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My Family (film)
Encyclopedia
My Family is an American
drama film
directed by Gregory Nava
and written by Nava and Anna Thomas
. The motion picture stars Jimmy Smits
, Edward James Olmos
, Esai Morales
, and others. It also features Jennifer Lopez
in her second film role.
The film tracks three generations of a Mexican-American family that emigrated from Mexico
and settled in East Los Angeles
. The life story of Jimmy Sanchez in the final part of the film is inspired by Satyajit Ray
's 1959 film Apur Sansar
.
). The film begins with the father of the family, José Sanchez (Jacob Vargas
), making a journey that lasts one year on foot from Mexico to Los Angeles
. He travels to Los Angeles to meet a distant relative known as El Californio, who was born in the city when it was still part of Mexico. They become fast friends and grow a corn farm together. However, after several years, El Californio nears death. Shortly before dying, El Californio says he wants the following written on his tombstone:
José meets and marries the love of his life, María (Jennifer Lopez
), an American citizen. After María is illegally deported to Mexico by the U.S. federal government
in a mass roundup
, she makes it back to Los Angeles
via a long and arduous trip two years later, where she returns home with their new son Chucho.
Twenty years later in the 1958 or 1959, eldest daughter Irene (first played by Maria Canals Barrera
, later by Lupe Ontiveros
) is getting married. Chucho (Esai Morales
) and Paco (Benito Martinez
) have grown up. New additions to the family include Toni (Constance Marie
), Guillermo "Memo" (played by Greg Albert as a child, and by Enrique Castillo
as an adult), and brother Jimmy (Jonathan Hernandez as a child, Jimmy Smits as an adult).
The film begins to gain momentum after the wedding, when a series of events seal Chucho's fate. One night at a dance hall, Chucho is dancing with his girlfriend, when his rival Butch Mejia (Michael DeLorenzo
) starts to bother him. This results in a bloody knife fight between the two, and Chucho accidentally kills him. After this event, Chucho becomes a fugitive by the police. One night when Jimmy is playing ball with his friends, Chucho is shot dead by the LAPD
before Jimmy's eyes, other members of the family learn of Chucho's death also, when they hear gunshots and rush to a nearby street, where they all find his dead body. As an ambulance arrives to take Chucho's lifeless body away, we hear Paco narrate how Chucho's fate had been on borrowed time.
The third generation, which takes place another twenty years later in the 1970s, faces situations such as acculturation
, assimilation
, and past problems of the family.
Jimmy (now played by Jimmy Smits
) completes a stint in jail and returns home. It is revealed that after Chucho's death 20 years back, Jimmy became an angry man following in his footsteps becoming a fugitive like him. One day, Toni visits the Sanchez home and stuns her parents with the news that she is no longer a nun and has married a priest named David Ronconi (Scott Bakula
). In a telling scene Isabel (Elpidia Carrillo
), Jimmy Sanchez's wife (a Salvadorean
refugee
), who he married so she wouldn't be deported, comes up to him and changes the music in the cassette-player. She tries to get him to dance
with her, on the street. At first he doesn't want to and he's not sure he loves her, but she finally succeeds. He asks her at the end of the song, "Will you teach me how to salsa?" It is here that they fall in love for the first time. This scene serves as a metaphor for the continuation of the Sanchez family.
Soon Isabel becomes pregnant, and when she gives birth to their son, Carlitos, she unexpectedly dies. Enraged, Jimmy attacks the doctor he blames for her death, burglarizes a store, and is jailed, leaving his son to be raised by his parents. When Jimmy gets out of prison, he initially doesn't want anything to do with his son who now has behavior problems. When Jimmy finally sees his son, he is filled with joy and immediately wants to care for him. However, his son hates him. The remainder of the movie primarily focuses on Jimmy's attempts to form a loving relationship with his estranged son. After much conflict, Jimmy's son eventually accepts him and moves with Jimmy to Texas. The film concludes with Jose and Maria reminiscing about their past as Jose says "God has been good to us, we've been very lucky, and our life it has been very...very good" and the camera pans to a shot of contemporary Los Angeles.
