Born in East L.A. (1987)

7/10

Being in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

jotix10022 December 2005

Cheech Marin is a great talent. In his film, "Born in East L.A.", he clearly shows a man that has a good understanding about the issues at the heart of this entertaining movie. For some years now he has been by himself as his partnership with Tommy Chong ended.

Mr. Marin makes an important point in the film. Rudy, his main character, is a man born and raised in East L.A., as the title indicates, yet, he is deported to a country he probably has never been to. His roots are American, yet being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, trying to do a favor to his cousin, he is hauled to a detention center for illegal aliens and deported to Mexico.

Of course, the arrest and his deportation serves as the basis of a clever comedy that is easy on the eyes and have us laughing throughout the many funny situations Mr. Marin has created for himself and his crew. Daniel Stern is good as Jimmy, the man that exploits Rudy. Paul Rodriguez has some good moments as the newly arrived guy that keeps thinking the messages he hears in Rudy's answering service come from the Jesus image behind it. The lovely Kamala Lopez is easy on one's eyes, and the great Lupe Ontiveros plays Rudy's mom.

"Born in East L.A." is a funny movie with a message.

20 out of 22 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

7/10

My fave movie with Cheech Marin!

Mark-37122 February 2000

Excellent Movie! Cheech is sent to a factory full of illegal immigrants to pick up his cousin "Javier". When he gets there, a pile of cops come in a arrest the immigrants. They think cheech is one of them, and they send him to mexico. If he had only took his wallet with him, he wouldn't have been sent down south. I read all the reviews and most people didn't like this film, but i think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread! The best part of the movie is when he tells the prison guard, Phil,says "Rudy, you still owe me $100!" Cheech says "Yeah, Heres one of them, F**K YOU!" (I wish IMDb allowed curse words!) This gets a 7/10. It's worth your money!

8 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

7/10

Cheech born for comedy.

The Bronson Fan26 September 2004

Warning: Spoilers

Pretty entertaining movie staring Cheech Marin as a Latin guy named Rudy from East LA who mistakenly gets deported to Mexico. Marin is tooling around some factory one day when INS busts in and rounds up the lot of them. Jan Michael Vincent busts him, Rudy not having his id is thought to be an illegal and is promptly shipped off to Mexico. Meantime Rudy's cousin or something like that played by Paul Rodriguez ends up at Rudy's house waiting for his arrival. Rudy ends up meeting Jimmy (stern) down in Mexico and begins to work some low end jobs and things to earn some cash to get back to the US. After many comical scenes he meets Dolores and brings her back to the US. Of course he marries her in the end and she is able to stay...the end. This isn't the funniest movie I have ever seen, but its very entertaining. Cheech is always fun to watch and saves what probably would have been a fairly boring movie. If your looking for some time to waste on a Saturday, as I was, flip the channel and find this. 6 and half stars. "Born in east LA, I was Born in east LA!"

5 out of 7 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

the longer vverson is much better and should be released

seafox-12 September 2003

this movie is good as it is. but there is a longer version that fills in parts of the story that make it whole. I can't belive they put out the DVD with out the missing sceens. We Need the WHOLE movie thankyou jeffery

9 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

7/10

A Solid Comedy

medrjel3 March 2002

From half the team that gave us classics of the hippie and drug era, comes this suprisingly good comedy. Some sentiment, some romance, but al in all a lot of laughs. Cheech Marin puts in a solid performance as Rudy who gets accidentally deported. Daniel Stern is frighteningly good as the sleezy con-man who works just south of the border, and hires Rudy to do whatever little tasks he could come up with (and pocketing most of the earnings, and a share of Rudy's). Kamala Lopez is simply gorgeous as the El Salvadorian who becomes the romantic part of Rudy's stay in Mexico.

And what can be said about the Red Headed Girl in a Green Dress that you can't see in the opening scene.

3 out of 5 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

7/10

"How to walk the walk and talk the talk"

PredragReviews6 April 2017

Delightful with a twist here and there that keeps this classic within the top bracket. A relative from Mexico visits his cousins in L.A. but what happens when he is to be picked up at the destination everything goes wrong. Border crossing are a go at that time and there is plenty of action and amusement with this show, plus the antics are full on from beginning to end. Marvelous story-line with a fabulous cast to make it first class. I rated this movie an A grade plus for a fantastic piece of entertainment that will have you in fits of laughter. So that is all I can say as not to spoil it for you.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

7/10

"Somewhere across the border..."

mark.waltz10 March 2021

Warning: Spoilers

With East L.A. his Kansas and Tijuana his land of Oz, Mexican American Cheech Marin is a victim of assumption as he is arrested in an immigration raid and wrongfully deported. His journey home has him trying several times to sneak back across the border, meeting up with assorted weirdos and finding a bit of romance. He's a good guy just trying to get home, so it's easy to root for him, and obviously as he helps out others in need and befriends a young lady from El Salvador, a sweetness takes over the film that really wallops the impact.

