Frida

Sometimes there are those real-life people whose lives are full of colorful details . A list of numerous romantic trysts, scandals of a grand scale, and personal achievements only they can claim. It's almost to the point where if their life story gets turned into a film, it takes a hell of a lot of luck to make it work from beginning to end.

This is why Julie Taymor's Frida works as well as it does. With its subject being artist Frida Kahlo, it requires the right people to make her story come to life all these years after her death. And Taymor is one such person.

But what happened throughout Kahlo's life that would require a keen eye to re-capture it all? A stormy marriage to muralist Diego Rivera, her many affairs with men and women, her independent thinking...there was so much more to Kahlo than her artwork. She was truly one of a kind.

Starring as Kahlo is Salma Hayek, who prior to (and annoyingly several times since) Frida was frequently cast as the sultry Mexican bombshell. Here, with the aid of some makeup, she proves her viability as a serious actress. Hopefully she'll get another solid part sometime in the near future.

Frida effortlessly brings Kahlo's paintings to life, something only a select few art-based biopics can do well. With solid work from Hayek and Alfred Molina, it shows that only the right people can make certain projects. (Mental note: see Taymor's other films.)

My Rating: ****1/2