User reviews

This is the latin american soap-opera fenomeno. The ratings for this soap-opera in every country has been over the 42.0 every where, and the closing chapter (in those countries where it has finished) has rated over the 50.0. Politicians, newspeople and the guy in the street, they all got together to watch this truly fabulous TV-program, and forget everydays worries, to laugh with the adventures of Betty and their colleagues. This is not a traditional soap opera, in which you need to be beautiful to have success. In this one, the viewer identifies himself with Betty and all the girls in the "Cuartel de las feas" (The ugliest ones headquarter), in their challenge to probe the world that beauty has nothing to do with success and love.

Gotta say it's the best telenovela ever made in the history. The acting, script, cinematography, music, plot, storyline, etc.... All are perfect and I don't find any minus from this phenomenal novela. Ana Maria Orozco as Betty really great. Jorge Abello as Armando Mendoza also amazing. As well as the other casts (Luis Mesa as Daniel, Ricardo Velez as Mario Calderon, Natalia Ramirez as Marcela Valencia, etc). One of the most memorable scene is when Betty present the company's real balance, it's a masterpiece scene that you won't forget for the rest of life. Yes, there are many remakes of this novela, and I can guarantee that no one, and never, can beat the original. Watch the original, not the remakes!

10/10

The best telenovela ever. Best characters, real situations. Completely recommended.

It is NOT a normal soap opera with excessive drama and all about love... just the other way round!! it is light, entertaining, witty, funny... no one is doomed or lucky... it is very unique and awesome. I spent nights until 3AM watching one episode after the other...

Why?? 1. It is filled with a pleasant sense of humour!! jokes and sarcasm.

2. Characters lead you in their adventures and show you, with their daily life, a snapshot of Colombian culture. With the adventures of Betty's family and her loyal friends (Nicholas and The Ugly women's club) you laugh and feel one of them. Every time team spirit and deep friendship win over shallowness and opportunism... you feel good. :-)

3. On the other hand Ecomoda's executives makes you feel the rhythm, pressure and dynamics of running a fashion company. Being a business woman I loved the intrigue and suspense lying behind the decision of business strategies, their consequences and tricks to survive.

4. Finally it teaches you values without being patronizing... even Betty finds herself into a lot of temptations! ... victories are real, disappointments too... and before you even realize it, when it comes to an end, you feel like you are among friends. The characters have become part of you life. And you will miss them!

There is just no waist in "Yo soy Betty, la fea", if you like, hate or don't care for Latin American soap operas it doesn't matter, this one will grab your heart, guts and brain.

Witty, and almost always funny, even through the tears.

It's not often you get to see a really intelligent girl in the main roll of a Latin Soap Opera, so when you tune in it knocks you off the chair, you won't be able to turn the TV off, and I assure you, there is just no getting enough of Betty. She becomes so familiar that you wish she succeeds in everything, and the best part is… she does.

If you get a chance, don't let it slip, you'll love it.

I can see this show over and over. I am not a telenovela person, but this remind my childhood. Just irreplaceable!

This soap opera in my opinion beats anything Hollywood has ever done. The acting is incredible and so real, you truly become addicted to the show and stay up all night without being able to not watch the next episode.

It's sad, funny, smart, it will make you laugh, smile, and cry. The soundtrack for the show is also genius. It is like a Cinderella story but it is not corny or sugar coated like most people make it seem in their comments.

I say it's the greatest in TV history because there have never been so many remakes from all over the world. There are different versions of the show like the Spain, Mexican, Indian, Russian, Filipino, American, and many other versions (not as good as the original Colombian version). They knew how genius the story is and decided to make versions for people who don't understand Spanish.

Ugly Betty does not follow the original plot/story though most other versions do. Ugly Betty is okay, but it is not a masterpiece like Yo Soy Betty La Fea! You will love it!

