Generally speaking movies about poor struggling immigrants (the leftists running Hollywood can't seem to sympathize enough with their plight) do not attract my interests. I'm not to big on bleeding heart writers and directors who never met an illegal they didn't like. That said, imagine my surprise when I started to watch this film on television and like it very much! I was first pleased by the reality of the characters. They seemed like real people with real problems. Next, I found the two principal actors likable, flaws and all. Since I didn't know any of the actors--famous or not--I didn't have any preconceived notions about their abilities. They all fit their parts fine as far as I could see. Then I enjoyed the intertwining of the party girl and the male stripper in the ESL class and out of it. The writers did provide a plausible happy end so that wasn't hard to accept. Finally, the actors spoke clearly so I could understand when they were speaking Spanish as well as English. I'm not going to rush out an buy the DVD, but if this movie is on television again, I will gladly watch it so pick up on the missed details.