, many production companies were involved in the making of the film. The include: American Playhouse
, Francis Ford Coppola's
American Zoetrope
, Majestic Films International, and Newcomb Productions.
Gregory Nava has stated that the film has autobiographic
overtones, but the film was more inspirational rather than specific. Nava says, "A lot of the specifics came from other families when I was doing research for the film in East Los Angeles
."
The final scene is duplicated shot-for-shot from the final scene of Satyajit Ray
's 1959 film Apur Sansar
(The World of Apu).
and Mexico
. In California locations include: Agoura Hills and Los Angeles, California
. In Mexico locations include: Ocumicho, Patamba, and Pátzcuaro
, all in the state of Michoacán
, Mexico.
, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times
, liked the direction of the film, and wrote, "Their story is told in images of startling beauty and great overflowing energy; it is rare to hear so much laughter from an audience that is also sometimes moved to tears. Few movies like this get made because few filmmakers have the ambition to open their arms wide and embrace so much life."
Film critics Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, who write for the web based Spirituality and Practice, liked the film, the acting and the direction of the film. They wrote, "My Family is a touching and often mystical portrait of a multi-generational Mexican-American family in East Los Angeles...Director Gregory Nava (El Norte
) does a fine job orchestrating the many events in this emotionally resonant drama."
But not all were so kind. Caryn James, in a film review in The New York Times
wrote the film was "wildly uneven" and "offers a trite, overblown narration by Edward James Olmos
and an often flagging sense of drama." She was also not happy with Nava's direction and wrote, "[Nava] seems so enamored of the texture of Mexican-American life that he glides past any sense of character." Yet, she was very complimentary of Jimmy Smits' performance.
Currently, the film has an 80% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes
, based on ten reviews.
in wide release on May 3, 1995. In the United Kingdom it opened on October 6, 1995.
The film was screened at a few film festivals including the Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival, Spain
.
Sales at the box-office were lackluster. The first week's gross was $2,164,840 and the total receipts for the run were $11,079,373. The budget of the film is estimated at $5,500,000.
was released April 8, 1997 and a DVD
version was released on June 9, 2004 by New Line Home Video.
A Spanish
version video was also released.
music, including a merengue
and a mambo.
The song "Angel Baby" by Rosie and the Originals
, is included as well, sung by Exposé
vocalist Jeanette Jurado
. In the movie, Jurado made a cameo appearance as Rosie Hamlin performing the song.
A CD was released on April 25, 1995 on the Nonesuch Records
label. The CD contains fourteen tracks including the main title theme written by Mark McKenzie and Pepe Avila. Gregory Nava wrote the liner notes for the CD.
Track list
Nominated
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Gregory Nava
Gregory Nava
Gregory Nava is a film director, producer and screenplay writer, of Mexican and Basque heritage.-Education:...
and written by Nava and Anna Thomas
Anna Thomas
Anna Thomas is a film screenwriter, film producer and writer. She was born in Stuttgart, Germany, to a Polish family and came to the United States as an infant. She grew up in Michigan and California....
. The motion picture stars Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing...
, Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
, Esai Morales
Esai Morales
Esai Manuel Morales is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Bob Morales in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd.. However, he is best known for his roles as Lt...
, and others. It also features Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
in her second film role.
The film tracks three generations of a Mexican-American family that emigrated from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and settled in East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles, California
East Los Angeles is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
. The life story of Jimmy Sanchez in the final part of the film is inspired by Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
's 1959 film Apur Sansar
Apur Sansar
Apur Sansar , also known as The World of Apu, is a Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray. It is the third part of The Apu Trilogy, about the childhood and early adulthood of a young Bengali named Apu in the early twentieth century Indian subcontinent...
.
