Mi familia

The following tender scene (in an otherwise male-oriented movie) is totally unexpected: Jimmy Smits is a macho and is busy with his car, his wife (Elpidia Carrillo) whom he only married so she wouldn't be deported, comes up to him and changes the music in the cassette-player. She tries to get him to dance with her, right there on the street. At first he doesn't want to, but the way by how she finally succeeds is really a must to see. He even asks her at the end of the dance "Will you teach me how to salsa?". For only this scene one should rent the video, the rest of the movie isn't bad either!

'My Family' is a compelling tale spanning three generations about a family of Mexican origin living in Los Angeles. It starts with the father of the family, Jose Sanchez (terrifically played by Jacob Vargas), making a one year journey on foot from Mexico to Los Angeles. Once there, he meets and marries the love of his life, Maria (Jennifer Lopez, in an interesting performance). After, Maria survives a tragic separation from her husband, they both settle down in Los Angeles and raise a family of six.

There is a tremendous amount of expectation here, namely because Francis Ford Coppola, who crafted arguably the most exhilarating family saga in the Godfather pictures, is an executive producer. But, My Family is nowhere near in the same league as films like 'The Godfather'. Rather, 'My Family' turns out to be a great film that could have been better. One glaring flaw is in the script written by Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas. Too often, the script relies on tragedies to stir our emotions. Consequently, the emotion presented in the film feels fake at times. Particularly, in the scenes involving Jimmy attempting to bond with his only son, Carlitos.

Despite the missteps in the film, there are many positives to draw upon. The strong performances of the cast. Jimmy Smits, in particular, dominates the film with an intense and yet affecting performance. The film hardly ever succumbs to being a standard tear-jerker or phony. Instead, the film succeeds at creating a touching and provocative portrait of a family's struggles and tribulations in a world that hardly seems just.

Rating: (8/10)

This one hit close to home with me, especially with the characters. Chucho is a fun character that seemed to just be chased by bad luck, and some Hispanics, especially the older ones, are extremely superstitious. But it was funny how close the Chucho character was to the character that same actor played on "La Bamba." And Jimmy... well, that character brings so many memories of one of my cousins life... who has been in and out of prison... he's crude, rude, and can be ruthless, but will help you any way he can, especially if you're family. As a filmmaker, I'm hoping to bring a non-integrated part 2 to this, but the background of the adventure of my lineage is exciting on both father and mother's side. It'll be filled with the unexplained, the pain and drama, Spanish royal connections, and treasure.... which still remains hidden to this day.

Mexican culture has rarely been pictured in the Hollywood cinema (even though they we are the biggest minority in the country!), but this film probably rates as the best Mexican-themed film (until further notice). The evolution of the family's house really makes this an interesting image in regards to the lives of the family. The intersecting lives of the family are all well thought out, even though it all seems rather convenient they all have these different personas and political aspirations. When I first watched this film, I thought it was one of the greatest movies of all time. Instead of portraying Mexicans as lazy, this film really encompassed the cultural aspects and fears of the common Mexican man. A great film to watch, even if you aren't Mexican.

This year for Cinco de Mayo I made pico de gallo, fresh guacamole, homemade soft tacos and a mango dessert...I couldn't think of a better film to share with my husband, who had never seen it, than Mi Familia. This is the film that won me over to Jimmy Smits, prior to seeing Mi Familia years ago I was not a big fan...and then I watched the clinic that he put on during this film and have been a fan ever since.

Mi Familia is loaded with star power...Edward James Olmos, Esai morales and Jimmy Smits...and that is just the men, young Maria is initially played by Jennifer Lopez and eventually by the phenomenal actress Jenny Gago. For me the most memorable storyline is between Jimmy (Jimmy Smits) and his wife Isabel (Elpidia Carillo)...they were both phenomenal, bonding over their shared stories of pain and loss.

This is an epic tale of three generations of one Mexican American family and it begins with the voyage (mainly on foot) of Jose from the heart of Mexico to his distant relative nicknamed El California, because when he was born his house was in Mexico...but now his home is officially in California. The story is narrated by Edward James Olmos, who plays the eldest son of Jose and wants to be a writer. Jose lives in East LA with El California and goes to work on the west side as a gardener where he meets Maria who is the nanny for a wealthy family. Maria and Jose don't have a lot but they are happy growing Beans in the front and corn in the back of their modest home which grows with their family as they have a son and then a daughter. During her third pregnancy Maria is picked up by INS and deported to the middle of Mexico, even though she was born and raised in America. Maria delivers their third child, a son named Chucho, in Mexico and then journeys on foot back to Jose and their home...a process that took two years! Jose and Maria end up with three more children after that Tina, Memo and the youngest Jimmy.

Without ruining the film their stories include gang violence, death, a restaurant, a lawyer, a nun, marriage, children, activism, jail and dancing!

I loved the storytelling aspects of this film and the Mexican folklore...but one of the best parts is the little window into history.

This is a wonderful story that has stood up to the test of time. I highly recommend watching it and I enjoyed it tremendously for our themed evening.