It's been seven years since Celia Amonte (Sofia Milos) lost her fisherman husband Joseph at sea. She's a Portuguese immigrant in New Bedford, Massachusetts. She and her daughter Vicky (Emmy Rossum) live with her mother-in-law Angelica Amonte (Lupe Ontiveros). Vicky goes out to the casino and encounters professional gambler Charles Beck (Jason Isaacs). He has been brought in by the respectable Vargases (Theresa Russell, Seymour Cassel). Vicky wants to join him as a gambling team. He falls for Celia who is singing in a dinner club. With Vicky's help, he pretends to be a fisherman to woo Celia while he teaches her to count cards.For symmetry, Vicky needs a young guy to play with. Emmy Rossum was around 15 but she looked 20ish especially dolled up to get into the casino. Rossum has more presence than Milos. This leads to the uncomfortable prospects of pairing her up with Charles. To concentrate on the budding romance with Celia, Charles needs more screen time with her and less with Vicky. The central romance is lacking real heat. This has more in common with an average Lifetime romance except this is supposed to be better. There is a Portuguese aspect to the characters which is not fully exploited. There is food but the movie fails in making food porn. It feels superficial like an ethnic food fair festival. There are ways to make more out of the situation but the movie fails to excel.

****SPOILER WARNING**** I'm not really one for romantic comedies but I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Though the romantic comedy thing might be a bit misleading (sadly not very much comedy but it's fine) it was a familiar storyline told in a different and unique way.The characters were absolutely wonderful people; ESPECIALLY Emmy Rossum's portrayal of Vicky. Vicky is just irresistible in this movie, so full of life and youth, and yet she cares so deeply for her mother. I know Emmy Rossum will be acting for a long time to come. A jewel among actresses indeed! Her scenes were very believable (not that any of the other's scenes weren't) but I ended up enjoying her performance most of all.Every character proves that we are only human and are prone to fate and bad things but we just need to get that boost right back up onto our feet. The movie tells it's story well, with great direction and SUPERB scenery.But there was one scene I had a problem with. The love scene with Celia and Charles. It just came way too soon. They were only seeing each other for such a short time, they hardly even kissed yet, and then during dinner only THEN do they kiss. Then they end up sleeping together? For a woman who is still mourning over her deceased husband and doesn't want to date again, she sure contradicts herself. It came just much too soon. I would have enjoyed it better if it had come much later. True though, I do not control the character but still, it would have made more sense to me if it came later, not when they were almost still strangers to each other.However, the music was very enjoyable and lovely, and it's not just the scenes where Celia is singing. It's also that beautiful, twinkling piano music that just floats around in some scenes and sets a wonderful mood.All in all, I'd give it a 9/10. A very deserving movie indeed! A must-have for romantics!

"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-)

Passionada is a very good movie and the first I seen that introduced America to the Portuguese Fado music. (A little was in the old film "Lisbon" with Ray Milland)Good scenery of New Bedford, Mass showing it's brief Portuguese culture to the screen which was missing in "Moby Dick" and "Down to the Sea in Ships" which was also about New Bedford.Too bad the movie was only 7 days on the big screen where I'm from because people I told about the film didn't get a chance to see it in theaters as it was no longer there when they tried to go.My only objection to the film was calling the Grandmother "Nana" as most would call her "Vavo" or "Avo".I hope it comes out on DVD in widescreen and surround sound soon.