How Long Is “Selena”?

Selena was a 23-year old Tejana singer on the verge of an international breakthrough when she was shot by the president of her own fan club. Her death spawned an outpouring of grief not seen since the death of Elvis Presley. This upbeat and tuneful biopic, executive produced by her father, Abraham Quintanilla (portrayed in the film by Edward James Olmos), is a celebration of his daughter's life, chronicling her rise to fame. The film opens with Selena (Jennifer Lopez) performing at the Houston Astrodome before a sold-out audience. The story moves backwards and begins not with Selena, but with Abraham who in the early '60s had an unsuccessful doo-wop group in Texas. As a child, Selena (Rebecca Lee Meza) showed an exceptional talent for singing. Abraham exploited that and the talents of his other two children to form a band. Much of the film focuses on the fact that Selena, though born in Texas in a Mexican-American community, had to learn Spanish as a second language. Her father insisted that she sing in the language, but it was not easy for her. To maintain the story's celebratory air, it only lightly touches on Selena's relationship with her killer -- the actual shooting occurs off-screen. The after-effects of Selena's death are also only briefly presented.