Yellow (2006)

Yellow: Directed by Alfredo Rodriguez de Villa. With Roselyn Sanchez, Bill Duke, D.B. Sweeney, Jamie Tirelli. Family: a necessary burden. Amaryllis Campos is young and beautiful, a classically trained dancer delivering pizzas in Puerto Rico, living with her parents and her drug-selling chump of a boyfriend, her dream deferred. When family tragedy and betrayal hit in the same week, she goes to New York with help from an unlikely friend. There, she lucks into an apartment and befriends an elderly neighbor. She looks for work, taking a job at a strip club. By day, she answers casting calls; at night, she’s a hit at the Club Labrador. When the possibility of romance appears unexpectedly, Amaryllis must choose between its promise and the faint shadow of her dream.

“Amaryllis (Roselyn Sanchez) lives in Puerto Rico with her parents and has a job delivering pizzas on her scooter. She dreams of being a dancer and is very talented. But, her father, once a great dancer himself, with a New York company, is confined to a wheelchair while her mama drinks too much. Amaryllisu0026#39; boyfriend, too, is a jobless u0026quot;takeru0026quot;. One day, the young danceru0026#39;s father commits suicide and her mother reaches out to her daughteru0026#39;s boyfriend for comfort. Amaryllis is stunned and flies to New York. But, getting a job in the Big Apple proves difficult and she needs cash fast, although a kindly retired professor offers her a low-rent room in his apartment. Having nowhere to turn, Amaryllis becomes an exotic dancer in a strip club, where she turns heads with her body and costumes as well as her skilled dancing. One regular client in particular, Dr. Christian (D.B. Sweeney) has his eyes on u0026quot;Yellowu0026quot;, as Amaryllis is known, as a future companion for himself. But, will Amaryllis totally abandon her dream of becoming a dancer? This movie has one main asset. Sanchez is a most beautiful woman and a terrific dancer. She is truly the reason to watch this flick, as she makes it bearable. Sweeney is less successful, mostly because his role is a stilted, repugnant mess. The other cast members are quite nice, especially the man playing the role of the aging professor. Sanchez looks lovely in her street clothes but her dancing costumes are definitely eyebrow-raising. Then, too, the scenes around Manhattan are nice but the small number of minutes spent in Puerto Rico wonderfully showcase the islandu0026#39;s abundant loveliness . All other production values are adequate but nondescript. However, these items are of little importance as the big problems with the movie are its themes. The world of a professional dancer is undoubtedly a life of cutthroat competition and repetitive rejection. However, this womanu0026#39;s descent into the dark world of exotic dancing is repulsive. Make that a ditto for the clients who frequent such establishments. Therefore, if you love Sanchez, skip this one and go get The Game Plan instead. Now, there is a lovely film which highlights her magnetic beauty and talent in a big, big way.”