When I walked out of the theater after seeing “Emilia Perez”, I thought, that was either fantastic or terrible. I knew I had seen SOMETHING. Zoe Saldaña’s acting was marvelous, and sometimes bad projects happen to good actors. After seeing clips of the film that highlight Ms. Gomez’s less-than-perfect Spanish, what I noticed was not just her rusty grasp of the language but the terrible script she was performing. Spanish is also my second language, and I’ve lived in Mexico. So to my ear, something was not quite right. And then I heard the film’s casting director say that there was no Mexican talent to play these Mexican roles (she has also spoken about how she worked around Ms. Gomez and Ms. Saldaña’s not being Mexican).
Similarly, Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, Martin Scorcese’s DP on “Killers of the Flower Moon” and others, has criticized the lack of authenticity in the movie (see the interview selection above). Scorcese worked hard to ensure that KOTFM incorporated Osage voices. He knew the real story was important to them, and he wanted to get it right. Compare Scorcese’s approach to that of Jacques Audiard, who thought he could recreate Mexico in France, put the script through Google Translate, and tell a Mexican story with an important Mexican theme without consulting anyone from the country.
All this aside, as a story, as a musical, are the songs, the acting, anything else, good about “Emilia Perez”? The script is weak, the songs are forgettable, and the acting leaves much to be desired. Oh, and Manitas isn’t a name you’d ever hear in Mexico. Híjole.
The Lebanexican 
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