As of this writing, FIVE of the "Reviewers" here NEVER rated a movie before the Cesar Chavez (2014) movie release. They apparently had an interest in the outcome. Suspect is their desire to see that "civil rights of undocumented workers" are misplaced in the heroism of César Chávez. This will goad many Americans to respond. In addition, the movie came off a bit dry possibly because the actors who knew enough about Chávez (e.g., Pena) realized the writers were off point. In real life, César had enough documented migrants, and the supply of workers were much greater than the demand.
César and his brother Richard often caught Illegals on their properties, loaded them into a pickup truck, dropped them back into Mexico, and told them never to return until they had documentation. Cesar considered the Illegals "scabs" and a host of other expletives. He had this disdain because it threatened his Civil Rights movement for documented labor of Mexican descent, threatened his relationship with the Union, and to quell the over supply of underpaid workers. César knew the Illegal threatened the success of his activism and Civil Rights movement, and he urged documented Mexican-Americans to register and vote. (Sources: The Crusades of Cesar Chavez: A Biography, March 25, 2014; and, "Hall of Honor Inductee César Chávez." U.S. Department of Labor, June 18, 2014).
In other words César Chávez was to the Mexican-American, as Martin Luther King was to the African-American, —except that César incorporated fair wages into his Civil Rights activism and Union relationships. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't fully develop this message because it had some innuendos that Mr. Chávez was okay with border jumpers for hire. He'd roll over in his grave to find out that less than "8% of Illegal aliens work in the fields," and the rest are in U.S. communities either working a job, or collecting benefits. (Source: U.S. Dept. of Justice, 2005).
For whatever reason, Hollywood having made previous movies of Chávez is still bent on blurring the lines between "undocumented workers" and "Illegal aliens." César was not okay with the Illegal alien worker, and until Hollywood gets it right it remains an unfair depiction of this man's pride of Mexican-American heritage. However, the movie did have some good aspects of advocating fair wages, better working conditions, power of hunger strikes and boycotts, and the non-violent nature of César Chávez to bring about fantastic changes. We've seen this sporadically in the past brought about in no less than three other movies, and this film brings nothing new to the table, —especially NOT addressing the immigration issues at a time in history when the release of this film is suspect. Accordingly, a lower score is just until Hollywood stops trying to rewrite history through its admissions and omissions.
César and his brother Richard often caught Illegals on their properties, loaded them into a pickup truck, dropped them back into Mexico, and told them never to return until they had documentation. Cesar considered the Illegals "scabs" and a host of other expletives. He had this disdain because it threatened his Civil Rights movement for documented labor of Mexican descent, threatened his relationship with the Union, and to quell the over supply of underpaid workers. César knew the Illegal threatened the success of his activism and Civil Rights movement, and he urged documented Mexican-Americans to register and vote. (Sources: The Crusades of Cesar Chavez: A Biography, March 25, 2014; and, "Hall of Honor Inductee César Chávez." U.S. Department of Labor, June 18, 2014).
In other words César Chávez was to the Mexican-American, as Martin Luther King was to the African-American, —except that César incorporated fair wages into his Civil Rights activism and Union relationships. Unfortunately, the movie doesn't fully develop this message because it had some innuendos that Mr. Chávez was okay with border jumpers for hire. He'd roll over in his grave to find out that less than "8% of Illegal aliens work in the fields," and the rest are in U.S. communities either working a job, or collecting benefits. (Source: U.S. Dept. of Justice, 2005).
For whatever reason, Hollywood having made previous movies of Chávez is still bent on blurring the lines between "undocumented workers" and "Illegal aliens." César was not okay with the Illegal alien worker, and until Hollywood gets it right it remains an unfair depiction of this man's pride of Mexican-American heritage. However, the movie did have some good aspects of advocating fair wages, better working conditions, power of hunger strikes and boycotts, and the non-violent nature of César Chávez to bring about fantastic changes. We've seen this sporadically in the past brought about in no less than three other movies, and this film brings nothing new to the table, —especially NOT addressing the immigration issues at a time in history when the release of this film is suspect. Accordingly, a lower score is just until Hollywood stops trying to rewrite history through its admissions and omissions.