America 101

When I watched America 101, I got a true feel about Arizona's border culture. The brothers share a bond I feel with my family and my brothers so I could easily relate to them. I caught a clip of Oprah the other day and she commented on the movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman(great movie!) saying something along the lines of how she appreciated the way it portrayed black people as genuine people in relationships sharing love and feelings with hugging and kissing showing that black people are just like everyone else, and not as stereotypical trouble makers as often portrayed. And this is how I feel about America 101 on how it shows Mexicans as hardworking and genuine. I felt a connection with the brothers on their journey to the U.S. And the bonus to it all was that it was a comedy that had my mom and me laughing the whole way through. I enjoyed the beautiful southwest landscape and my mom said she thought the music was great. There was light profanity in a couple of spots but other than that I would recommend it to the entire family.

I recently attended the Arizona International Film Festival and had a chance to catch this delightful film.

America 101 follows two brothers from Mexico and their quest to find the elusive 'American Dream'. With home life too boring for the younger brother Angel, he hatches a plan to head for America where he thinks he'll find mountains of money and he believes his accent will get him laid. The older, wiser brother hints that Angel has tried it before and failed miserably. Things change when Carlos overhears his parents talk about their business closing and decides to go with his younger brother in the hopes of helping the family. This is when the real laughs start. Their adventure brings them in contact with lots of really interesting characters and one uncomfortably warm water cooler. Though there are lots of laughs, the underlying seriousness of the dangers of border crossings is never lost. A real feat unto itself.

I almost immediately connected with the brothers, Angel and Carlos. I am sure we will see more from these two in the future. The rest of the cast made the most of their roles and many of them from the Big Chief to the twin restaurant managers, are very memorable.

If given a chance this film could do well theatrically, especially along the border country. I thoroughly recommend this film and look forward to more from this director.

I saw this movie during the RiverRun Film Festival and it is so funny. The two main guys are hilarious and the cowboy guy has a really funny scene which is totally unexpected out in the desert while the two guys are hiding, but i won't ruin it for anyone and tell you what he does. This movie was really hilarious, looked great and had a great story. There was a fairly Long question session after the film with the producer and i was surprised at how much info about immigration was kind of snuck inside. I didn't really notice a lot of it until everyone else started asking questions about it. Great film, would love to see it again. If anyone knows if i can get it on DVD let me know. I know, I should have asked at the festival, oops.

This is a story of two very different brothers living in Sonora Mexico helping their family run their local bakery. Angel is the younger brother who has dreams that don't include slaving over an oven all day, he dreams of fast money and the good life which he believes is waiting for him in America. Carlos the older brother is bound by family obligation, doing the right thing, and a girlfriend who is desperate to marry him. Carlos tries to talk Angel out of his crazy dream of going to the states, until he learns via a late night conversation between his parents that the bakery isn't prospering like he thought. Before you know, the two of them are set out for the harsh desert in hope's of making a better life.

It doesn't take long before you are fully engaged with these character's and their story. This movie was smart and funny, it kept you on your toes. These are character's that you can't help but care about, which is all I ask for when I'm watching a film, no matter what the genre.

This was my first experience seeing an independent film in HD, and it just added to the overall experience of this very entertaining film.

Although this movie was light in it's context regarding the very serious issue of boarder crossing, I don't think that the viewer was lost on this issue, and I congratulate the film makers for that.

the question isn't "if" you will like America 101, the question is "how much" will you love America 101.

as you drive home from the theater, you might ask yourself "why do i love America 101 so much" or "why can't i stop laughing, i love America 101", but i urge you not to be concerned. these are natural happenings, and though they stay with you for a long time, they will do no harm.

adding to the tight script, and the nuanced performances, shooting the film on location in tucson makes a huge impact. i've never been to tucson, but i just bought a ticket to check it out. maybe i'll even try and find some of the locations. that could be fun, huh?