Spare Parts

Okay, I admit it. I'm a robotics nerd. I managed a high school robotics team for three years and watched on the side-lines while my son participated on another team for four years. So, of course I went to see the new movie "Spare Parts" about the Carl Hayden High School Robotics Team that participated in a college-level underwater robotics competition and beat M.I.T. I've met Coach Freddie, and I've attended robotics competitions and meetings at Carl Hayden High School. There was no way I was going to miss this movie.

Having said all that, here are the reasons ALL OF YOU should see this movie. If you live in Arizona, you should see this inspirational movie about something that happened in your own state. (Yes, sometimes good things do happen in Arizona.) If you are an educator, a parent, or anyone who works with kids, you should see this movie to remember what can happen when we inspire kids and give them a chance to show us what they can do. If you're a nerd or a techie - just go see it! It's a show with a lot of heart, the right amount of humor, and some good acting and writing, too.

Great movie with an inspirational story of going up against the odds and pulling through with ingenuity, persistence and vision. This story would resonate deeply for anyone who came to the US with nothing but their dreams. The story and lesson here about gratitude may soften those that have taken their freedom a bit for granted. (Just my opinion) In short, moving story with an ongoing issue that may allow for hardliners to just soften up a bit. Can't say to much else without giving away more. you'll have to see it for yourself. These young actors did a very good job in portraying their situations. George's performance here doesn't disappoint. I thought he only did well in comedic roles, but this one certainly puts him out there to show he can act, bringing you into his role forgetting he is a comedian. Malisa and Jamie also do very well with this one. Looks like everyone had a great time doing this film and brought us (The viewers) along for the ride of this great story.

This movie appears not be in wide release, at least in my area, but I would ask any parents with children in the 5th grade and above to consider seeing this move for the many messages and insights this film presents. Based on a true story of a four immigrant high school students in Arizona and their quest to compete in a prestigious robotics competition, you will find yourself by movie's end cheering and inspired while shedding a few tears along the way.

George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Marisa Tomei and Esai Morales provide good performances, but the real stars are the four young actors who portray the students. Their performances will draw you into their world and give you a brief glimpse into lives that few Americans have seen.

While the recreation of the competition itself is as intense as a sports movie, it is the path and the detours these four boys must make on the road to the competition that makes one contemplate aspects of our education and immigration policies.

Make sure to stay through the entire film to see pictures and information about the actual participants and what they did post high school.

Strange how these sort of "feel good" films -- based on actual events -- used to be more commonplace... and now have somehow become an endangered species..? SPARE PARTS is a serious film. By that I mean they used name stars and gave the film a full 2 hour running length. (Lately you can tell more about a film by the length than any other statistic -- the ones that clock in at exactly 1:25 are usually done on the cheap, intended to be sold to TV right away).

It might not win any Oscars but it is solid entertainment with no hiccoughs or offbeat moments.

For this reviewer, the oddest thing was identifying the "glue." In every story there is a character that the audience comes to identify with, and the actions of this key character often set the tone for how the audience will respond to the whole story.

What was interesting here is that the "glue" was Marisa Tomei, who is both the conscience and the heart of the film -- yet she does not have as much camera time as some of the other characters. She does an outstanding job of grounding the story, from beginning to end.

Highly recommended.

The movie is based on a true story about the undocumented high school students from Arizona, who participate in underwater robotics competition and compete against top universities in the Nation. With limited budget, but with creative minds and a desire to win, they manage to build a decent robot and manage to impress the judges with their presentation. I am a robotics coach and I took my robotics team to watch this film. Definitely a must-watch especially if you are a coach, teacher, student , or parent. The students also enjoyed it a lot and got inspired. The movie also has very good soundtracks and has funny scenes.