Griselda (2024) User Reviews

Griselda Blanco was terrifying

[Rob1331 · 8/10 · 27 January 2024]

I just finished watching Griselda with my brother and I can say it definitely lived up to my expectations. Anyone familiar with the Miami drug wars in the 70's and 80's has heard of the name Griselda Blanco. Her nickname is the Godmother. She is one of the most ruthless drug lords that's ever lived with over 250 murders accredited to her. I thought I was going to be distracted by Sofia Vergara's prosthetics but after a few minutes you don't even notice it. The entire cast does an excellent job but I couldn't believe how good Sofia was as Griselda. She stole every scene she was in and was terrifying as Griselda. Yes, this show plays loosely with the facts of the real story but that's ok. They did that to make the show more entertaining and watchable. There's a documentary called Cocaine Cowboys 1 & 2 that tells the exact story and it's worth a watch if you have the time.

Griselda is a narco legend

[Supermanfan-13 · 8/10 · 28 February 2024]

Griselda is even better than I expected. I love this genre and Griselda Blanco is narco legend. It may start a little slow for some but stick with it because it picks up in a hurry. It's based off a true story and from what I read they do a pretty good job sticking to it. Obviously, with any Hollywood adaptation they change a few of the facts around and add a few things that might not have happened but that's just to make the show more watchable and exciting. My biggest worry was buying Sofia Vergara as a head of the cartel. Well, don't worry...she was great. After a while you forget it's Sofia. I wouldn't be surprised to see her get some award nominations for her job on this. While this isn't quite as good as Narcos or Queen of the South, the show never gets boring and is an easy binge at only 6 episodes.

Could be better could be worse

[jackiethomson774 · 7/10 · 27 January 2024]

We quite enjoyed this once we got past thinking of the real life character. We have seen documentaries, this woman was a complete monster. Humanizing her and almost trying to gain sympathy for her plight was jarring. It's just goes too easy on her and almost has you thinking well who could blame her? I thought Sofia was really good, much better than i expected. Just as something to watch it's good, but if you're looking to get a genuine picture of just how awful the real woman was, don't bother! It glossed over or didn't include at all so many major things which is a shame, I feel like it was a wasted opportunity.

Played it very safe

[noawareness · 6/10 · 31 January 2024]

This was decent. Pretty good acting and filmed on a decent budget but they absolutely butchered the real story of this woman. They tried so hard to find some kind of humanity in this completely unredeemable woman that it took away from the story of how psychopathic and sociopathic the real Griselda Blanco actually was.

This is a really nice drama to watch but not much more. It's like diet Narcos that's been kept at room temperature. Sofia Vergara does a fairly good job with that she is given but the character is written as an animal backed into a corner, rather than the ruthless sociopath that was the real Griselda.

It was better than ok... But only just.

Well done but too short

[Besmircher · 8/10 · 21 February 2024]

Overall I believe this was a good miniseries. While the character of Griselda Blanco was a bit too sympathetic compared to what she was like in real life, Vergara did an outstanding job in a lead dramatic role, and if she was typecast as Gloria Pritchett she broke from it in a strong way.

Supporting cast was very good, I felt there was good chemistry between Vergara and many of the others. Writing seemed very good, well-paced story.

I also very much liked the subtitles. This was a nice touch, and is rarely used on such a large scale. The Spanish language was needed to convey the mood and energy of the show, and it worked like a charm. Nicely done.

Only had a couple of problems with the series:

1) it painted Blanco in way too sympathetic of a light. Anyone who watched the groundbreaking 2006 documentary on the Miami Cocaine Wars called "Cocaine Cowboys" would know the real Blanco was far more vicious and cold than Vergara's portrayal. Also, I don't recall the real Blanco being a demagogue of sorts, with stirring, rebellious speeches to rouse her people to take on the rich whites who exploit them. Nice message but I don't think Blanco was like that.

2) The series was way too short. Only six episodes? There was so much to Blanco's life that you could have done four full seasons, easily. With flashbacks to her horrific childhood, particularly her upbringing by her vicious, abusive mother, Ana Restrepo. Season 1 could have been her NY days, season 2 Miami, season 3 in California (both as a dealer and her imprisonment, including her relationship with Charles Cosby), season 4 back in Colombia ending with her assassination. This was a very good, well-made series and I wanted to see more.

I give this 8/10 largely due to Vergara's chops in a dramatic, serious role, great writing for what this was (a miniseries), and great supporting cast.

