Who payed the critics

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

En Nombre del Amor is one of the best soap-operas derived from Televisa. It tells a story of a young girl Paloma who lives with her two aunts, Macarena and Carlota. Macarena is loving, kind and gentle, and her sister is complete opposition of her. Carlota is cruel, strict and will do anything to win her goal. Paloma is in love with Emiliano, but unfortunately her best friend Romina is also. Romina is obsessed with him and will do anything to keep him for herself. Both, Carlota and Romina are in love with the men who aren't in love with them. Carlota, is, on the other hand obsessed with Cristobal, a man who is in love with Macarena. En Nombre del Amor tells a story of love and hate, and good and evil. But in the end love prevails everything.

This telenovela is worth watching because the plot is not the usual poor girl meets rich girl to fall in love only to find a 100 obstacles in their way to happiness. Plus the main protagonists are middle aged instead of being young. The writers used the good element of juxtaposition by comparing the love triangle between Macarena, Cristobal and Carlota with that of Paloma, Emiliano & Romina. The opening credits show creativity by bringing a Gothic feel to the telenovela. However the bad side to this telenovela is that, as it has become the characteristic of Televisa in the past 5 years it is a remake of Cadenas de Amargura, which shows that they are running out of new story lines (see how Corazon Salvaje IV was an utter disaster!!!) The number of characters being killed by Carlota in the novela is just too much, and it becomes a major put-off to anyone watching it. But the acting is far much better compared to Sortilegio which in itself was another horrible disaster!! For her first role as a villana, Leticia Calderon has given a memorable performance as the demonic Carlota.

This story, set in a smallish town, is mainly about obsession and the desperation it drives its sufferers to. However, don't be mistaken in your sympathy: Carlota and Romina don't deserve it.Carlota, a 40-something spinster, is determined to force her niece to live the same lonely, loveless, and narrowly defined life she has. From the moment she becomes Paloma's guardian she systematically removes any source of pleasure, comfort, and even achievement, exactly as she has done to her long-suffering -- and unmarried -- sister, Macarena. From the moment you see her taking Paloma's little dog (the last gift from the child's parents) from Paloma's bed, you know the poor little guy is a goner. When a local doctor expresses romantic interest in Macarena Carlota's insults escalate... along with her sabotage of Macarena's medications. That is nothing, however, compared to what happens when the man they competed for 18 years previously returns to their town.Paloma eventually experiences some of Macarena's fate when she and Romina -- who had hitherto been her best friend -- fall in love with the same man. Romina's obsession with any man who shows interest in her leads her into a collusion with Carlota that forces the unfortunate young man into marrying her when he is in love with Paloma. Meanwhile, his mother is obsessed with holding on to her husband while attempting to prevent an old love from getting involved with Romina's divorced mother... etc.Leticia Calderon gives a chilling performance as the soulless Carlota whose hypocrisy and sociopathic behavior destroys everyone around her. This is her first series villain and she's off to a good start in the stock role of controlling parent figure. Victoria Ruffo is the contrasting Macarena, loving and sincere, and long-suffering under Carlota's tyranny. Altair Jarabo and Alisson Lozz are the junior versions of them, with both sets demonstrating that there is no greater ugliness than that which can come between sisters or best friends. Arturo Peniche and Sebastian Zurita give good performances as the men these women fight over.The writing is mostly good, the music suspenseful (though sometimes loud enough to drown out the actors), and most of the cast are likable enough. There are a few filler scenes concerned with other characters deceiving each other in various ways, and enough suspense to satisfy. As with many other novelas there needs to be some suspension of disbelief to become absorbed in the story, but EN NOMBRE DEL AMOR says much about the human capacity for good and evil.

En Nombre Del Amor (In the name of love) is a Mexican soap opera, I watch it in the Spanish Channel in the U.S. This is a very predictable, scandalous, cheesy at times show. It is a very addictive show, this is pretty much the definition of a soap opera. I mean everybody is cheating on everybody else. Drama always happens, you know the usual. There are some pretty outrageous things like this women pays her doctor to tell this guy that he's the father of her baby, when he's not. I mean I have to give them that, that it is new.Overall I give this movie a 7 because it can be too predictable at times, but it is a fun show and I recommended to people who like soap operas. But I like Sorteligio better. :P 7/10