Plot
The story is narrated by the family's eldest son, Paco (Edward James OlmosEdward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
). The film begins with the father of the family, José Sanchez (Jacob Vargas
Jacob Vargas
-Early life:Vargas was born in Michoacán, Mexico, and raised in Pacoima, Los Angeles, California, since 1971. He was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family.-Career:...
), making a journey that lasts one year on foot from Mexico to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He travels to Los Angeles to meet a distant relative known as El Californio, who was born in the city when it was still part of Mexico. They become fast friends and grow a corn farm together. However, after several years, El Californio nears death. Shortly before dying, El Californio says he wants the following written on his tombstone:
- When I was born here, this was Mexico, and where I lie, this is still Mexico.
José meets and marries the love of his life, María (Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
), an American citizen. After María is illegally deported to Mexico by the U.S. federal government
Federal government
The federal government is the common government of a federation. The structure of federal governments varies from institution to institution. Based on a broad definition of a basic federal political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and...
in a mass roundup
Operation Wetback
Operation Wetback was a 1954 operation by the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service to remove illegal immigrants, mostly Mexican nationals from the southwestern United States.-History:...
, she makes it back to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
via a long and arduous trip two years later, where she returns home with their new son Chucho.
Maria Canals Barrera
María Canals Barrera is an American actress, voice actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Theresa Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place, Connie Torres in Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, and as the voice of Shayera Hol/Hawkgirl in Justice League and Justice League...
, later by Lupe Ontiveros
Lupe Ontiveros
Lupe Ontiveros is an American film and television actress. Ontiveros has acted in numerous films and television shows, most often playing a maid or, more recently, an all-knowing grandmother; she estimates she has played a maid between 150 and 300 times on screen.-Early life:Ontiveros was born...
) is getting married. Chucho (Esai Morales
Esai Morales
Esai Manuel Morales is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Bob Morales in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd.. However, he is best known for his roles as Lt...
) and Paco (Benito Martinez
Benito Martinez (actor)
Benito Martinez is an American actor most known for his role as police captain David Aceveda in FX Networks' acclaimed crime drama The Shield...
) have grown up. New additions to the family include Toni (Constance Marie
Constance Marie
Constance Marie Lopez is an American actress. Known professionally as Constance Marie, she is known for her role as Angie Lopez on George Lopez and for her role as Marcella Quintanilla in the 1997 film Selena...
), Guillermo "Memo" (played by Greg Albert as a child, and by Enrique Castillo
Enrique Castillo
Enrique Castillo is an American actor, writer, director, and producer.- Life and career :Castillo was a founding member of The Latino Theater Company. He co-wrote the company’s plays Stone Wedding and August 29...
as an adult), and brother Jimmy (Jonathan Hernandez as a child, Jimmy Smits as an adult).
The film begins to gain momentum after the wedding, when a series of events seal Chucho's fate. One night at a dance hall, Chucho is dancing with his girlfriend, when his rival Butch Mejia (Michael DeLorenzo
Michael DeLorenzo
Michael DeLorenzo is an American actor, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Eddie Torres on the Fox Thursday night television series New York Undercover which was aired from 1994-1998....
) starts to bother him. This results in a bloody knife fight between the two, and Chucho accidentally kills him. After this event, Chucho becomes a fugitive by the police. One night when Jimmy is playing ball with his friends, Chucho is shot dead by the LAPD
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
before Jimmy's eyes, other members of the family learn of Chucho's death also, when they hear gunshots and rush to a nearby street, where they all find his dead body. As an ambulance arrives to take Chucho's lifeless body away, we hear Paco narrate how Chucho's fate had been on borrowed time.
The third generation, which takes place another twenty years later in the 1970s, faces situations such as acculturation
Acculturation
Acculturation explains the process of cultural and psychological change that results following meeting between cultures. The effects of acculturation can be seen at multiple levels in both interacting cultures. At the group level, acculturation often results in changes to culture, customs, and...
, assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
, and past problems of the family.