Enjoyable, but Griselda just isn't believable

[d-siffels · 6/10 · 5 February 2024]

The series is enjoyable and could have scored higher. However, I found the main character to be casted very poorly. I know SV casted herself in the main role, but she simply isn't credible. She keeps coming across as a nice, but mostly weak lady, in a gangster world. When she shouts, her voice gets screechy. She is too well put together. Her motivational speech of war made me chuckle a bit. I understand this is a hard role, but you have to see a little bit psycho, a little bit coldness to believe it.

I was also extremely bothered with the lady cop. She figured everything out with one clue and was portrayed to be ignored because she was a woman. However, in reality, the evidence for what she claimed was paper thin and there is no way she could've known everything already.

SV knocks it out of the park!!!

[Dar Star · 8/10 · 27 January 2024]

I never thought Sophia Vegara could play a serious role as she does in Griselda. She is a revelation. Absolutely terrific. You can't take your eyes off of her as she lifts the whole narrative around her. Just awesome. She should win awards for her portrayal.

A lot of people reviewing are grousing about the accuracy of the story and they are not wrong. Griselda is portrayed in a very sympathetic light and we know the real woman was not a sexy stunner like Sophia. Even with the heavy makeup, Sophia is drop dead gorgeous. Butttt, suspend your need for 100 percent accuracy and there is still a ton to like about this miniseries.

Not as cruel as the real "Griselda"

[rahelhaenggi · 6/10 · 26 January 2024]

Griselda Blanco was one of the most brutal persons the world has ever seen. She killed so many people and was full of hate and cruelty.

Unfortunately, this TV show doesn't come close to showing what a beast she really was. It's just a normal "drug war setting" we already know from Narcos or Queen of the South.

The actress plays a person who is way too nice and empathetic. I just see a strong business woman in her, but I don't see the real Griselda Blanco which didn't hesistate to kill innocent children and people just because she loved it.

I hope there will be another TV Show which shows us the real Griselda one day!

Incredible

[emilystockle · 10/10 · 10 March 2024]

Narcos was amazing, this was equally amazing! Sofia Vergara was incredible. This really showed so much talent and you really could see Griselda rather than Sofia. Each episode her mentality was different. From scared to determined to brave, then to ruthless, terrified and paranoid, then some sort of remorse. Mainly for herself rather than the crimes, but how the whole story was portrayed was gripping and fascinating. Throughly enjoyed. Shocked and amazed. The crimes she committed were horrific and don't want to take that away from the victims. I think it's important to remember how horrible she was. But my goodness this show was incredible. Production was amazing. Brilliant.

Worth watching

[ajhoward-57037 · 7/10 · 25 January 2024]

This series was far better than what I was expecting. The acting is done extremely well so everything feels real not like how some of these shows are so far fetched with bad lines and scenes where nothing is believable. They've done a good job with the actors outfits and the set because everything looks exactly like it did in the 70s and 80s. Honestly the only gripe I have is that everything isn't exactly accurate to Griseldas story and how things happened in real life. I suppose alot of people probably won't really know her story and it's not enough of a big deal to sway you from watching or not watching it. Since the show goes into great detail i just would have preferred them to keep true to how things actually happened instead of some of the things the show has changed. For instance, how Rivi is introduced in the show. In real life they met by chance because Rivi messed a hit up, and Rivi is super essential to Griselda so I don't really understand the way they wrote him and her husband Dario becuase in real life it was Rivi doing alot of the things the show has Dario doing. Overall I'd definitely recommend watching, it's not as good as Narcos but will definitely keep you entertained through every episode.

Totally misplaced feminism?

[anxiousgayhorseonketamine · 9/10 · 4 March 2024]

It seems the main purpose of this series having been made was to highlight the fact that in the 1970s a time of extreme machismo and that is absolutely incontrovertible that it was; these two women here one basically a version of the Worst Colombian drug baron you could ever imagine Escobar-strength but this time in a skirt and her nemesis again here an Hispanic cloaked warrior working for the police (battling racism AND sexism) basically butt heads and see who can push the other one out of the ring first. It seems really that this was the primary drive behind this historical reenactment to show us that women can be as badass as any guy any time of the day any decade.

• It seems a little bit redundant and not really needed in 2024 a time in history when no we haven't yet got parity but do we need to be reminded time and time and time again about the bad old days? Griselda here really is as ruthless as the worst of Medellin ever produced. That is undeniable. We end up with dead babies with orphan-making pointless murders all commandeered by Griselda.