Then there's his cousin Paul Rodriguez, visiting from Mexico, who doesn't speak a lick of English, getting to the spot where Marin was to meet him, stuck in the house by himself while Marin's mother is away as well. every time the phone rings and he hears the answering machine, he thinks it's the picture of Jesus on the wall speaking to him and at one point even brings him a can of beer. Irreverent for sure, but very funny.

The film takes serious issues (illegal immigration and xenophobia) and makes them entertaining because it presents them in a way that is entertaining yet filled with heart. You get to see the various American hopefuls in a more positive light, yet the film isn't beating you over the head with liberal propaganda. Marin teaching some Chinese men some Spanglish slang is very funny, as is the neighborhood reactions to the sexy lady in the green dress in the opening sequence. Quite an uplifting surprise, one that Cheech can truly be proud of as a modern classic comedy.

1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

5/10

It should have been better

Love-Old-Wierd-Flicks22 June 2010

Warning: Spoilers

Richard "Cheech" Marin plays Rudy, An American born Mexican-American who goes to pick his cousin up at work and ends up in an immigration raid. He doesn't have his licence on him and ends up deported to Mexico. The rest of the movie is spent showing Rudy tirelessly try to get back across the border and get home. I thought this movie was just OK, not great, and not horrible. The acting is acceptable. I especially liked Paul Rodriguez character who mostly spoke Spanish in the movie but still managed to be hysterical for those of us who don't speak Spanish. Would I watch it again or recommend you watch it? Probably not.

5 out of 10 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

8/10

Funny Movie

aesgaard4122 October 2001

I love this movie! Next to "Shrimp on the Barbie," this is my favorite Cheech Marin movie as he goes on to prove he can actually be funny by not playing a pothead. A Mexican-American dragged across the border, he shows the lengths he is willing to go to return home and prove he is an American, but there is also a sensitive and heart-warming touch to his range as he proves he is also a good guy and not just some clown. Daniel Stern is also a hoot as an opportunist, and Paul Rodriguez flexes his comedic muscle that we his fans appreciate so much.

12 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

6/10

Wazappening?

Uriah435 October 2018

"Rudy Robles" (Cheech Marin) is a mechanic who works in Los Angeles and does the best that he can for his family. So when his mother (played by Lupe Ontiveros) asks him to drive to a nearby factory and pick up his cousin "Javier" (Paul Rodriguez) he does what he is told. Unfortunately for Rudy, when he gets to the factory it is suddenly raided by immigration officials and because he has accidentally left his wallet at home he is deported to Mexico. So unable to convince the authorities that he is an American citizen and with no money in his possession, Rudy has to somehow manage to make ends meet while at the same time attempt to get back across the border into the United States. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an enjoyable comedy for the most part with good performances by Cheech Marin and Paul Rodriguez. Likewise, having a beautiful actress like Kamal Lopez (as "Dolores") certainly didn't hurt either. That being said, I have rated this film accordingly. Slightly above average.

1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

3/10

light entertainment, parts really funny, badly cut

TanjBennett7 November 2003

Don't go into this expecting serious stuff. But as a light comedy, done with some warmth, it is pleasant. A shame that it has been deeply cut, all the section about the house across the road is missing (all you get is the mention from mother at the start) and since the result is a really short film with a jagged disconnect at the end, one wonders why they did that. It isn't as if the DVD is overflowing. Did the DVD editor go on holiday or just drop a can of film? Weird. The result is just wrong. Didn't anyone on the original production review the work before issuing it?

Some sequences are laugh out loud funny. The eye candy, the tattoo, was happening, and a few other cameos. And if you ignore the comedy for a moment, there is a message and a question in this which is still unanswered, as it has been for hundreds of years (compare to the Streets of New York). The film ages reasonably well, some styles and situations are already dated but it hardly matters.

Picture quality is generally clean, nice color. Sound quality ok but it is a pity the editors could not make an effort to give the music more body. Its just a so-so stereo track (the voices don't even seem positioned with aid of the center front speaker) and I presume for something made by Cheech in 87 there would have been some good quality masters available and an ability to position the dialog. But then editors who drop a whole section of the story probably have no motivation to spiff up the sound track either.

