Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Samuel-Maldonado The unique, borderline bizarre style of Bolivar was particularly entertaining, but the real value of the movie was its underlying political and cultural statement. The quotes that leap forcefully out of Robinson Díaz's mouth speak of a misused and abused cultural icon that has been used as a tool to sway the public. The icon of Bolivar, along with icons like Che Guevara and Salvador Allende, has taken on a life of its own, and has been used for purposes that the men themselves may have stood against. The ravings of a half-mad soap opera actor, the incredulity of a kidnapped president, and the cooing of the beautiful Amparo Grisales fully entertain while still conveying this important message.

Joseph Atkinson What an interesting and unique film. I must admit that I have never seen such a movie. This film through the use of the soap opera genre makes a political statement that correlates the perceived failed dreams and ruined ambitions of the Bolivarian nations to a liberal portrayal of that national hero. This film portrays a region that has diluted and morphed the image of the liberator in many different ways to fit their own personal ambitions and 'self-reflexive' notions. This film boldly attempts to transcend these many interpretations to find the true nature of 'Bolivar'. Throughout this film, the only person who seemed to understand the essence of Bolivar was Bolivar (the actor) himself. Here, the one relatively 'crazy' person, seemed to be the only one who was not immersed in the madness of the media's liberator represented by the blatantly fictitious soap opera that pushed Santiago towards a justified madness. That is irony. The truth for him was not clouded by the media and the opinions of society as was the prostitute and many others who were willing to immerse themselves in a fictitious world of false history and false interpretation of the legacy of the central figure Bolivar. But really, this portrayal of the Bolivar and his dreams in Bolivar Soy Yo is probably just another interpretation. These types of differences represent society itself, which is inherently diverse and utterly un-agreeable.This film seemed to me almost satirical in essence. It was almost to stupid to be believable, and at times I really was not sure if the actors themselves were just crazy (in the film), or if this whole movie was an intentional farce. This was answered when the dying Bolivar cut the last scene. The exaggerated use of overacting or "histrionics" as Kantaras calls it seemed to create an environment where the whole country seemed to believe that soap operas were in fact a portrayal of reality. I believe that this satirical depiction of Bolivarian Nationality represents the influence of the media and personal perceptions in clouding and distorting the image and dreams of the true Bolivar who dreamed of unity and prosperity. Again, it is ironic that the only person that understood this in the film was the person dubbed as "mad". There definitely is an underlying message here. This movie was far too serious to be simply a distorted comedy, it was much more complex. There is deep meaning here that would take more knowledge than I have at this particular moment to comprehend along with more words that I have at my disposal at this moment in time.In the end, I believe that this movie made fun of many different groups of people, but ultimately, Bolivar Soy Yo mad fun of society as a whole by representing the potential stupidity of relying on self-reflexive mediatization (seeing yourself as others see you) for political understanding where politics itself is self-reflexive and mediatized in nature. This represents a never-ending cycle of misinformation in which we as humans find solace in our own notions of reality where society itself dictates those notions. Thus we in society deceive ourselves through society.And kudos for making such a great film on a $750,000 budget. I believe that soap operas are cheaper to produce.

Venzlaff I´m german living in Colombia and I enjoyed it. Yes, Colombia has serious problems and even in the best case real improvements of the situation will take decades. But in the meantime it´s a good idea to have self ironic view on it... Real life only has to be exaggerated a bit to have an absurd comedy. I really like this variance of latin humor. On the other hand, one great idea (an actor converts in a national hero) doesn´t make a great movie. Colombian telenovelas often have better stories with more details and better dialogues. Summing up I give a 6 of 10.

AmitabhaRay I saw the film "Bolívar soy yo" yesterday (October 2, 2002). It was shown in the 33rd International Film Festival of India. Jorge Ali Triana was present in the auditorium. I am moved. I have never dreamt that based on the life of the 'Great Liberator' of Latin America i.e. Simon Bolivar, a serious film like 'Bolívar soy yo' could be made. I am really moved.