Elvis & Madona (unrated)
Despite the film's cartoonish nature, the central relationship feels genuine and touching.
Igor Cotrim and Simone Spoladore in Elvis e Madona.
Editor rating:
Brazilian Film Festival of Miami: The 14th annual event, running Friday through Aug. 21, features recent productions and is the largest competition of Brazilian films outside Brazil. It culminates in the Crystal Lens Award ceremony. It includes competitive and special screenings, plus a free business fair with panel discussions and business meetings with representatives of international and Brazilian firms. Films are in Portuguese with English subtitles; 305-600-3347. Descriptions and industry events are at www.brazilianfilmfestival.com/miami_en.html or go to www.MiamiHerald.com and search Calendar and film:
VENUES
Colony Theater, 1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. 305-674-1040. COLONY. $10, $7 seniors and students
Cinema Paradiso, 503 SE Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale. 954-760-9898. PARADISO. $10, $8 seniors and students, $6 FLIFF members,
SCHEDULE
Friday • Opening Night: ``Sildenafil,'' 9 p.m., COLONY.
• ``In Therapy,'' 9:20 p.m., COLONY. Free.
Saturday • ``Superbarroco,'' 7 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Time of Peace,'' 7:20 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Romance,'' 8 p.m., PARADISO.
• ``Bliss,'' 9 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Love Stories Last Only 90 Minutes,'' 9:20 p.m., COLONY.
Sunday • ``Tamboro,'' 5 p.m., COLONY.
• ``The Payback,'' 7 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Mamonas 4-Ever,'' 7:30 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Story of Me,'' 8 p.m., PARADISO.
• ``Happy Birthday To You,'' 9 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Blue Eyes,'' 9:40 p.m., COLONY.
Monday • ``Beyond Ipanema-Brazilian Waves in Global Music,'' documentary, 7 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Playing,'' documentary, 8 p.m., PARADISO.
• ``Virtual Relationship,'' 9 p.m., COLONY.
• ``The Well Beloved One,'' 9:20 p.m., COLONY.
Tuesday • ``Elvis & Madona,'' 7 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Queen of Brazil,'' documentary; 8 p.m.,
PARADISO.
• ``Who's Gonna F*** My Wife,'' 9 p.m.,
COLONY.
• ``So Normal 2,'' 9:15 p.m., COLONY.
Wednesday • ``Rita Cadillac -- The Lady of the People,'' documentary; 7 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Little Book of Love,'' 8 p.m., PARADISO.
• ``After Lunch,'' 9 p.m., COLONY.
• Tribute to Andrea Beltrao, Brazilian cinema, TV and theater actress, 9 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Time of Fear,'' 9:20 p.m., COLONY.
Thursday • ``Dzi Croquettes,'' documentary; 7 p.m.,
COLONY.
• ``The Man Who Bottled Clouds,'' 8 p.m.,
PARADISO.
• ``A Vaca,'' documentary; 9 p.m., COLONY.
• ``Broken Dreams,'' 9:20 p.m., COLONY.
8/12/2010
A most unconventional love story, the bright and bouncy Elvis & Madona tells of the unlikely romance between Lady Madona (Igor Cotrim), a Rio de Janeiro transvestite who has been squirreling away her earnings as a beautician to pay for a lavish stage show, and Elvira (Simone Spoladore), a young lesbian who calls herself Elvis and delivers pizza while trying to land a job as a newspaper photographer.
Writer-director Marcello Laffitte employs a campy, colorful tone strongly reminiscent of the work of John Waters, surrounding his unusual lovebirds with a supporting cast of equally daffy characters, including a mean drug dealer (Sergio Bezerra) and an occasional porn star who steals Madona's savings. But despite the film's cartoonish nature, the central relationship of Elvis & Madona feels genuine and touching -- this odd couple really fits well together -- and scenes such as the one in which Elvis takes her new boyfriend to meet the parents display a skillful comic timing. ``I'm so colorfully happy!'' declares Sissy Bob, Madona's co-worker at the beauty salon. So is the movie.
Cast:Simone Spoladore, Igor Cotrim, Sergio Bezerra, Maite Proenca.
Writer-director:Marcello Laffitte.
Running time: 105 minutes. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Vulgar language, nudity, sexual situations, brief violence, drug use, adult themes.