But the problem for me here is that it seems that it is lauded here as if we should be amazed wonderful what a great lady sort of well done you you can do this as well as your brother could and even possibly better. What she did was practically pure evil let us be clear under guises of I'm doing this for my boys she ran a murderous operation nothing here should be lauded it should be made to look pathetic and sad not look at the Rock Star. And yes later on she gets her just desserts maybe but still for the vast majority of the time we are supposed to gawp at the amazing show she puts on ....

Same with the lady copper isn't she wonderful despite all the sexist jokes in her place of work she comes out on top and then she comes out on top isn't she wonderful? Well maybe more so in her case than in the case of Griselda anyway anyway

• Enough bellyaching from this ingrate viewer here having said all this and I wanted to say all this because I think it needs to be said this is an astounding series in six episodes the acting is stellar the rhythm of every single episode is brilliant always keeping you on the edge of your seat always keeping you guessing as to what might happen next. The men here are truly secondary players as if they were all new men 20 years before this became currency in the 1990s. Secondary roles for the men here. The sense of period from the 1970s with the cars and the clothing and the TV sets all that is done brilliantly too

There is nothing wrong with the series it is excellent and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to watch something made with quality and high production values; but still I will again say it before I sign off why make a hero out of a truly truly bad villain simply because she wears a skirt ... Seems profoundly twisted to me ... grim Griselda ace series.

Good but too sympathetic and loose with facts

[Lsxzp · 7/10 · 26 January 2024]

I liked it overall. Lots of subtitles which some people didn't like but it gave an authenticity to the series so I did like that. Griselda was made into a sympathetic character screwed by men for the majority of the shows, but she was an evil person. I could deal with the dramatization of other aspects, but that kept the rating a little lower for me. Also, the ending was a little odd. I think that could have been changed. There was some violence shown, but it wasn't overdone like an action movie. I also liked that aspect of the film. Some of the violence actually caught you off guard in some parts. Overall, good, especially by Netflix standards but some changes for accuracy would have been nice.

Very Tepid Portrayal of a Sociopath

[jburtonprod-802-759029 · 4/10 · 28 January 2024]

I had high hopes for this miniseries. Coming from the producers and directors of 'Narcos', I figured this would be just as committed to accuracy and unflinching in its handling of the violence. It seems the producers felt, since this was a woman narco, they had to pull punches. The result is a series that could play on the Lifetime Channel with very little editing.

The REAL Griselda Blanco was an unrepentant mass murder. She was directly investigated for 40 murders and believed to be responsible for 250, total. This miniseries glazes over that. There is only a tiny fraction of The Black Widow's hits shown and a lot of the murders take place off camera.

Also, the first two episodes seem to be devoted to cementing Griselda Blanco as some sort of feminist icon. I mean why not? She's a 'woman' murdering drug dealer but she's being being picked on by all the 'male' murdering drug dealers. I consider myself a feminist and almost always support the connected causes. Griselda wasn't a 'feminist' any more than Pablo Escobar was a 'humanitarian'.

She was a total psychopath who murdered both husbands and an incredible number of people some of whom only had tenuous connections to the drug business. Her assassins didn't care what the collateral damage was and neither did she. Among these were woman and children. Her lifestyle led to death of three of her children. She was a monster and a black hole of a person who swallowed up people whole. She should have been portrayed that way. She is not.

While all gangster movies play with the likability of the leading mobster they also show the sides of them that make them horrible. Every good film about the Mob shows its destructiveness.

By the time Season 2 of 'Narcos' was over it was quite clear what a monster Pablo Escobar was. By the end of the final episode I think everybody watching feels, 'He got what he deserved'.

The 'Griselda' series soft handling of the bad side of Griselda Blanco makes this portrayal feel very dishonest. I found the final scene especially egregious.

I really didn't think I was going to write this long of a review. It's just the more I think about this series the less I like it and the message it seems to want to send.

Why not go 100%

[twislp · 7/10 · 26 January 2024]

Sofia goes in as Griselda with 100% effort and I applaud her. The issue is the lazy production, director and script writing. It's incoherent to have 1 actress go all in yet you film in Cali vs Miami. You then mix up the names and character duties incorrectly. Yes I understand this is a more fictional story of Griselda but then again why have Sofia go all in? Bahamas was Carlos Ledger and Miami was owned by Rafa Cardona. Rivi should have been Dario , just could have been fictionally better with a little proper characterization and location shooting. Could have been award winning with some simple tweaks, pure laziness.

Loved every minute

[dsrshfxh · 10/10 · 14 March 2024]

A great actress, unique story, captivating.

