at the casino to find card counters, while Celia, now married to Charlie, is a singer at the casino.

Cast

as Charlie Beck, a card counter who wishes to date Celia, and takes advice from Vicky in exchange for card counting lessons *

as Celia Amonte, a Portuguese American widow whose husband was lost at sea; she has refused to date snce his death. *

as Vicky Amonte, Celia's daughter who agrees to help Charlie date her mother to learn how to count cards. *

as Daniel Vargas, a wealthy former gambler and friend of Charlie. *

as Lois Vargas, Daniel's wife. *

Lupe Ontiveros Guadalupe Ontiveros ( Moreno; September 17, 1942 – July 26, 2012) was an American actress best known for portraying Rosalita in ''The Goonies'', and Yolanda Saldívar in the film ''Selena''. She acted in numerous films and television shows, o ...

as Angelica Amonte, Celia's mother-in-law and next-door-neighbor.

References

External links

*
QuickTime trailer from Apple Computer website
{{Dan Ireland 2002 films Passionada (Film) Films set in Massachusetts Fireworks Entertainment films Films directed by Dan Ireland Films scored by Harry Gregson-Williams 2002 romantic comedy films 2000s English-language films