● In the end, bad-guy actor Isaacs finally gets the girl, Chicago Tribune 8/28/2003
● 'Passionada' isn't a soap; it's a luxurious bubblebath, Chicago Sun-Times 8/28/2003
● Ebert & Roeper Two Thumbs Up
● Various Reviews from RottenTomatoes.com Freshness Rating 89%
Summary of Review/Interview Quotes
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Milos is a magnetic performer and Isaacs has lots of finesse. If Ireland has said that his "ideal" models for these roles were the untouchable Sophia Loren and Cary Grant (who costarred in another New England romance, Melville Shavelson's amiable 1958 family comedy "Houseboat"), these two are nevertheless fine substitutes. Milos and Isaacs are a hugely appealing couple
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By Michael
Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
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| Isaacs is an actor to watch. He’s about to get big attention as the star of the live-action “Peter Pan” later this year, and has an easygoing bad-boy charm |
By Dan Bennett North County Times |
| In his first contemporary romantic leading role, he’s as unique and charismatic as the young Cary Grant of 60 years ago. Working his way into a woman’s heart under false pretenses, then as passionate about proving himself worthy of her trust as a coltish athlete on the way to his first Olympic competition, he is spectacularly appealing. Jason Isaacs is the real deal. Why isn’t he a big star already? | By Rex Reed The New York Observer
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| Wildly passionate and sensual with a new cast of faces who are utterly spellbinding, this film has it all: romance, love and family. It's got the feel, the romance, the love, the family, the cleverness of a foreign film, but this is all-American. | By Mike Szymanski, Zap2it.com |
| .....choosing Jason Isaacs was a stroke of genius. Dastardly in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," Isaacs often plays the villain, so his roguish countenance is ideal as the untrustworthy con man | by Susan Granger, www.susangranger.com |
| Isaacs exudes a roguish charisma that makes his attraction to both women inevitable |
By Ric Oliveira The Portuguese Journal |
| A pleasure to see Jason Isaacs, a leading-man-caliber actor with leading man looks, actually getting to play a leading man instead of a brutal sword-twirling ne'er-do-well (The Patriot, the upcoming Peter pan and the aforementioned Harry Potter movies) | aboutfilm.com |
| Charlie is a bit of a throwback to the charming leading men more commonly found in cinema 50 years ago, and Isaacs is able to make this lying cheater engaging. | cinemaspeak.com |
| "Swirling, Sensuality...Milos & Isaacs Are Sexy, movie-star talented and, together, really good kissers." | By Chuck
Wilson,
LA Weekly |
| "The real acting story of 'Passionada'
is Jason Isaacs. Playing Lucius Malfoy in the two 'Harry Potter' movies and
Mel Gibson's evil Redcoat nemesis in 'The Patriot,' Isaacs seemed a sort of
matinee-idol villain, not getting to express much beyond sneering good
looks. He's softer here, more relaxed. There's something becoming about
watching an actor as handsome as Isaacs play a good-natured screw-up. The
smile he gets to flash, and the almost palpable longing he radiates when
looking at Milos, are very becoming. They lighten him as an actor, give him
an air of playfulness he's never gotten to show on-screen. You get to enjoy
a romantic lead who's both a bit of a rogue and one in whom love feeds the
desire to be a better man. He doesn't overplay the former or sentimentalize
the latter. It's a charming performance." |
Salon Magazine |
| "handsome
charmer/gambler Charles Beck...(played by the dashing) Isaacs, who is
usually cast as a villain ('The Patriot,' 'Windtalkers'), is showcased here
in a rare light romantic role that brings to mind Cary Grant. Milos and Isaacs should be teamed up in a remake of the Loren-Grant comedy 'Houseboat.' Based on this film, they make a nice team." |
Sacramento Bee |
| The obvious analogy here is
the Tony Curtis's Cary Grant routine in Some Like It Hot, and it's no great
shock that director Dan Ireland had a Cary Grant type in mind when casting
the picture. Isaacs is quite good in his role as the charming con man, and
seeing that he's after her heart rather than her inheritance, audiences are
sure to excuse him. In fact, the entire cast is exceptional - Milos is
positively magnetic, Rossum will undoubtedly go far..." |
Premiere magazine online |
Thanks to Kate, Helen, Maggie, Alicia and other members of The Jason's FanZone for the various articles
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