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Directed by: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland Starring: Emily Rios, Jesse Garcia, Chalo Gonzalez A quinceañera is a traditional equivalent of a debutante ball, bat mitzvah or Sweet Sixteen party, held for a Latina girl on her fifteenth birthday. It's supposed to mark the girl's spiritual coming-of-age and stepping into adulthood, or at least in that direction. This movie opens at the quinceañera celebration for a girl named Eileen, and it's a huge, extravagant affair with lots of family and friends and dancing and drinking and a healthy dose of drama. Given the title, you'd expect that the rest of the movie will be about the preparations and undertaking of the party for another girl, Magdalena, Eileen's cousin and just a few months younger than her. We see Eileen's mom start altering her daughter's dress so Magdalena can wear it, and Magdalena starts needling her parents to shell out for a Hummer limo to drive her friends around. And then: poo poo. The dress doesn't fit around Magdalena's belly. Is she fat? Nope! Pregnant. Despite her fervent claims to her parents that she's never had sex, even with her boyfriend Herman, her dad (a minister) kicks her out. Magdalena finds shelter at the home of her 84-year-old great uncle Tomas, who's also taken in her older cousin Carlos. Carlos is a black sheep, but we don't know why. As his own story begins to develop, it initially seems extraneous, but it becomes clear that the movie is not so much about Magdalena herself but about her discovering--and fighting for--her place in the world and with her family. Her relationship with Carlos, who knows what it's like to be shunned for something beyond his control, is an essential part of that, as is the unconditional love of their endlessly generous uncle. One of the things I like most about this movie is how genuine and fresh the young characters feel. Several of the scenes among Magdalena's friends feel semi-improvised. Even though the subject matter is inherently related to Latino culture, that aspect is easily incorporated into the Americanized lives of the characters (although the movie definitely does not forget their heritage, and it ends up playing an unexpected part in Carlos' storyline). Not a brilliantly innovative movie, but a solid, enjoyable one that does pull some surprises. RATING: 4 PROS: Genuine, well-acted, non-stereotypical characters CONS: Somewhat predictable ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451176/
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Sep 4, 2006 03:45
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 02:41 |
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