Reminiscent of Freaky Friday, Switch and Lost In Austen, Ana Maria In Novela Land takes the audience on a funny, heartfelt ride as our heroine Ana Maria finds herself transported into her favorite television novela as her favorite character Ariana.  As a fan of the above mentioned films I thoroughly enjoyed Ana Maria In Novela Land, as I have on many occasions envisioned myself in some of my favorite movies and time periods.

Edy Ganem of ‘Devious Maids’ plays the dual role of a twentysomething  with no direction in her life and the glamorous star of her favorite telenovela in the identity switching comedy. The film centers around Ana Maria, a typical 20-something who is living life on her own terms but frustrating her family and friends all the while doing so. As she journeys inside a world of seemingly limitless opportunities in “NovelaLand,”  as Ariana things get heated during a love affair with a wealthy businessman and his younger, sexy son. Meanwhile, Ariana is forced to deal with the harsh realities of living in Los Angeles with an over-protective but loving family. As each of these women navigate their new lives, they come to the realization that love and true faith in themselves is all they really needed to have the life they dreamed of.

 

Okay, so who cares if its a plot that has been done, for me it was a joy watching Edy handle both roles with such passion and gusto. With a nice of many characters it was also nice to see Luis Guzman as he relishes his role as the  conniving family lawyer out to get Ariana.  The film is dedicated to Elizabeth Pena in her final role as Ana Maria’s mother.

Distributor: Fluency Studios

Director: Georgina Garcia Riedel

Writer: Georgina Garcia Riedel and Jose Nestor Marquez

Starring: Edy Ganem, Michael Steger, Luis Guzmán and Elizabeth Peña

Running time: 93 minutes

Ana Maria In Novela Land now playing in select theaters at the following cinemas:

LOS ANGELES

AMC BURBANK 16 – BURBANK, CA

AMC NORWALK 20 – NORWALK, CA

AMC ORANGE 30 – ORANGE, C A

HOUSTON

AMC GULF POINTE 30 – HOUSTON, TX

AMC STUDIO 30 – HOUSTON, TX 

MIAMI

AMC SUNSET PLACE 24 – MIAMI, FL

AMC AVENTURA 24 – AVENTURA, FL