Sueño

I like John Leguizamo (Executive Decision, Moulin Rouge!,Land of the Dead), and he is really believable in this film. He seems to really take on the character of a young Mexican immigrant who just wants to play music.

Elizabeth Pena (Lone Star, Rush Hour, Transamerica) was also very good as the singer who no longer believes in herself. Pena and Leguizamo support each other to the top.

Having said that, this was more of a music video than a movie. Sure, there was the attraction between Leguizamo and Ana Claudia Talancón, and the fantasy dance they did was so hot I wanted a cigarette after watching it, but it was just a minor part of the film, which was 95% music.

Nestor Serrano (Girls in Prison, City by the Sea) was also very good as the band's manager. And, I sure want to see more of Erica Munoz.

This is my all-time favorite movie about music/dancing. Well, it wasn't about dancing, but it's hard to separate the two into different genres.

My previous favorite was Dirty Dancing, and the music in that one was, of course, superb. But this movie, "Sueno" ... Do we not all have dreams? The tragedy of not pursuing one's dream cannot be calculated. I carried away a great message from this film. I rented this movie from Netflix, liked it so much I then bought it from Netflix.

The entire cast was superb, starting with John Leguizamo who gave an Academy Award caliber performance. He was Absolutely fantastic, as was Ana Claudia Talancon, who may be the most beautiful woman in the world.

I just saw the film. I rented it on Netflix. John Leguizamo has never looked better. Or younger. He's always amazing, no matter what he does, whether it's his own stand-up comedy or Shakespeare. It was nice to see him branch out even further into the realm of music playing a Mexican musician who moves to LA to fulfill his dream. Overall, I thought the film was an excellent first effort by writer/director Renee Chabria. She did the Latin music industry a great service by exposing all those wonderful musicians. The film is ultimately about music and one's devotion to that gift, so I appreciated the impressive diversity of the musicians featured (Zoe, Ely Guerra, Jumbo, Jose Jose). Once you realize it's all about the music, you forgive that the convenient love-story falls short of compelling. Elizabeth Pena is refreshing as Mirabela, and I hope to see Ana Claudia Talancon in future roles. There should really be a soundtrack for this film.

When film credits don't include the writer/s names, problems can be expected. This little candy-coated attempt to explore how 'dreams really do come true' is more a music video than a full fledged film, a project where obviously the money was spent on the graphics of the opening credits and the staged musical numbers rather than on the script. This is not a bad movie: it is just predictably trite and places lines in the mouths of some very fine actors that must have been an embarrassment to speak.

Antonio (John Leguizamo, with lots of hair and none of his expected comedic edge) is a Mexican immigrant who lands in Los Angeles with his grandfather's philosophy to follow that dream ('Sueño') and believes he will find his major career in his music. Reality sets in immediately as he is forced to work in his uncle's Taco Stand and play his guitar and sing in sleazy deadbeat nightclubs. He meets a customer Nina (Ana Claudia Talancón) who dreams of becoming a veterinarian but is committed to caring for her ailing papa (Winston J. Rocha). Despite sweet Antonio's attempts to woo her, she remains adamant that she must devote her life to caring for papa. Next door to Anthony the apartment is occupied by Mirabella (Elizabeth Peña), a newly divorced, middle-aged pudgy ex-singer who does housekeeping and laundry to support her children while she dreams of once again becoming a star vocalist: again the heart of gold Antonio befriends her, hears her sing and insists she has great talent.

Antonio is encouraged by a good-hearted 'manager' Rafael (Jsu Garcia) and is paired with three other musicians to form a group El Gran Colectivo with the hesitant Mirabella as vocalist. There is the requisite Music Group Competition where against all odds the group competes out of faith and devotion to each other and the old type of music. That everyone's dream comes true is no surprise at all: the plot is so thin that the audience knows from the start how everything will resolve 'in a land where troubles melt like lemon drops...'.

The idea is sweet, the message is wholesome, and the strong cast does everything it can with the treacle of a script hampering them. But unless you have an appetite for candy and can wait for the occasional surrealism of the dream sequences, this venture may just put you in sugar overload. Grady Harp

This film fits under the genre of whimsy. What makes it good is its appeal to the senses through Mexican culture. John Leguizamo excels in the part of Antonio: a struggling musician with an irrepressible spirit. Generally it is a well cast film. The music is good overall: some songs are truly excellent making up for one or two exceptions. Unexpected humor at times makes this an uplifting little romance and the charm of the film overcomes any moments that may seem a bit contrived. Visually it succeeds in capturing Mexican art and culture and explores a gentler, more optimistic side of Mexican culture that has not been brought out in other films. This is an enjoyable film well suited to uplifting a dreary afternoon. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys music or Hispanic culture.