4 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

8/10

wow!

siektwo8 May 2005

Much better than i expected. I first saw this film on one of those boring rainy days where you end up sitting in front of the TV channel surfing. i stopped while this was on. needless to say, i watched the whole thing and totally enjoyed it.

it's very funny at times, and the plot is hilarious! some of the comedy is slapstick and some of it isn't...but it's all good. give it a rent and you won't be disappointed. i just picked up the DVD for 9.99 and i'm glad i did.

yeahhhhhhhhhhh yeah yeah!

(sorry, i need ten lines before i could post a comment)

12 out of 14 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

6/10

Good to laugh at

culwin21 January 2000

Occasionally funny but mostly stupid movie, but at least it's better than those Cheech and Chong movies. Great to laugh at, but not with. If you can endure the grueling hour and a half it takes to get to the end.

3 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

5/10

Cheech without Chong

SnoopyStyle13 March 2016

Rudy Robles (Cheech Marin) is a mechanic born and raised in east L.A. He lives with his mother and sister's family. They leave for Fresno while he's told to pick up cousin Javier (Paul Rodriguez) at a factory. Rudy is picked up in an immigration sweep and deported to Mexico. He left his wallet at home. With no money, no documentation and limited Spanish, he struggles to get back home. He starts working for pool hall owner Jimmy (Daniel Stern) and befriends waitress Dolores (Kamala Lopez-Dawson).

I don't really like this Cheech without Chong. He's a bit too normal. He's not goofy enough. He complains too much especially at the beginning. I would like him dumber and more lovable. I imagine pot humor would go really great with this movie. As for the premise, it's a great way to satire the issue of the border. However, Rudy always seem to be a phone connection away from going back home. It's too easy and the movie struggles to create ways to screw it up. This premise has lots of potential and this could be great.

2 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

A dynamic comedy

lourd-master12 January 2004

I heard about this movie recently, and last night I finally got to see it. I'm glad I did! There were a few laugh-out-loud moments, including scenes with Javier and scenes when Rudy has to deal with the boarder patrol. The romance with the woman from El Salvador was actually tolerable (I generally do not like romance in movies), plus it didn't take up too much of the time. As the movie goes on the audience sees Rudy is a man with a good heart, yet I sensed no sappieness. Another aspect of "Born in East L.A." is that it can make people think about the struggles and poverty that happens just over our boarder; this serious issue is presented in a comedy though, so it's easier to take and people don't have to put their guard up for preachy morals while they're looking for a good laugh. Yes, the movie isn't very deep, but it certainly doesn't have to be. I would recomend "Born in East L.A." to anyone. I definitely have to see it again.

10 out of 11 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

7/10

Grimly Ironical

bkoganbing29 April 2019

With the title being a great play on the words of Bruce Springsteen's hit Born In The USA, the humor of Cheech Marin's Born In East LA has in many ways become more grimly ironical in the age of Trump. It could be grim for some even back in 1987.

Poor Cheech, by some bad luck he's caught in an INS raid on a sweatshop garment factory and happens to have no ID on him. He protests in vain to redneck INS officer Jan Michael Vincent that he was Born In East LA. No matter, he's put in the bus and carted back to Mexico. Where he has to survive not even speaking a word of Spanish, his family has been in America for that long.

But as we see Marin is a resourceful guy and he finds ways to survive.

In some situations this turns deadly serious when the woman who is short by a few dollars is thrown off his truck by the coyote smuggler. Marin gives up some of the money he's saved up with his hustling.

The finale with that "charge" is a classic.

You can bet that Born In East LA doesn't get White House showings these days.

1 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

7/10

My Second Favorite Cheech and Chong Movie - Mandela Combo Punch

panaceamedia28 October 2022

This was around my 5th time watching this movie, but 1st in a long time. After the 20 minute mark, I was wondering where Chong was. By the end of the movie, I was wondering what happened to the rest of the movie. IMDB explains the latter memory issue: for some reason, they cut off the final scenes in the non-TV version. The first issue is caused by a wormhole to a more depressing timeline where the comedy duo had a tiff and didn't work together on this project. Well, either a time wormhole or where I grew up they played Cheech and Chong movies frequently and must have just thrown this film in a marathon. Whichever possibility sounds more reasonable to you.

This is a fun film that throws lots of jokes at the wall. The ones that fall flat are usually worth an eye-roll or a chuckle while others bring back the literal use of "lol". There are some well-constructed jokes as well such as the orange cart scene.

Mandela #3: it wasn't until I was 15ish that I realized the original song is not Born in the East LA. In my timeline, Bruce ripped off Cheech, which ties back into a quick little joke in the movie of the song La Bamba.