Fernando Gaitan is an absolute Genius, He is the Norman Lear of Latin TV. Being a Non Soap Opera fan. I was forced by my Wife to see one Episode of Betty La Fea. I was hook on the First viewing. The Plot, suspense, comedy, which questions the Human physic and brings to light the arrogance of Society today which places more value on physical appearance instead of beauty of inner person. Vanity is exposed to the Maximum. It shows how people in general place more value on Material, monetary, and showy display of one' means of life. The difficult relationships between competing parties comes to light. Everybody in this Story pays for the either the Errors, machinations, selfish plots and those doing what is right are rewarded for there pain and suffering. In short the Fernando Gaitan has honed this Story into beautiful Diamond and Jewel in the Art of Entertainment. May God give Fernando Gaitan more Talent and a longer life to teach us all a lesson in Life. If you take away just a little more knowledge and advice you have benefited it was time well spent viewing Betty La Fea. I don't watch soap operas and have not since and before Betty.

Eddie in Cameron Park, CA

Fernando Gaitan wrote this Colombian novela, YO SOY BETTY LA FEA (I am Betty the Ugly). It stars leading actors, Ana Maria Orozco as Betty the Ugly, Jorge Enrique Abello as Armando Mendoza, her love interest, and a fine cast.

The story is about Betty, an intelligent but unattractive woman, who is unable to find a job mainly because of her looks. She finally finds a lower level position as a secretary to the president of a fashion company.

During her time at the fashion company, Betty works her way from the position as a secretary to an assistant. Later, she becomes the secret owner of the company. In the mean time, Betty is teased and taunted by other staff members. She makes friends with a group of office workers called the Cartel de Feas (The Ugly Women's Group). Gradually, with the help of a friend, Betty's self-confidence and physical appearance improves.

When the company is in serious trouble, Betty is able to rescue the business from failure. Betty helps the company staff and she also falls in love with the young handsome president, Armando, who never notices her. Eventually Betty's smart mind, good heart, character and loyalty catch Armando's attention. Despite Betty's homely appearance, he eventually falls in love with her. However, Armando's affection may come too late for Betty. His previous insensitive actions badly hurt her. Will Betty become successful in her love and professional life? That's for the viewers to find out!

Over 80 million viewers from Colombia and 21 other countries, including the U.S., have enjoyed this ethical story about how courage, inner beauty and brainpower can conquer others' perception of physical looks. BETTY LA FEA is told in such a witty, comical, and sometimes serious manner that you'll find yourself vigorously supporting the heroine, laughing, crying, and shouting at the television screen when you watch it.

Considered by many the greatest telenovela of all time, it lives up to expectations. It has 3 remarkable strengths: 1. a completely original story which became so popular that it was replied in multiple international versions. 2. The majority of the characters are memorable, well constructed, well acted and non-one-dimensional, they had a background and a strong character development is seen on the protagonists. 3. The soundtrack was beautiful, however, I do believe it was a bit too limited, not too many pieces of music. YSBLF is the most successful telenovela ever and it's cultural impact in Colombia influenced tons of both national and foreign series.

This is probably the best telenovela/tv show ever written. Witty, contemporary, never boring, and a feel good story. A masterpiece from Colombia.

I re-watch the episodes with a nice cup of tea under the blanket, it is that good.

The music is great. The actors are abso-freaking-tastic. The story is believable and well developed. It has the perfect balance between dramatic moments and funny scenes.

The only downside I can think of is that it's sexist AF. Most if not all of the female characters are commonly harassed/shouted/flirted/insulted at by their male counterparts.

Funny, witty, and clever. "Yo Soy Betty la Fea" and "Hasta que la Plata Nos Separe" are the two funniest telenovelas in history. Both Colombian, and both written by the same mind; Fernando Gaitan.

Even though it was made so long ago, as a latina and now as an adult I still feel it so modern and relatable. It protrays women's fragility in so many ways, it also teaches us that beauty is not just appearance and it encourages women to aspire for power, inner beauty and self-control. Moreover, the plot just grows beautifully and the love story in between is not a conventional one, not like every other dumb telenovela. Everything feels so real!

One can be laughing at one scene and at the next one crying out of sadness or happiness. It actually made me fall in love with love once again and taught me about forgiveness.

The only negative thing I'll point out is the fact that Betty never faced her father, told him the truth and never asked him to let her live her own life as a grown-up woman. I hated her father's character all the way.

I desired the wedding to be so different from what it became due to her father. Armando and Betty deserved so much better!! Armando's idea of a beach wedding was by far a better one. I also wished Armando's mother could have gotten to know and love Betty for what she really was, leaving all the superficial things away.

