While I was not nearly as taken with this film as Leonard Maltin (who lists it among his 50 films you may have missed at the beginning of his latest guide), it is a pretty decent little film. There are some wonderful performances (particularly the man who played Uncle Paco--Chalo González). However, with topics such as teen pregnancy and homosexuality, this is a film you might want to think twice about before letting your teen watch it. I'm sure many will also be offended by the subject matter, so think about this before renting it.
Magdalena's Quinceañera is soon approaching. This is sort of like a Mexican rite of passage--much like a Sweet 16 Party. However, she is mysteriously pregnant and her family's plans for the celebration are thrown into chaos. While this is a starting off point for the film, there are several interesting plot element running parallel to this--such as the life of her sweet uncle and her gay cousin, Carlos (who is ostracized by much of the family).
I read one review that was critical of the gay couple and the affair one of these gay men had with Carlos. They were offended because the couple was NOT monogamous and they were worried this film might feed into the negative stereotype that ALL gay men are promiscuous. While I could understand their concern, this plot element in the film certainly was unique and was worth exploring. And, it's not good to ALWAYS show all gay people as noble--a stereotype which has been promoted heavily in recent years and which is also very unreal. Why can't they just be good or bad or a bit of both like any other person?
What I found particularly interesting about Carlos was that although in some ways he was a bit of a thug, he was also very vulnerable and was amazingly self-controlled when he had every reason to want to kill these gay men. Despite this, he was able to let go--and provided some balance (i.e., not all gay men in the film were bad--just this couple).
As for Tió Paco, he was a beautiful and charming character--you'll just have to see him and the rest of the family to understand. Magdalena, actually, was the weakest point (despite her Quinceañera being the subject of the film), as her character seemed a bit one dimensional and her predicament amazingly bizarre and tough to believe.
Once again, this is a very adult film though it seems to be marketed, somewhat, towards teens. If you do let your teen watch it, watch it with them and discuss the film--this could be a nice chance to discuss the many topics this film raises during its 90 minutes. It's a decent film with some nice performances as well as a nice opportunity to see what this celebration is. But, it also is a bit of a disappointment--it just didn't seem as special or magical as Maltin led me to believe. It was good, but not that good.
Magdalena's Quinceañera is soon approaching. This is sort of like a Mexican rite of passage--much like a Sweet 16 Party. However, she is mysteriously pregnant and her family's plans for the celebration are thrown into chaos. While this is a starting off point for the film, there are several interesting plot element running parallel to this--such as the life of her sweet uncle and her gay cousin, Carlos (who is ostracized by much of the family).
I read one review that was critical of the gay couple and the affair one of these gay men had with Carlos. They were offended because the couple was NOT monogamous and they were worried this film might feed into the negative stereotype that ALL gay men are promiscuous. While I could understand their concern, this plot element in the film certainly was unique and was worth exploring. And, it's not good to ALWAYS show all gay people as noble--a stereotype which has been promoted heavily in recent years and which is also very unreal. Why can't they just be good or bad or a bit of both like any other person?
What I found particularly interesting about Carlos was that although in some ways he was a bit of a thug, he was also very vulnerable and was amazingly self-controlled when he had every reason to want to kill these gay men. Despite this, he was able to let go--and provided some balance (i.e., not all gay men in the film were bad--just this couple).
As for Tió Paco, he was a beautiful and charming character--you'll just have to see him and the rest of the family to understand. Magdalena, actually, was the weakest point (despite her Quinceañera being the subject of the film), as her character seemed a bit one dimensional and her predicament amazingly bizarre and tough to believe.
Once again, this is a very adult film though it seems to be marketed, somewhat, towards teens. If you do let your teen watch it, watch it with them and discuss the film--this could be a nice chance to discuss the many topics this film raises during its 90 minutes. It's a decent film with some nice performances as well as a nice opportunity to see what this celebration is. But, it also is a bit of a disappointment--it just didn't seem as special or magical as Maltin led me to believe. It was good, but not that good.