Under the Same Moon
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Movie Reviews of Under the Same Moon
Movie Review: Watch it with your mom, I bet u will shed 1 tear
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, my mom has been telling me to get this movie for at least 2 months straight. Everytime ii go to blockbuster to look for it I can't ever find it. She told me it was brand new, so I look at the new releases section, then I find the movie in the drama section finally. This movie is about 2 yrs old already so it wasn't it were I've been looking this whole time.
Anyways, the movie is excellent!!
Adrian Alonzo is gonna be 1 of the best actors in the next 2 yrs just wait. The story is very touching and I am a cold guy, but this movie really moved me, I even shed a tear at the end.
I watched the entire movie with my mom and that was powerful, she loved it as well.
The story is a little hard to believe, how is a 9 yrs old boy in Mexico who hasn't seen his mom in 4 yrs gonna make it to L.A? Let alone by himself! That's the Main part of the story that kept me interested, because you want the kid to make it, even though it seems impossible, you keep hoping that they will reunite. Carlitos the 9 yrs old boy is no ordinary kid you quickly find out that he is really smart making it all the way to Arizona after his attempt to cross the border went all bad and ended up in El Paso Texas. Carlitos meets a laborer named Enrique played by Eugenio Derbez who at first despises the kid and wants nothing to do with him. After a close call with immigration where most of the immigrant workers they work with get caught up they manage to hide out and start to look for work and Carlitos tells Enrique he is searching for his mom who lives in L.A. Enrique reluctantly agrees to help, and Carlitos finds both of them a job really quick working in a diner as a dishwasher and waiter. There is a scene that you will really enjoy were Carlitos. Starts to sing along to a song on the radio, a song about a person who refuses to help someone, because the person thinks it will lead nowhere. Enrique then joins in on the song and they both sing it back and forth getting louder and louder until they are screaming it in each others faces. It is the best scene, because that song represents exactly what they are going through and what the movie is all about. The movie just gets better after that
I only have 1 complaint and that's that there is the mom decides to get married with the security guard who works at 1 of the house she cleans at, but all this happens over just 2 days! I feel that part could have been left out. It doesn't help the story at all
I reccomend this movie to anybody, great cast all the actors are on point, a great messege of hope and love, 5 stars!!!!
Movie Review: Heartwarming Human Drama
Summary: 5 Stars
Excellent acting, superb directing, and a touching story. Adrian Alonso, an amazingly talented young actor, and the also very talented Kate del Castillo lead this cast of mostly little known actors/actresses (except America Ferrera, who only has a small but important role) in a story that will warm your heart.
Although the ending is somewhat predictable, the acting, directing, and plot twists are so well done that the movie will entertain you and keep you wondering how this drama will play out to its conclusion. Expect to see more fine work in future films from Alonso, del Castillo, and the director Patricia Riggen.
Be sure to watch BOTH special features. The "Making of" is nearly 30 minutes long and well worth watching for more depth about the story, characters, director, and cast. The 10-minute "Mural" feature is also excellent. I particularly recommend viewing it AFTER watching the movie. It provides an interesting behind the scenes look at a mural that was created in East LA about UNDER THE SAME MOON, but, even more intriguing is the glimpse it provides of this little understood art form and its role in the mostly Mexican/Hispano-American community within East LA.
CAUTION: although most strident illegal immigration opponents would not be attracted to a movie of this nature, the film does subtly portray(through lyrics of the various songs on the music track of the film and through the heartbreaking portrayal of the separated mother and son) illicit cross-border forays sentimentally and somewhat justifiably. It's clear to this viewer, especially after watching the "Making of" feature, that the director's intent was to highlight the HUMAN DRAMA that is part of the universal reality SHARED BY MANY people who leave behind their family and enter another country, legally or illegally. I mention this because I did NOT find the film to be a "pro" illegal immigration treatment, but rather a heartfelt look into the real-life saga of separated loved ones, especially parents and their children.
Overall, a strong 4.5 stars for this charming treat from our closest neighbor to the South (Mexico). Excelente! Muy bien hecha!
Movie Review: A Beautiful Story
Summary: 5 Stars
And to think, I almost missed this movie... that would have been a serious loss on my part. Under the Same Moon almost flew under my radar after a read a few critical reviews of it that stressed the director's inexperience and reliance on clichés... and yes it does get a little heavy handed with the emotions. But it has a very compelling story, whether you believe in open borders or 50 foot high concrete walls.
