The Princess & the Barrio Boy

The premise is interesting -- retelling "The Little Mermaid" by combining it with "The Prince & the Pauper."

There is a sense of culture shock for the "mermaid" as she falls in love with a young man. He lives in a poor part of LA while she lives in her father's rags-to-riches palace of a home -- where her father went when he escaped the same poor neighborhood. The point seems to be that a person must remember his or her roots to be fully alive.

The story is a bit hard to believe because of things like the "witch" talking the mermaid's father into letting his daughter do whatever she wants even though she's only 15 years old. But the movie is amusing fluff and can be enjoyable.

A great movie about a rich girl who falls for a poor boy from Eastern LA.Both lead characters played well by Marisol nichols and Nicholas Gonzalas.An enjoyable Movie. Three and a 1/2 *stars*

This is a coming-of-age, rags-to-riches, princess-and-the-pauper movie. It's definitely grade B but at times affecting, at other times suspenseful, at other times Hallmark-romantic, but altogether tolerable, if not downright enjoyable. There's a lot here that is true-to-life and worth seeing. A masterpiece it is not. A classic, it is not. Still, try it, you'll like it. The acting is not bad and there are sub- plots worth viewing. One is how the kids deal with the death of their mother, and another about the father's premature attempt to find a replacement in a

duplicitous woman. The cute little boy has a hobby which leads to the undoing of the gold-digging new mom. The princess-girl gets her suburban upscale

girlfriends to take 'the bus' to the inner city. The inner city is full of nice people, we would like to believe.

Edward James Olmos in The Princess & the Barrio Boy plays a role the exact opposite of what he is. He's a self made millionaire who climbed out of the East Los Angeles neighborhood he grew up in and wants nothing in his life to remind him from where he came. He's not someone who believes in giving back to the community. So when young daughter Marisa Nichols shows an interest in a kid from his old neighborhood, played by Nick Gonzalez, Olmos gets his hackles raised.

That's not all that's going on in his household. Olmos is a widower who is planning to re-marry and his intended is Maria Conchita Alonso. The two kids, Nichols and Michael Reardon aren't thrilled with this choice for a stepmother, but Olmos is feeling a bit antsy and doesn't want to hear their objections.

The title of the film has a double meaning. Ms. Nichols is raised as a young princess and her interest in Gonzalez draws Olmos's ire. But he also is a barrio boy and he's about to marry a would be princess on his own. Of course he can't see beyond his libido that Alonso just wants to take him for a nice California community property settlement.

The Princess & The Barrio Boy is a nice film with a most attractive cast giving their all in good performances. It's a nice kind of teen film, I wish it had been given theatrical release instead of being confined to the made for television group. Pauly Shore has a really nice role as a wedding planner, though some gay groups will be upset as his part is too stereotypical. He's still funny though.

Don't miss this one if broadcast, it will appeal to more than Hispanic audiences.

I saw this movie a few years back on TV,I recorded it so I will always have a copy. I passed it around to all my friends and they have worn it out. It is a shame that the movie is only available on Amazon.com (can't find it anywhere else). It is a perfect chick flick. Boy meets girl, girl is a rich kid but learns that there is more to life than money. Everyone can relate to this movie, getting your parents to give you more freedom and having a little brother! I think the wedding scene is the best, falling flat into the cake! Also the song 'Paint the Sky' at the end by Wild Orchid, fantastic song to finish the movie with. Fantastic movie, would recommend it to anyone, it's the perfect Saturday night slumber party movie.