She was absolutely volcanic in this film, especially in the street scene where she and Javier are screaming at each other in Spanish, mostly her doing the screaming. A few pedestrians walking by were looking as if they might start running, thinking the two were about to draw pistols.
She deserved her Oscar.
Certainly did. I loved her in this.
People shouldn't overlook her work in To Rome with Love, though. Her other Woody Allen film might not be as impressive as Maria Elena, but she's very funny in TRwL, with that constant sense of the ironic that makes the whole thing click. And, of course, goes without saying that she's as foxy as they come.