Jimmy (now played by Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing...
) completes a stint in jail and returns home. It is revealed that after Chucho's death 20 years back, Jimmy became an angry man following in his footsteps becoming a fugitive like him. One day, Toni visits the Sanchez home and stuns her parents with the news that she is no longer a nun and has married a priest named David Ronconi (Scott Bakula
Scott Bakula
Scott Stewart Bakula is an American actor, known for his role as Sam Beckett in the television series Quantum Leap, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 1991 and was nominated for four Emmy Awards. He also had a prominent role as Captain Jonathan...
). In a telling scene Isabel (Elpidia Carrillo
Elpidia Carrillo
Elpidia Carrillo is a Mexican actress who has appeared in various acclaimed Latin-American films and television shows, in addition to some Hollywood films. She is also credited as Elpedia Carrillo on some of her films....
), Jimmy Sanchez's wife (a Salvadorean
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
), who he married so she wouldn't be deported, comes up to him and changes the music in the cassette-player. She tries to get him to dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
with her, on the street. At first he doesn't want to and he's not sure he loves her, but she finally succeeds. He asks her at the end of the song, "Will you teach me how to salsa?" It is here that they fall in love for the first time. This scene serves as a metaphor for the continuation of the Sanchez family.
Soon Isabel becomes pregnant, and when she gives birth to their son, Carlitos, she unexpectedly dies. Enraged, Jimmy attacks the doctor he blames for her death, burglarizes a store, and is jailed, leaving his son to be raised by his parents. When Jimmy gets out of prison, he initially doesn't want anything to do with his son who now has behavior problems. When Jimmy finally sees his son, he is filled with joy and immediately wants to care for him. However, his son hates him. The remainder of the movie primarily focuses on Jimmy's attempts to form a loving relationship with his estranged son. After much conflict, Jimmy's son eventually accepts him and moves with Jimmy to Texas. The film concludes with Jose and Maria reminiscing about their past as Jose says "God has been good to us, we've been very lucky, and our life it has been very...very good" and the camera pans to a shot of contemporary Los Angeles.
Cast
- Jimmy SmitsJimmy SmitsJimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing...
as Jimmy Sánchez - Edward James OlmosEdward James OlmosEdward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
as Paco Sánchez - Esai MoralesEsai MoralesEsai Manuel Morales is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Bob Morales in the 1987 biopic La Bamba. He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd.. However, he is best known for his roles as Lt...
as Jesus "Chucho" Sánchez - Elpidia CarrilloElpidia CarrilloElpidia Carrillo is a Mexican actress who has appeared in various acclaimed Latin-American films and television shows, in addition to some Hollywood films. She is also credited as Elpedia Carrillo on some of her films....
as Isabel Sánchez - Enrique Castillo as Guillermo "Memo" Sánchez
- Rafael Cortés as Roberto Sánchez
- Michael DeLorenzoMichael DeLorenzoMichael DeLorenzo is an American actor, director and musician. He is best known for his portrayal of NYPD Detective Eddie Torres on the Fox Thursday night television series New York Undercover which was aired from 1994-1998....
as Butch Mejia - Constance MarieConstance MarieConstance Marie Lopez is an American actress. Known professionally as Constance Marie, she is known for her role as Angie Lopez on George Lopez and for her role as Marcella Quintanilla in the 1997 film Selena...
as Toni Sánchez - Scott BakulaScott BakulaScott Stewart Bakula is an American actor, known for his role as Sam Beckett in the television series Quantum Leap, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 1991 and was nominated for four Emmy Awards. He also had a prominent role as Captain Jonathan...
as David Ronconi - Lupe OntiverosLupe OntiverosLupe Ontiveros is an American film and television actress. Ontiveros has acted in numerous films and television shows, most often playing a maid or, more recently, an all-knowing grandmother; she estimates she has played a maid between 150 and 300 times on screen.-Early life:Ontiveros was born...