"Griselda" is a gripping series that delves into the captivating life of Griselda Blanco, a prominent figure in Colombian history. The show brilliantly portrays Blanco's rise in the drug trade, showcasing her resilience and complexity.

The actress portraying Griselda delivers a stellar performance, capturing her strength and vulnerability with authenticity. The series is visually stunning, transporting viewers to 1970s and 1980s Colombia with meticulous detail.

"Griselda" explores themes of power and morality, offering a thought-provoking narrative that keeps viewers hooked. It's a must-watch for anyone who enjoys compelling storytelling and intriguing characters.

A lower budget Narcos

[garyhecksel · 6/10 · 26 January 2024]

I was hoping for more with a Colombian actress and with Narcos producers. It's overall pretty decent and an interesting story. However it feels rushed and choppy. The actors who were in Narcos did a very fine job but the writing and character development not nearly as good as Narcos or Narcos Mexico. I'm reviewing this after seeing 2 of the episodes and I still look forward to seeing it to the end. It's just not "capturing" me like Narcos or NM did.

In Narcos, my understanding is that the character Judy Moncado was the "Griselda" and I found Judy to be more of a "narco trafficante". Granted both Narcos and Griselda play with some facts but I'm finding myself wanting more connection or at least more references in Griselda to her background and association with Pablo Escobar.

Hard to take seriously

[rickzicari · 6/10 · 26 January 2024]

Really bad acting by SV. It is difficult to take seriously. They make her look terrible and then present her as a trophy.

I wanted to like it and I do like her in other genres.

The show lacks edge with Cartel hitmen who show compassion.

The police point of view is lackluster. There is not much depth to their side of the story.

There is the usually cartel execution scenes which are OK but they get lost in the rest of the blandness of the show.

At no point did anything stand out or surprise me.

I think for people who enjoy cartel stories, this will be a disappointment compared to other shows of the same subject.

The Godmother.

[deloudelouvain · 9/10 · 7 March 2024]

Finally Sofía Vergara in something else than Modern Family. Quite a different character for her to play and in my eyes she did an outstanding job. Griselda is only six episodes long, which in my opinion was a pity. To me they could easily have made it longer for once. It's the kind of show you just binge watch. Griselda, the only person that scared Pablo Escobar, that says enough about the woman that took over the cocaine business in Miami. As expected in series about drug lords, a lot of violence, murders and snorting. A lot of macho behaviour, for once from a woman as well. Interesting story for people that like shows like Narcos or movies like The Godfather. This time it's about The Godmother.

Griselda - or how psychopaths become famous

[adrianamirela · 6/10 · 8 February 2024]

I did not intend to write a review of this film, as I am against the romanticized portrayal of the great killers in human history. I went on the principle, dust and oblivion be damned to their memory and not to follow up their remembrance. But today I was on the subway and saw posters advertising this film. It's a box-office hit and I find it creepy how a crime movie is gaining in popularity. On the poster a sexy Sofie Vergara, not at all like the real one, who looked like a fat cook figure from the communal canteen. Sofie's character seems capable of murder, so mysterious and full of nastiness. But in the film the real murderer is romanticized, you really feel sorry for the woman left without three children, that were murdered by hitmen, especially since it's not clear from the film that she killed 200 people, directly or on command, as happened in reality. There are films that make you empathise with the killer and I realised that the problem is not me empathising, because I am still human, it is normal to have feelings of compassion for a person who loses their children, for example, but it is the fault of the film that it melodramatizes an evil character and pulls at the heartstrings of the viewer. You forget with each episode that you're actually watching a woman stained with blood. Narcos, on the other hand, set out to tell Pablo Escobar's story in a somewhat honest way (I don't think I have the guts to watch season three about the Cali cartel anymore) and, as a viewer, you find yourself identifying with cops or members of paramilitary organizations in the annihilation of that killer, you kind of forget your humanity, and you don't stop watching the gruesome episodes, you keep going, because, right, you want to see Escobar taken down.

My point is that these shows do nothing but pull you into a range of feelings that are damaging to your psyche, and that there is a risk that any romanticization of a murderous story (oh, how the pedal is pressed as a staunch family man, Escobar's loving husband and father!) will make you accept evil as natural and justified, because, you see, those heinous crimes were committed by people who were helpless and loving at their core. Nothing more mystifying, these beings, Griselda, Escobar, all cartel members, can be called anything, only human beings not, they lived in a different register, they are anomalies of human nature and that's why I think it's better to dust them off and forget their names.

