My Family (1995)
Traces over three generations an immigrant family's trials, tribulations, tragedies, and triumphs. Maria and Jose, the first generation, come to Los Angeles, meet, marry, face deportation all in the 1930s. They establish their family in East L.A., and their children Chucho, Paco, Memo, Irene, Toni, and Jimmy deal with youth culture and the L.A. police in the '50s. As the second generation become adults in the '60s, the focus shifts to Jimmy, his marriage to Isabel (a Salvadorian refugee), their son, and Jimmy's journey to becoming a responsible parent.
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The Worst Film Ever
It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.
Absolutely Fantastic
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Paco (Edward James Olmos) recounts three generations of his Mexican-American family. His father José Sanchez walked to L.A. where he marries his mother Maria. During the Great Depression in 1933, Maria is forcibly deported despite being a citizen. She is pregnant and Chucho is born in Mexico. It took her two years to return. In the late 50s, the large family is starting to clash. José kicks out his rebellious son Chucho (Esai Morales) out of the home. Chucho gets into trouble and killed by the police. Paco served in the Navy. Twenty more years later, youngest son Jimmy (Jimmy Smits) gets out of prison for armed robbery. Daughter Toni has left the nunnery and married priest David Ronconi (Scott Bakula). They're concerned about Salvadoran refugee Isabel.The movie can feel a little rambling stretching out over such a long time period centering on the various characters. Each section has a compelling story. The first section is the epic journey for Jennifer Lopez. The second part is Esai Morales and the third is Jimmy Smits. Together, it paints a grand portrait of an American family.
This film is all cliché. The depiction of Latino groups is demeaning. The reflection of white army,police as insensitive and brutal is such a stereotype. The uptight white family meeting the future in-laws in the local family house with roosters and chickens running in the streets and the white family so uncomfortable is another overdone scene.There are some positives-the cinematography was good in various spots.The overall passage of time was not well structured and some of the events depicted were impossible to occur.All in all this film is pandering to the Latino groups and delivers no suspense,true character development or interest. I rate this a thumbs down!
"My mother believed everyone who got out of the house left something on the empty chairs," or something like this the narrator gives us. It seems that director Nava has watched a few hundred movies, and picked out one or two things from each of them. Be ready for a bunch of cliché's, as in words, situations and play. Maybe when you've not seen that much it will be a joy to watch. If you've seen the same films as Nava, it's getting harder. Me and my wife couldn't help sighing out loud with another birth or death. The Oscar was for make-up. As in an old Dutch pop record: "You mind about your make up, but you better make up your mind."
The story of a Spanish family going through the routine did not interest me until I found out Michael DeLorenzo was in it. But his such short lived character did nothing for the fact that the movie had many interesting and notable parts to it. Jimmy Smits was ever crazed not like I was used to seeing him from his lawyer days. As always James Edward Olmos has been my favorite. But it was good to see the portrayal of hispanics in this long-winded film. Issues, issues, issues. I put this at the top of the list for movies of this type because it gave a break down of each character and made them hold their weight. I would definitely recommend it as it served the hispanic communtiy very well.