Don't take it seriously, don't do naughty things in front of a Jesus picture especially whose eyes follow you, and when storming the border on a kickoff return, make sure you keep a lineman guarding your blindside. Now excuse me, have you seen where the lady in green went?

0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

7/10

Classic Movie

eachneverydaynosleep27 July 2019

Only for the real ones. For the Hispanic community. This movie is non stop laughter. Can watch it all day.

0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

1/10

Cheech is in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time and in the Wrong Movie!

phillafella17 May 2003

BORN IN EAST L.A. looks more like a threat to society than a comedy based on a Bruce Springsteen parody. Cheech Marin goes solo in this unfunny farce as a U.S. citizen who is wrongly deported to Mexico and tries to make it back to his L.A. home. Cheech tries his best to make it in Hollywood on his own, but without Chong, the hilarity just isn't there, and the movie's message is dismally pointless. A huge turkey with lots and lots of cheese on top of it. I'm sure that will be delicious, especially for Americans and Hispanics who dislike crap like this.

0 out of 5

3 out of 13 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

8/10

Fiction becomes truth

difdi7 November 2008

When this movie was made, it was a comedy. It couldn't really happen, right? Well, as of 2008, 21 years later, it's happened to five US citizens, as far as anyone knows, since 2007 alone. There's no way of knowing how many people have actually been detained and/or deported because the government refused to believe their documentation -- Or they lacked it; Citizens don't have green cards, after all, so an immigration officer who is determined to deport anyone without one will deport a lot of citizens.

I just read an Associated Press article about a man by the name of Jose Ledesma who was jailed for two months, because the feds refused to accept his 100% real birth certificate as legitimate. The government has become so absurd, that a parody of 1987 has become the reality of 2008.

21 out of 29 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

7/10

Its A 90 Minute Extended Video Clip

damianphelps14 January 2022

Take the song and streeeeeeeeetch it out for another 85 minutes and you have the resulting movie.

Fans will miss Tom Chong but should still find enough amusing moments to have some fun as we try to get back to LA :)

0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

4/10

Too Mexican for Mexican people

caspian197828 December 2003

Born in East LA fails as a comedy because most of the movie is not funny. Getting into politics and the culture of East LA is one thing, but to drag on with scenes without any jokes is wrong. Without is sidekick Chong, Cheech is on his own to draw all the laughs. Even with an interesting supporting cast, including a picture of Jesus with the opening and closing eyes, the movie fails to capture the "white" audience it needed to be a success.

Must have made millions in Mexico, but not on any top ten list in America.

2 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

8/10

I think this movie was great the second time around.

Villa241610 May 2005

Rudy, a Mexican-American, born in the United States is deported to Mexico by mistake. He tries to get back, but is repeatedly caught and sent back into Mexico. Cheech Marin showed some excellent acting in this movie. He's a kind-hearted person who helps out some folks in bad situations, like the mother of three who he gives the oranges to, and the wife of a man who can't afford to pay a coyote to bring her into the United States. He is ready to leave and gives up his spot on the transport to but this lady on, even after he had worked to get money to return. It was a love story...a painful thing to watch at times and funny at the same time. Just picture yourself being sent to a country that you don't know, even if your parents came from there. He was lost I'm his parent's birth place. I had seen it before, but the second time around made the picture better. Very human movie.

7 out of 8 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

10/10

Cheech's peak

juantheron18 February 2000

Cheech wrote, directed, and starred, so stack this with Chong's solo resume ("Far Out Man" !?)and you see who was the true talent.

Some have passed this film off as second-rate 80s fluff, but they're missing a lot. East LA is, upon second look, a timely take on the overreactive Reagan-era round-'em-up, ask-no-questions immigration policy, in which many legal residents and citizens were actually deported. Plus, Cheech's character grows from initially fawning over a French woman in the opening scene and living a typical apathetic American life to falling in love with a Mexican woman and helping others in their quest to work in the U.S.

And it's funny..."Whas happenING!" "I like your pants" "Get behind me, Satan!"

7 out of 9 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

One of the greatest opening credits in film history.

hightide20 November 2001

Only three memorable things about this movie: Neith Hunter in a painted on dress that comes down no further than a bathing suit, in four inch spike heels, walking across some city streets. And then standing over Cheech as he comes out from under her car. Oh, my god. Jan Michael Vincent, no longer The Worldest Greatest Athlete. Now perfectly cast as a puffy, dim-witted, horrifying example of the wastes of alcohol. The theme song's not bad.

4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

User Reviews

See also

Opinion

Details

Storyline

Did You Know?

Photo & Video

Related Items

User Lists

Recently Viewed