UNDER THE SAME MOON **½ Rating: PG-13 Length: 106 minutes Director: Patricia Riggen (Family Portrait; The Cornfield) Writer: Ligiah Villalobos (One World; “Ed”) Starring: America Ferrera, Adrian Alonso, Kate del Castillo, Eugenio Derbez, Jesse Garcia, Angelina Pelaez, Carmen Salinas, Maria Rojo, Maya Zapata, Gabriel Porras, Gustavo Sanchez Parra, Los Tigres del Norte
“Under the Same Moon”, despite it’s unjustified PG-13 rating, is the perfect family film for a family that doesn’t mind subtitles. Nine year old Carlos (Adrian Alonso) is stuck in Mexico under the care of his Grandmother, while his mother (Kate del Castillo) works in Los Angeles. They meet every Sunday through a pay phone. She has been trying to bring him into the States, but she can’t figure a way out. After Grandma passes on, Carlos decides to track down his mother on his own- and so begins his odyssey into America as an illegal immigrant. It’s a road movie in the tradition of most road movies. Carlos meets a lot of eccentric characters, some good, some bad. His cousin (“Ugly Betty”’s America Ferrera) and her boyfriend attempt to get him into the States, but have some unfortunate luck. Carlos meets a hardened illegal alien (Eugenio Derbez) who at first dislikes the boy, then grows to love him after the boy goes out of his way to make sure he finds work. We all know how the picture will end and that’s both good and bad. There’s nothing new here and though it’s entertaining, it does tend to be a tad slow. One thing that did bother me about the film though was it’s portrayal of the border patrol and most Americans being evil towards immigrants-even some of the Mexicans were portrayed with not so pure hearts too (Ferrera’s character and the boyfriend are helping out Carlos more so for money than for him being family). It’s as if the boy and the mother are the only two pure souls under the moon. Resorting to stereotypes in a movie that is so sweet and heartwarming at parts is a bit insulting to it’s audience. Though, like I said it would be a great family movie if everyone in the family doesn’t mind subtitles. Underneath all the easy pokes lies a very good movie. It’s a shame it had to point fingers to tell it’s story.
This was another music blog, but let's face it- there are enough of those to go around at the moment and the web is becoming a bit too crowded for them (except for the bomb ass ones like "Fight Test", "Fluxblog", etc...). So, I decided to make this a movie review blog where I'll post reviews of the movies I watch. I'll include MP3s from the movie soundtracks to download when I can find them. Keep in mind these are just my OPINIONS, so you could very well love a movie I hate or vice versa- so please, don't bother posting comments on what an idiot I am for not liking a movie you like (or for confusing a slight fact- no need to call someone a dumbass for not knowing a remake was originally Thai and not Japanese. There are some rude people out there) It is pointless and I'd rather you just not come to the site if that's the case. Also, the MP3s posted are to help encourage you to either purchase the soundtrack and/or the individual group or artist's album(s). If you are the owner of any of the songs posted and want them removed- please let me know and it will be done ASAP. Thank you for stopping by!
UNDER THE SAME MOON
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