as Irene Sánchez - Maria Canals BarreraMaria Canals BarreraMaría Canals Barrera is an American actress, voice actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Theresa Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place, Connie Torres in Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, and as the voice of Shayera Hol/Hawkgirl in Justice League and Justice League...
as Young Irene (as Maria Canals) - León Singer as El Californio
- Mary SteenburgenMary SteenburgenMary Nell Steenburgen is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of Lynda Dummar in Jonathan Demme's Melvin and Howard, which earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.-Early life:...
as Gloria - Dedee PfeifferDedee PfeifferDedee Pfeiffer is an American film and television actress.Pfeiffer was born Dorothy D. Pfeiffer in Midway City, California, the daughter of Donna , a home-maker, and Richard Pfeiffer, a heating and air-conditioning contractor...
as Karen Gillespie - Bibi BeschBibi BeschBibiana "Bibi" Besch was an Austrian/American actress.-Early life:Besch was born in Vienna, Austria, the daughter of theater actress Gusti Huber, who starred in German films during World War II and left Austria in the mid 1940s. Besch had a stepfather, Joseph Besch, a radio executive and former...
as Mrs. Gillespie - Bruce GrayBruce GrayBruce Gray is a Puerto Rican-born Canadian actor.-Early years:Gray was born Robert Bruce Gray in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Canadian parents...
as Mr. Gillespie - Eduardo Lopez Rojas as Jose Sánchez
- Jenny GagoJenny GagoJenny Gago is an American actress.- Career :Gago has appeared in movies and television for 25 years, including recurring roles as Captain Santina on MacGyver, Detective Beatrice Zapeda in Alien Nation, Anaya on The Agency and Grandma on Freddie...
as Maria Sánchez - Jacob VargasJacob Vargas-Early life:Vargas was born in Michoacán, Mexico, and raised in Pacoima, Los Angeles, California, since 1971. He was raised in a devout Roman Catholic family.-Career:...
as Young Jose - Jennifer LopezJennifer LopezJennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
as Young Maria - Del Zamora as Hall Dancer (uncredited)
Background
While the film was distributed by New Line CinemaNew Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
, many production companies were involved in the making of the film. The include: American Playhouse
American Playhouse
American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.It premiered on January 12, 1982 with The Shady Hill Kidnapping, written and narrated by John Cheever and directed by Paul Bogart...
, Francis Ford Coppola's
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
American Zoetrope
American Zoetrope
American Zoetrope is a studio founded by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. Founded on December 12, 1969, American Zoetrope was an early adopter of digital filmmaking, including some of the earliest uses of HDTV...
, Majestic Films International, and Newcomb Productions.
Gregory Nava has stated that the film has autobiographic
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
overtones, but the film was more inspirational rather than specific. Nava says, "A lot of the specifics came from other families when I was doing research for the film in East Los Angeles
East Los Angeles, California
East Los Angeles is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States...
."
The final scene is duplicated shot-for-shot from the final scene of Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
's 1959 film Apur Sansar
Apur Sansar
Apur Sansar , also known as The World of Apu, is a Bengali film directed by Satyajit Ray. It is the third part of The Apu Trilogy, about the childhood and early adulthood of a young Bengali named Apu in the early twentieth century Indian subcontinent...
(The World of Apu).
Filming locations
The film was filmed in both CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. In California locations include: Agoura Hills and Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. In Mexico locations include: Ocumicho, Patamba, and Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro is a large town and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The town was founded sometime in the 1320s, at first becoming the capital of the Tarascan state and later its ceremonial center...
, all in the state of Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, Mexico.
Critical reception
Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, liked the direction of the film, and wrote, "Their story is told in images of startling beauty and great overflowing energy; it is rare to hear so much laughter from an audience that is also sometimes moved to tears. Few movies like this get made because few filmmakers have the ambition to open their arms wide and embrace so much life."
