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Loving Pablo (2017)

Name: Loving Pablo
Genre: Crime, Drama
Released: 2017-12-14
Duration: 123 min
Rating: 6.3
Cast: Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, Julieth Restrepo, Óscar Jaenada

Loving Pablo (2017), directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, starring Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz.

16 12/14/2017 BR Crime and Drama 2h 3m

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Quiz about this movie

A gangster. A princess. The true story of a most unlikely love affair.

Synopsis

The film chronicles the rise and fall of the world's most feared drug lord Pablo Escobar and his volatile love affair with Colombia's most famous journalist Virginia Vallejo throughout a reign of terror that tore a country apart.

What the catalogue says about this film

Fernando León de Aranoa and Javier Bardem have worked together on 3 films in the catalogue
Made back 3.8 times its budget
Film 6 of 7 by Fernando León de Aranoa in the catalogue
Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz share the screen in 10 films in the catalogue

Every comparison is within the CineQuiz catalogue, not cinema as a whole.

Álex CatalánCinematography
Fernando León de AranoaDirector, Writer
Avi LernerProducer
Dean NicholsProducer

About the film

Loving Pablo, internationally known as Escobar, is a 2017 biographical crime drama film directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, based on Virginia Vallejo's memoir Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar. It was screened out of competition in the 74th Venice International Film Festival and in the Special Presentations section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.

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Plot

Between 1981 and 1987, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar had a romantic relationship with the journalist and the television presenter, Virginia Vallejo.

Cast

Javier Bardem as Pablo Escobar

Penélope Cruz as Virginia Vallejo

Peter Sarsgaard as Shepard, based on Steve Murphy

Julieth Restrepo as Maria Victoria Henao

Óscar Jaenada as Santoro

David Valencia as Santos

David Ojalvo as FBI Agent

Giselle Da Silva as Olguita Arranz

Production

The film is a Spain-Bulgaria co-production by Escobar Films and & B2Y EOOD.

Reception

Box office

Loving Pablo grossed $22,017 in the United States and Canada, and $17,5 million in other territories, plus $60,312 with home video sales.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 31% based on 48 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 4.82/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Loving Pablo bungles its seemingly cinematic real-life story – and a pair of talented stars – in producing a lurid biopic that adds nothing to the Escobar subgenre." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

References

External links

Loving Pablo at IMDb

Text from Loving Pablo on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_Pablo

Trivia

It cost US$ 4.7 million and grossed US$ 18 million in theaters — 3.8 times its budget.
It premiered on December 14, 2017, a Thursday.
It runs 2h03 — a typical feature length.
As of September 20, 2026, it is available in Brazil by subscription on Adrenalina Pura Amazon channel, Adrenalina Pura Apple TV channel.
This film's quiz has 13 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

StudiosB2Y EOOD, Escobar Films, Millennium Media, All Rise Films
CountriesBulgaria, Spain
LanguagesEnglish, Spanish
BudgetUS$ 4,667,008
Box officeUS$ 17,535,962
StatusReleased

More about this film

Based on

Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar

Set in

Colombia

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Crew

Álex Catalán Cinematography
Fernando León de Aranoa Director
Avi Lerner Producer
Dean Nichols Producer
Ed Cathell III Producer
Javier Bardem Producer
Jere Hausfater Producer
Kalina Kottas Producer
Miguel Menéndez de Zubillaga Producer
Federico Jusid Original music
Fernando León de Aranoa Writer
Jeff Zimbalist Writer
Michael Zimbalist Writer

Questions about this film

What is Loving Pablo about?

Loving Pablo: The film chronicles the rise and fall of the world's most feared drug lord Pablo Escobar and his volatile love affair with Colombia's most famous journalist Virginia Vallejo throughout a reign of terror that tore a country apart.

Who directed Loving Pablo?

Loving Pablo was directed by Fernando León de Aranoa in 2017.

Who stars in Loving Pablo?

The cast of Loving Pablo includes Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, Julieth Restrepo and Óscar Jaenada.

How long is Loving Pablo?

Loving Pablo runs for 123 minutes, or 2h03.

How much did Loving Pablo cost and how much did it make?

Loving Pablo had a budget of US$ 4,667,008 and took US$ 17,535,962 at the box office — 3.8 times its cost.

Where can I watch Loving Pablo?

Loving Pablo is available on Adrenalina Pura Amazon channel, Adrenalina Pura Apple TV channel, Apple TV Store and Google Play Movies. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.

What is Loving Pablo based on?

Loving Pablo is based on Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar.