Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Absolutely touching movie devoid of sentimentality, clichés, and the "safe" topics sometimes found in family movies. I didn't realize I'd like it so much. Eddy Martin sings beautifully and shows great depth in his portrayal of a boy in search of his father.I like the the very real flavor of the town. The non-glamorized actors seem to be cast perfectly for each character. No single character, with the exception of the "chosen one" were overacted, and even in that case, it's arguable since the extra emotional character of that role called for a little bit of "overacting" -- she cracked me up. The role of the sheriff was highly interesting -- he's not oversimplified as a simple man of the law with no compassion; instead, he plays a kind of "villain" to a young boy's life in his effort to follow the law and preserve a small town, yet goes home every night and literally spoon feeds and cares for his dying, frail, mentally lost mother.

If you want to see a beautiful movie that will bring tears and an uplifting feeling of joy, watch, 'The Miracle at Maldonado.' Ruben Blades turns in one of his best performances, and Peter Fonda plays a wonderfully under-stated Priest. Eddy Martin, who plays Jose, has a wonderful radiance and a maturity beyond his years. The movie is first time directed by Salma Hyek, one of my favorite actresses. Frankly I am amazed at the job Salma has done with this movie. What could have been just another low budget movie with has been actors turns out to be something very special. If this movie doesn't get at least an oscar mention, 'something is rotten in the state of Denmark.' Mare Winningham lends kind of believability to her role transcends acting. Do yourself a favor, watch this one. You'll be glad you did.

"The Maldonado Miracle" tells of a SoCal town ala Mayberry RFD with a handful of stereotypical townsfolk type characters who get caught up in a frenzy of activity when a statue of Christ appears to be crying tears of blood. A potpourri of oh so perfectly imperfect people from the parish priest (Fonda) to the cute little poor Mexican boy with a dog who wants to find his papá to the pot bellied Sheriff with a sickly old mother, etc., this flick is a contrived and obvious button-pusher which Hayek is trying turn into a fountain of warm and fuzzies. As one might expect, the film bears the fingerprints of a novice auteur and plays out as little more than a no brainer cable watch for sentimentalists who ascribe to the principle: It is, therefor it's good. Mediocre stuff now on Showtime. (C+)

I saw this movie on Showtime, because my wife wanted to see it. I like Selma Hyek's acting, but I wasn't especially interested in the story - or what I'd heard about it. Imagine my surprise when I found myself thoroughly enjoying the film.The acting from the main characters was understated, and perfect for the story. The cinematography was beautifully competent, and the set design was exquisite - Showtime showed behind-the-scenes snippets before and after the movie, and the brilliance that was displayed in creating such believable sets on such a small budget (often from the ground up)was nothing short of a miracle itself.All in all, I enjoyed this movie far more than I expected to, and I think the director and her crew show much promise.