Film critics Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, who write for the web based Spirituality and Practice, liked the film, the acting and the direction of the film. They wrote, "My Family is a touching and often mystical portrait of a multi-generational Mexican-American family in East Los Angeles...Director Gregory Nava (El Norte
El Norte (film)
El Norte is an American and British film, directed by Gregory Nava. The screenplay was written by Nava and Anna Thomas. The movie was first presented at the Telluride Film Festival in 1983, and its wide release was in January 1984....
) does a fine job orchestrating the many events in this emotionally resonant drama."
But not all were so kind. Caryn James, in a film review in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote the film was "wildly uneven" and "offers a trite, overblown narration by Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos
Edward James Olmos is an American actor and director. Among his most memorable roles are William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, Lt...
and an often flagging sense of drama." She was also not happy with Nava's direction and wrote, "[Nava] seems so enamored of the texture of Mexican-American life that he glides past any sense of character." Yet, she was very complimentary of Jimmy Smits' performance.
Currently, the film has an 80% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on ten reviews.
Distribution
The film opened in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in wide release on May 3, 1995. In the United Kingdom it opened on October 6, 1995.
The film was screened at a few film festivals including the Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Sales at the box-office were lackluster. The first week's gross was $2,164,840 and the total receipts for the run were $11,079,373. The budget of the film is estimated at $5,500,000.
Video and DVD
A videoVideo
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
was released April 8, 1997 and a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
version was released on June 9, 2004 by New Line Home Video.
A Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
version video was also released.
Soundtrack
For the original motion picture soundtrack the producers include a cross section of LatinoLatino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
music, including a merengue
Merengue music
Merengue is a type of music and dance from the Dominican Republic. It is popular in the Dominican Republic and all over Latin America. Its name is Spanish, taken from the name of the meringue, a dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar...
and a mambo.
The song "Angel Baby" by Rosie and the Originals
Rosie and the Originals
Rosie & The Originals were an American 1960s group best known for their single, "Angel Baby." Fronted by lead singer Rosie Hamlin, the group produced two singles for Highland Records and, like many other artists of the era, ended up in protracted legal battles with their record label over...
, is included as well, sung by Exposé
Exposé (band)
Exposé is an American vocal group. Primarily consisting of lead vocalists Ann Curless, Jeanette Jurado, and Gioia Bruno, the group achieved much of their success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, becoming the first group to have four top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from their debut...
vocalist Jeanette Jurado
Jeanette Jurado
Jeanette Livier Jurado is a member of the popular girl group Exposé. She was born on November 14, 1965, in Pico Rivera, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.Jurado is a member of Exposé, along with Ann Curless and Gioia Bruno, then later Kelly Moneymaker...
. In the movie, Jurado made a cameo appearance as Rosie Hamlin performing the song.
A CD was released on April 25, 1995 on the Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP...
label. The CD contains fourteen tracks including the main title theme written by Mark McKenzie and Pepe Avila. Gregory Nava wrote the liner notes for the CD.
