Resurrection Blvd.

A very good cable TV drama about a Latino family in Los Angeles and a father who wants two of his sons to become boxers. The film is about being Latino, family, boxing, etc. The show looks good and all the acting is good--espeially Nicholas Gonzalez as Alex. He's, more or less, become the center of the show. He's very handsome, in good shape and one hell of an actor. Worth seeing.

Resurrection Boulevard (RB) is not about boxing, romantic love and sex, gangbangers and crime, Mexican/American culture, or life in an East L.A. barrio though all are components. RB is about a family.

RB is not a soapy melodrama or silly sitcom or a gritty docudrama about a downtrodden underclass. RB is, however, a serious though somewhat sanitized attempt to show the day-to-day struggles of an all adult family and the ties that bind them; loyalty, love, heritage, and religious conviction.

Perhaps the most refreshing and satisfying aspect of RB is the way it avoids the cheap, cheesy, trite and proven ways of maintaining audience interest. There are no cliff hangers, no phony happy endings, no schmaltz or tear jerking, and no melodrama. There is, however, a staunch adherence to the true character of the shows principals and a sense of integrity and noble purpose.

The makers of RB should be commended for gambling that the transcendent humanity of the series would bridge the culture gap and satisfy the appetites of the viewing public at large sufficient to be successful. Let's hope their efforts are not in vain.

This is one of the best TV dramas I enjoy watching. Especially seeing people from a different culture experience the same tragedies and family traditions that us Americans have. Like infidelity in the family,trust,and losing a loved one. This shows a great significance of family values and support,that everyone can relate to. There's some stubbornness among the siblings but overall in the end,the family (Santiagos) will always stick together. Just alone the show has a type of reality check of how important a family can be. Excellent show!!

The characters in this show are likable. This series tried to resist racial stereotyping and ended up making Latino culture palatable for a wider audience. Although some scenes were paced more slowly than I would have preferred, dramatic suspense is well managed, and the acting in this mini-series is generally excellent. It would be fun to see a full-length feature film using this cast. I like the fact that the lead characters are not in the economic bracket of those who have necessarily "made it" financially, but represent likable, hard working people (such as the woman who owns her own restaurant and works there constantly and her husband who comes in for an occasional drink,) who talk to each other about their goals and aspirations. This show reminds me somewhat of the Novellas that appear on Telemundo and Univision, but of course the primary language is English. Nevertheless, occasional lines in Spanish add to the realism and local flavor of this production, which caused me to wish that the show were still in production. The struggles that these characters go through are compelling, such as a foster child learning to forgive his foster father and a family learning to deal with the loss of the patriarch of the family to prostate cancer. I liked the fact that substantial issues were being addressed in a way that made me like the characters and want to invite them into my living room.

If it is true that Latino culture has a vitality that is sought after and needed in the United States, then this show offers what could be a glimpse into what that is all about. Characters that are coming to terms with their own shortcomings and learning to embrace each other and celebrate their heritage form a nice platform for the diversity one expects in a blended minority family. For this reason I was willing to forgive occasional awkward moments when the dialog seemed to lack that special spark that would have been needed to make the show into a masterpiece, or when the occasional sub plot fizzled out without sufficient development to give it a firm place in the story line, as well as I was able to forgive the occasional lack of character development on the part of some of the minor characters.

March 16, 2006 We have watched the entire series on DVD. We are movie buffs. This has to be one of our all time favorites. The writers were able to bring the very best of the Hispanic culture to the screen, along with other aspects of the culture which can bring heartache and sorrow to the family. The actors were all cast well and did an excellent job of bringing their characters to life. The family was able to show their unity and love for one another, while struggling with problems within the community and within the family structure. We laughed and cried with so many moments. BeBe and Carlos were my favorite characters. Thank you for bringing a wonderful series which not only moved us but allowed the viewers to experience the ups and downs of the American Hispanic culture. LOVED this show......and did not want it to end.