All in all, is a story that everyone needs to watch and fall in love with.

I hate novelas and even U.S. soap operas. I had only watched one before Yo Soy Betty La Fea.

This "novela" is absolutely wonderful, very comical and entertaining. The actors and actresses do a superb job and I actually found myself taping the episodes that I would miss because of other commitments.

Betty (Ana Maria Orozco)who in reality is a beautiful young woman, does a wonderful job at playing an ugly secretary...

Betty is over ... and I'm hoping that the writers of the novela will come up with a Part II or a series.

OK, as a rule telenovelas are fun to watch, at least for a few minutes, because they are always so bad! There is only one plot from which all telenovelas spring and the acting is almost always completely overblown. Betty La Fea, in contrast, is actually a good novela, which is a rare thing. Most of the actors are pretty good and, above all, Ana Maria Orozco does a brilliant job playing Betty. This is a funny show and I would definitely recommend it. I watch it daily to keep up with the Spanish I learned while living in Peru and I have even managed to hook my roommates on the show, though none of them speak or understand Spanish.

Being a housewife,I've always watched opera soaps drama from Mexico,Venezuela and Colombia on tv.But this one was really excellent.It makes me excited everyday of what will happened the next episode.My husband hates to watch drama as he always knows what the story line would be like.Yo Soy Betty La Fea really amazed him and at times he's more excited than me.Even my two years old daughter will tell me,"Mummy...Betty!"when the show started.All the casts did a tremendous job especially Betty and Armando.Most Malaysians are talking about how good the show was.Can't wait for the next sequel of Eco Moda 2001 which I've checked on the net!!

Saying that I am RATHER NOT a fan of Latin soap operas is like saying that I am RATHER NOT a pink elephant. Sometimes I just leave my TV on without any special reason, just for having some buzz behind. "Betty" (released as "Ugly girl" in Poland) happened to be that "buzz" and suddenly I found myself turning my head again and again from my computer to my TV. And then I found myself waiting every day for the next chapter of that charming "buzz" :) Maybe this is because "Betty" is more like a comedy than a traditional soap opera. A Cinderella-like story given with a huge dose of humor. Nice characters, funny love story, good dialogues, good music, good actors job - what more do you need when watching a good comedy ? "Betty" did something to me - still being RATHER NOT a fan of soap operas I will always watch at least several episodes before switching my TV off and spreading my opinion about the next stupid opera on TV.

I am not the type of person who sits in front of the TV to watch soap opera all the afternoon, actually I hate with passion soap operas, they are dumb, cheezy and boring, but this one is so different... I started to see it in Ecuador, just because there was nothing on tv that night, I saw the first episode, and I loved it! It's not the typical soap opera when the maid falls in love with the owner, then she has an affair with him and gets pregnant, then she finds out that she is the real owner of everything, then goes crazy and gives away the baby (she got pregnant with the boss) and then she tries to find that baby, and blah blah blah The main characters are Armando Mendoza (Jorge Abello) and Betty (Ana Maria Orozco) the boss and the secretary of a fashion company, they are great in their roles, and so is the supporting cast. We still have the "Cinderella" plot here, but it is so well written that you don't even realize! It's hilarious, sometimes a little sad, and it's always smart, what else can you ask in a soap opera???

I must confess. I despise soap-operas. I hate their characters, and their plots and over all, I hate the fact that there is only one and one retarded story which have told in a zillion different ways usually ending with the same moronic flair. I hate that stuff. If Mexican or Venezuelan, I hate it even more. It came as a surprise to me then, when I found myself actually enjoying one episode of this Colombian soap-opera. I have seen it a couple of times and although I am not "hooked" per se, I find it charming and witty. But why is it good? Well, that's easy, it's not because it is a good novella, it's because it is a comedy disguised as a novella.

We are in Israel like novelas. we have a channel that only play novels -Better and worse like "la usurpadora". when betty came no one thoutht that it could succeed here, and it came instead of "Los Buscars De Siempre" which was a great novela so it was a big shoes to get into and the fact that it's colombians didn't help too. But - all the israel's people like it! We like Betty, Armando and Berta, like the music, Hugo and all. We laugh every episode many times. I say it's the best novela in the world.