Track listing
| # | | Title |
|---|---|
| 1. | "Main Title Theme from My Family (Mark Mc Kenzie & Pepe Avila) |
| 2. | "Rosa De Castilla" (Los Folkloristas) |
| 3. | "Angel Baby" (Jeanette Jurado Jeanette Jurado Jeanette Livier Jurado is a member of the popular girl group Exposé. She was born on November 14, 1965, in Pico Rivera, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.Jurado is a member of Exposé, along with Ann Curless and Gioia Bruno, then later Kelly Moneymaker... ) |
| 4. | "Que Rico El Mambo" (Perez Prado Perez Prado Dámaso Pérez Prado was a Cuban bandleader, musician , and composer. He is often referred to as the 'King of the Mambo'.His orchestra was the most popular in mambo... ) |
| 5. | "One Summer Night" (All-4-One All-4-One All-4-One is a male R&B/pop group best known for their cover hit single "I Swear" from their self-titled 1994 debut album. The group comprises Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez, and Tony Borowiak, all from the Antelope Valley and Mojave, California areas, but are based in the Los Angeles... ) |
| 6. | "Celoso" (Maná Maná Maná is a pop rock band from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, whose career has spanned more than three decades. They have earned three Grammy Awards, seven Latin Grammy Awards, five MTV Video Music Awards Latin America, five Premios Juventud awards, nine Billboard Latin Music Awards and 13 Premios Lo... ) |
| 7. | "Down On The Riverbed" (Los Lobos Los Lobos Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The... ) |
| 8. | "Tu', Solo Tu'" (Pedro Infante Pedro Infante José Pedro Infante Cruz , better known as Pedro Infante, is the most famous actor and singer of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema and is an idol of the Latinamerican people, together with Jorge Negrete and Javier Solís, who were styled the Tres Gallos Mexicanos . He was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa,... ) |
| 9. | "I'm Your Puppet" (James & Bobby Purify James & Bobby Purify James & Bobby Purify were an R&B singing duo, whose biggest hits were "I'm Your Puppet" in 1966, which reached #6 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and in a re-recorded version #12 in the UK Singles Chart , and "Let Love Come Between Us" in 1967, which reached #23 in the U.S.James Lee Purify was... ) |
| 10. | "Guavaberry" (Juan Luis Guerra Juan Luis Guerra Juan Luis Guerra is a singer, songwriter and producer from the Dominican Republic who has sold over 30 million records, and won numerous awards including 12 Latin Grammy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Latin Billboard Music Awards... ) |
| 11. | "Konex, Konex" (Los Folkloristas) |
| 12. | "Senorita" (Juan Luis Guerra Juan Luis Guerra Juan Luis Guerra is a singer, songwriter and producer from the Dominican Republic who has sold over 30 million records, and won numerous awards including 12 Latin Grammy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Latin Billboard Music Awards... ) |
| 13. | "Zappa Mambo" (Banda Machos Banda Machos Banda Machos is a Mexican band originally from Villa Corona, in the state of Jalisco. The band sings a combination of Banda music, Quebradita, and Ranchera... ) |
| 14. | "Flor De Canela" (Gerado Tamez and Mark Mc Kenzie) |
Con Passione
Composer Mark McKenzie also released Con Passione (2001), a CD that contains various music he has written for films including seven tracks for My Family.Track list
- 10. "My Family/Mi Familia Main Titles" (2:25)
- 11. "The River" (2:50)
- 12. "Train Deportation" (1:21)
- 13. "Chuchos's Nightmare" (1:47)
- 14. "I Know You" (:46)
- 15. "The Owl/No One Really Cares" (1:42)
- 16. "God Has Been Good to Us" (1:41)
Awards
Wins- NCLR Bravo AwardAlma AwardThe American Latino Media Arts Award, or ALMA Award is a distinction awarded to Latino performers who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field...
: NCLR Bravo Award; Outstanding Feature Film; 1995. - Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: OCIC Award, Gregory Nava; 1995.
- Young Artist Awards: Young Artist Award; Best Young Supporting Actor - Feature Film, Jonathan Hernandez; 1996.
Nominated
- Casting Society of AmericaCasting Society of AmericaFounded in Los Angeles, California in 1982, the Casting Society of America is a professional society of about 350 casting directors for film, television, and theatre in Australia, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. The society is not to be confused with an industry union. The...
: Artios Award; Best Casting for Feature Film, Best Casting for Drama Feature Film, Jane Jenkins, Janet Hirshenson, and Roger Mussenden; 1995. - Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival: Golden Seashell; Gregory Nava; 1995.
- Academy AwardsAcademy AwardsAn Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
: Oscar; Best Make-Up, Best Makeup, Ken Diaz and Mark Sanchez; 1996. - Independent Spirit AwardsIndependent Spirit AwardsThe Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
: Independent Spirit Award; Best Male Lead, Jimmy Smits; Best Supporting Female, Jennifer Lopez; 1996.
External links
.- My Family film scene at You Tube