The TV listings on my DVR showed this to be straight drams. It's not. There is plenty of comedy. It's just not always funny. The listings also show an R rating. Yes, this definitely had to be cleaned up for broadcast TV, and I wouldn't recommend it to kids C's age.
This isn't the sort of movie I would choose, as it turns out, but it does have its good moments.
To some extent, this movie shows positive images of Latinos. Of course, there's just as much that is negative. But let's look again at the facts. Chino shows he cares about his family and wants to provide for them. How he is shown disciplining his kids is no worse than what parents used to be allowed to do. Not any more, anyway. Well, there is one creative solution that some parents might not approve of. It's a great scene. Meanwhile, Chino is willing to do things that aren't quite legal. So are his friends.
Lisette is smart, creative and determined and makes every effort to be successful on her own. Magdalena is everything you would expect from a "Jerry Springer" guest but she is a businesswoman.
C is about like one would expect kids in the 'hood to be. He needs to be raised right or he won't make it. Chino is trying. You have to like him but he's not overly cute.
Alexis seems to be one of the best characters, in the sense she has this attitude, sort of like one would expect from a drag queen, but not over the top.
Rita Moreno is always good. This isn't a real standout role for her but she always does a good job.
I like some of the music, mainly that which has Spanish lyrics or sounds like it should. The movie's title is also in the lyrics of the song playing during the first scene, and I do like it like that. And then there is rap and other styles of music which don't appeal to me.
With the closing credits we see the making of the Mendez brothers' music video at Coney Island, along with Lisette having fun with her family. It's times like this that make me glad I record everything because I definitely had to rewind to see it all at that time.
The closing credits say a real police officer died and is memorialized in a great art work that Chino shows his son as the son needs to be taught a lesson, which is also seen earlier.
Whether it's my kind of movie or not, it's worth seeing.
