I love musicals. It's one of my favorite genres of film.
We used to get a lot more of them (with some musicals even winning the Best Picture Oscar), but the genre has slowed down to a trickle as of late. That’s why 2024 has been such an exciting year, since we’ve gotten a number of musicals (for better or for worse). We had Joker: Folie a Deux (which some might call “a disaster”). We got the Mean Girls remake, which some were even surprised was a musical at all, and we got Moana 2, among others.
The juggernaut this year was, of course, Wicked, but one movie that was surprisingly a musical was Emilia Perez, which is about a cartel kingpin who employs a lawyer in order to undergo transition therapy to become a woman and start a new life. The story is fascinating, and I loved a great deal about it. But, do you want to know one aspect that I didn’t love about the movie? The actual musical part! I’ll get into why in a few moments, but first, let me talk about what I really liked about the film.
Oh, and spoilers up ahead.
Why I Liked It As A Movie: The Plot Of A Transitioning Cartel Boss Is Fascinating And Pulled Off Effectively
First off, I love the plot of this film, as well as the execution (for the most part anyway). The movie is loosely based off of the French novel, Ecoute, by Boris Razon, and it takes a rather interesting approach to its storytelling. You see, it begins with the story of an under-appreciated lawyer (played deftly by Zoe Saldana), only to mostly switch gears toward the middle once Emilia Perez comes into the picture.
Saldana’s character, Rita Mora Castro, receives a call, and then eventually speaks to a cartel kingpin named Juan “Manitas” (which means “handyman” in Spanish) Del Monte. “Manitas” wants to leave the Cartel life behind and transition into a woman, and from there, we mostly follow the character that the “handyman” has transitioned into - one Emilia Perez (played masterfully by Karla Sofia Gascon).
I love how all of this is handled. The gender-affirming surgery is not the focal point of the story. Rather, it occurs, and when we see “Manitas” again, she is in her new body. The story then shifts to Emilia finding a new purpose (and a new love) in her life.
Emilia, realizing her part in destroying so many families in her former life, decides to start a nonprofit to locate victims of Cartel violence with Castro’s help. Meanwhile, she is having issues with her former wife (played by Selena Gomez), as she’s returned to the man she had an affair with during her marriage to “Manitas.”
All of this is really fascinating, and I loved every minute of it. Well, that is until…
Why I Didn't Like It As A Musical: The Musical Numbers Are Too Abrupt
Here’s the thing. I am not typically a fan of what might be considered “offbeat musicals.” Sure, I love Little Shop of Horrors and The Blues Brothers as much as the next person. But, the thing about those two aforementioned movies is that the music is baked into the stories. For example, The Little Shop of Horrors from 1960 was originally a horror comedy directed by the late Roger Corman. So, when it was remade into a musical back in the ‘80s, the songs were definitely intentional. It also changed the vibe of the original story completely.
Now, while I’m not saying the music in Emilia Perez isn’t intentional, I will say that it feels a lot more jarring here than in say, the other aforementioned films.
In fact, many of the musical numbers almost seem like they come out of nowhere. For instance, there’s one scene where Perez and Castro are at a fundraiser, and then a musical number breaks out where Saldana is rolling around on tables. I mean, it’s certainly entertaining, but it completely threw me out of the moment.
I felt this way through most of the movie. This is a film that may be better upon a second viewing, because I was constantly pulled out of the story with pretty much every musical moment.
However, it’s not all bad. There’s one specific song titled “Papa” that is essential to the overall story, and it was a moment like this that made me wish that the rest of the songs felt just as organic.
Why I Liked It As A Movie: The Acting Is Exceptional
The 2025 Golden Globe nominations have been announced, and Saldana, Gomez, and Gascon have all been nominated in their respective categories.
And, yes. I think all of these nominations are well deserved. The acting is one of the reasons why I was pulled into the story so thoroughly, as it’s all really good. Whenever the characters spoke or argued with one another, it felt genuine, and I especially thought Gascon’s performance was strong, as it thoroughly felt lived in. This makes sense, because Gascon is a trans actress herself.
Now, keep in mind. I viewed this movie as a straight male. My colleague, Corey Chichizola, felt a bit conflicted about the film, and his reasons are perfectly valid. However, I found myself just enjoying the story, and I thought the actors all fit the roles that they were given.
There’s one particular moment where Gomez’s character wants to take her children to live with her fiancé, and Perez, who is actually their parent as well (though, Gomez’s character doesn’t know this), absolutely forbids it.
The blowout between them is seismic, and I was absolutely riveted, which is definitely due to the phenomenal acting. But, that just makes me think about the music again…
Why I Didn't Like It As A Musical: I Didn't Find Any Of The Music To Be Very Good
Music is, of course, completely subjective. My Spotify playlist looks completely different from yours (unless you like Gentle Giant, MF DOOM, and Masayoshi Takanaka, that is). So, just don’t take this personally when I say that I didn’t like any of the music in Emilia Perez. Not one song.
Now, this is not to say that the music isn’t good. There’s both a frenetic, but also somber quality to many of the songs, and they do fit the overall mood that is being established with this story (though, as mentioned earlier, it can be quite jarring at times). With songs written by French singer Camille, and the score done by Clement Ducol, the soundtrack is certainly dynamic.
That said, I still don’t like any of it. I don’t find any of it catchy, and worst of all, none of it is memorable for me.
In the end, I just kept wishing that I liked the music, since the choreography could be quite good in some of the livelier numbers. But, in the end, this just felt like a musical that didn’t need to be a musical at all. Alas, if only I liked the songs.
Why I Liked It As A Movie: I Was Emotionally Invested By The End Of The Film
Okay, so even though the music bugged me for a majority of the film, I will say that by the end of it, I was completely invested in the story. The narrative coalesces in a spectacular ending that is tragic but also predictable. Even so, I was definitely engaged in all of these characters’ lives, and the ending certainly impacted me more than I expected it would.
This is no small feat, because I spent a great deal of the film rolling my eyes and groaning whenever the music would kick in again. This is just another reason why I wish this film wasn’t a musical – I think it would have been so much stronger if it just played it straight.
That said, would people be talking about it now if it weren’t a musical? That’s a question that I’ve been wrestling with ever since I watched it. Because even though I enjoyed it by the end, I don’t know if the movie has enough to distinguish it without the musical aspect.
In fact, it might be because of the music that I appreciate the story more. That may not make much sense, but I was so tired of the songs after a while that I was just happy when the plot got back on track again.
However, in the end, the story itself is good enough that I do recommend the film, music notwithstanding.
Have you watched Emilia Perez yet? For more on other Golden Globe-nominated films, be sure to swing by here often.