Carlito's contacts with his mother have been limited for the last four years to a once a week phone call to the local pay phone. She's working in Los Angeles (illegally) and trying to save enough money for an immigration attorney to legalize her status and bring Carlito to live with her. In the meantime, he lives with his grandmother and scratches for coins by selling chewing gum and doing odd jobs. The film establishes him as a very resourceful kid early on, which lends a degree of believability to later developments.
When his grandmother dies, Carlito enlists the help of two well-meaning (but decidedly amateur) people smugglers (one of whom played with understated perfection by America Ferrara of Ugly Betty fame). As you might guess, things go wrong and Carlitos is soon fending for himself to travel from Texas to LA.
Under the Same Moon could have been just a hokey piece of immigration propaganda, but it focuses more on a story of love held by mother and son. And if you're lucky enough to watch it, you just might have your understanding expanded with regard to the erstwhile law breakers that constitute much of our illegal immigrant population. Like a 9 year old boy determined to reunite with his mother, it's a complex scenario that won't easily be solved.
One final note, we watched this Spanish language movie with our 11 year old granddaughter (the first time she's ever watched a subtitled film). Not only did enjoy it (and she's a very picky viewer), once it was over she was very visibly moved with the emotion of it. So rate this as excellent by both grandparent AND grandchild standards!
Movie Review: 'The Straight Story,' Mexican-Style
Summary: 5 Stars
This certainly lived up to expectations of being "a nice movie," an involving story about a young Mexican boy who sneaks into the United States to try to find his mother in Los Angeles.
She had been in L.A. for four years and, frankly, I forget why. They don't dwell on that, but there must have been a good reason since she loves the kid and vice-versa. Each Sunday morning at 10, she calls him from the same spot. That's a key to the story.
When the woman's mother dies, "Carlito's" grandmother who had been looking after the young boy, the kid decides his options aren't good at that point and he needs to take a big chance to see if he can find his way to Los Angeles. Yes, you have to suspend your beliefs here a bit, as the odds on a kid actually being able to do that - all with no money! - are astronomical, but it's fun to watch him on his journey and how he makes do with what little he has. Some of the friendships he makes are truly touching and in a way, the best part of the film.
While writing this, it makes me flashback to the film "The Straight Story" when an old man on a tractor drives 300 miles across Iowa to see his long-lost brother. He is befriended by many people along the way, some who go to extraordinary lengths to help a stranger. That's the case here, too.
We also get a good profile of the mother, her best friend and a wonderful man she meets during this story, all of which takes place in one week. Each "chapter" of the film is broken down into days. Yes, the film is slightly preachy concerning immigration but the story is so good that one forgets about the political aspect, no matter what side one is on.
The last half hour will keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering exactly things how will turn out. That's good, because it means the movie is entertaining. Definitely recommended.
Movie Review: Captivating even after watching it dozens of times
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a K-8 Spanish teacher near Detroit, and one of my students recommended this movie to me last year. After viewing it I immediately bought it and have used it in many of my classes since. It is a great jumping off point for discussions about immigration and about Spanish-speaking culture in the United States, in addition to being a suspenseful and emotional story. Regardless of what your stance is on illegal immigration, you will probably find something to connect to in this film - views of life in Mexico, Carlitos' reunion with his deadbeat dad, the grouch-turned-hero Enrique, the relationship between Carlitos and his mother. I'm always pleased when even the grouchiest of my students beg to finish the movie at the end of the hour.
I show this to my middle school students and even to my 5th graders, with a permission slip since the movie is PG-13 - for some language and "serious thematic elements."
My only complaints are probably only classroom concerns:
--No Scene Selection Menu:
Although this is a fairly recent film, there is no "scene selection" where you can go to a specific scene in the movie. This was irritating in the classroom where we had to start the movie and then skip ahead to the correct scene.
--Subtitles:
There are subtitles available in English and Spanish, which I always put on in English since over half the film is entirely in Spanish. However, the subtitles closed-caption style, which include things like "dishes rattling" and so on. There is also a small amount of profanity (in Spanish.) I wish there was a "teacher subtitle" option that just didn't translate those particular vocabulary words!