Cocaine Godmother (2017)

The Worst Film Ever

Let's be realistic.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is a talented actress who has made good films before (Chicago, etc.) But this one is a very bad choice for her. With all the talented Latina actresses out there couldn't they have found one to play Griselda, this more than life character? Just because a white woman has really dark hair does not a Latina she make. The accent is Horrible and there are times when you hear a slip of her Welsh come out. Not only that, but while her clothes are very nice, however they make her look old like she is 60 instead of a woman in her thirties. Those scarves make her look like a cancer patient(no disrespect to said patients). The music was great but Catherine danced horribly in it. She's a trained dancer and I am not sure why they had her "dancing" like that.Lifetime, your movies are usually cheesy but everybody likes them so do better next time. If you want to do a movie about someone who is not white, make sure you cast actors that actually fit the role. It would be much more believable.

Obviously I wasn't there so who knows but based on other sources this tv-movie isn't portraying events of her life very accurately. Apparently she was all that, and some, but what other materials have shown she wasn't nearly that present at the killings. Also we are missing important people of her story such as Rivi (Jorge Ayala), or at least there is no character of his backstory and how they met. In the end if you'd like to get to know her I'd choose other material as source, if you're looking for some entertainment, again I'd go for other entertainment. But I guess it's watchable if you already have your popcorn and beer set up.

This is based upon a true storyDEA Agent Jimmy (Warren Christie) narrates most of this movie in his efforts to find and put the Cocaine Godmother, Griselda Blanco (Catherine Zeta Jones) in jail. Griselda ruled the 1970s drug trade and was creative in using: the elderly to act as mules to carry drugs, suitcases with false bottoms, drive-by hits on motorcycles and beautiful women who hid drugs on their person. She is also credited with over 200 murders to include children and didn't let anyone get In her way. She was a cocaine addict and murdered three of her husbands. She was also openly bi-sexual. One of her partners was Pablo Escobar (Darcy Laurie), who didn't like her methods but left her alone because she moved more product than anyone else. Griselda was always one step ahead of the DEA as she moved around a lot from Colombia, New York, Miami, and California. Her sons were also in her drug business. Catherine Zeta Jones did a good job as Griselda although there were many Latino women who could have played the role. Since we don't know what Griselda was really like, we cannot criticize how Catherine Zeta Jones performed, but from what we saw, she did okay. There was a lot put in to this 2-hr production, and the pacing and the acting all around were good. Notables: Jenny Pellicer as Carolina, Griselda's main squeeze; Raul Mendez as Dario Sepulveda, who was Pablo Escobar's informant and later he becomes Griselda's third husband.It is kind of strange that we always knew about Pablo Escobar, but never heard of Griselda Blanco until now. What else is out there for us to find out about? Huh? (7/10)Violence: Yes. Sex: Yes. Nudity: No. Lesbian scenes: Yes. Humor: No. Language: No. Rating: B

It's a marvel that they managed to pack so much into this Lifetime Television movie. There is enough material for a miniseries. As for production quality and style it's on par with Narcos. One good thing from Narcos is the narration of the DEA agent that helps make things clear along the way. The story of Griselda Blanco grips from her terrible childhood to her start and rise in the drug trade. The fantastic things that happen along the way are really so hard to believe it could only be a true story. Catherine Zeta Jones really gives it her all in this performance. She is superb at doing latino remember Zorro? She masters the madness drug fueled rages and bisexual passion expertly. The expression on her face shows such ugliness of the character on such a beautiful face. It's truly a superb performance. The mainly well cast supporting cast are convincing and clearly distinguished so there is no confusion. Narcos fans may spot a major character from Narcos in a very different role.This could have been a whole season of Narcos there is so much here. Well done Lifetime - it is one of their best true life movies.