A marster piece

[billypar · 10/10 · 22 February 2024]

I just saw 2 times in a week because i think is the serie of the year . It is like narcos . Guns cocain and all the good stuff . In the other hand the producers skip a lot of parts of the real Griselda Blanco life . Like the was she had with the Escobar but she steals the best serie after Peaky blinders. I would love it more if the producers make a second season as well and the fist season it showed more to us ! Then Sofia Vergara fits PERFECT to Grizelda . She gives you the Colombian vibe and i think the producers generally make the best chooses for the cast. General opinion you can find really hard a serie like these nowadays.

Falls short

[sebastianramir · 6/10 · 2 February 2024]

Netflix's "Griselda" immerses us in the vibrant Miami drug scene of the 80s, echoing the iconic "Scarface". The setting and visual style are commendable, capturing the essence of the era effectively. However, the series fails to maintain this authenticity across all aspects.

The characterization of Sofia Vergara as Griselda is a point of contention. Despite Vergara's undeniable talent, the makeup on her character often feels excessive and distracting. While the need to transform a well-known actress like Vergara into such a gritty character is understandable, the end result is sometimes counterproductive.

Regarding the script, there are elements that leave much to be desired. Griselda's sons, for instance, are treated more like props than characters with their own stories and conflicts. The series misses the opportunity to explore how their mother's influence and the toxic environment they grew up in affected their lives.

Another area that remains underdeveloped is the focus on the police investigation. Despite giving a lot of dialogue to June, the police officer on the case, her role in closing in on Griselda is unconvincing. She is given voice but not action, weakening the narrative's tension. When the confrontation finally occurs in the last episode, the climax lacks the expected intensity, feeling more like a surrender than an epic capture.

In conclusion, "Griselda" is a stylistically impressive attempt to capture an era and a complex figure but falls short in depth and character development.

Mediocre & highly sanitized

[Boxer_007 · 5/10 · 31 January 2024]

Very loosely based on the real and very evil life of Griselda Blanco who was a notorious drug lord in 80s Miami. She was murderous, psychopathic, and paranoid among other verifiable facts. The series however portrays her as an affectionate and somewhat naive character navigating the misogynistic world of male-dominated cartels.

Sofia Vergara's acting skills are not up to par for a role like this given the grittiness, depth, and ugliness of Griselda. The makeup and facial prosthetics were also extremely visible and distracting. We've seen countless male actors completely transform their bodies and physical appearance for roles yet here the female lead did not even look like a distant relative of Griselda. In my opinion a miscast, but understandable for show marketing purposes.

The cinematography, pacing, and other actors were alright but you just can't shake off the feeling that the series was half-baked and rushed. We've seen many excellent true crime shows produced over the years that makes this one ultimately forgettable.

Sofia surprises

[arod_85 · 7/10 · 9 February 2024]

Admittedly, I never took Sofia Vergara too seriously as an actress. I've always liked her as a person, but she just always struck me as someone who would appear in comedy roles that never really required too much depth. I feel bad for saying that, because after seeing interviews and reading quotes, she states she is often typecast due to her accent . Well, Griselda is probably still a stereotypical role because of her accent, however, I was pleasantly surprised by her performance. Her acting was solid and she gave a palpable portrayal of a female drug lord. The show was interesting and everyone's acting was very strong as well. Definitely one of the better shows Netflix has put out recently.

a satisfying exploration of murder, drugs, and power.

[antoniotierno · 8/10 · 3 February 2024]

Even with distracting prosthetics and false teeth, Vergara looks nothing like Griselda Blanco. Still, even if the attempt at a makeover is an unfortunate distraction, everything goes in a "Scarface" mode/formula and delivers a robust and over-the-top performance in this blood-soaked series from the creators of "Narcos" that plays like an extended B-movie. Very violent also because it's based on real-life tough events and adhering to a number of major events in Blanco's life, "Griselda". The story is highly stylized and fictionalized, as is the case with virtually all of these based-on-a-true-story gangster movies and series but it works..

Not as cruel as the real Griselda

[ohiogirl42986 · 6/10 · 13 February 2024]

All I'm gonna say is, I'm very disappointed by the movie about Griselda, because they tried to make her pretty, and not as cruel as she was in real life but for me that watered down the whole thing because I grew up in the area she was in Miami and we all heard about her and she was cool and this didn't show the cruelty one bit. She was an evil woman, and they should have shown her as evil as she was. I'm trying to figure out why they didn't make her the way she should've been portrayed as evil, but they tried to mask that evil by trying to make her look good, and not focus on who she really was.