Review of Spare Parts

Spare Parts is a 2015 American drama directed by Sean McNamara and starring George Lopez. The film is based on the true story of four Hispanic high school students who, with the help of their teacher, form a robotics club in order to compete in a national robotics competition. With no experience, $800 dollars, used car parts and dream, this group of students compete against the best colleges in the country and eventually defeat reigning robotics champion, MIT, for the title.

What’s interesting about this movie is not just the excitement of the robotics competition, but it’s also about what these boys learned about themselves in the process. This is not your traditional club of overachieving high school students. These four boys are all first generation, undocumented immigrants from Mexico, who were raised in Arizona from a young age. They attend an underfunded public high school where most of the students do not have big dreams or aspirations, and are constantly told how they will not amount to much in life. They’ve all faced adversity in life. Oscar Vazquez is the main student who initiates the robotics project after his dreams of enlisting in the U.S. Army are dashed due to his undocumented status. The fear these students have of being deported is shown throughout the film and it’s something people face daily. Another challenge these boys faced were the lack of money and support from their families.   While the other teams competing at the robotics competition were made up of college students who had huge budgets to create their robots, these boys used old car parts and asked for donations to get their robot built. They ended up raising $800 to build their robot and even used a tampon to fix a leak the night before the competition. They overcame adversity and worked together despite not having the advantages the students at these other schools had. There were many times during the film that the boys wanted to give up and quit. One of them faced the challenges of an abusive father and Mr. Cameron stepped in an acted as a father figure to him. These are all challenges many students are facing today.

While watching this film, I found many similarities to Real Women Have Curves. America Ferrera’s character reminded me of Oscar Vazquez in this film. Both are good students who strive to achieve more in life, yet come from impoverished areas with little support from their families. While Oscar’s military dreams were shut down due to his legal status, Ana had the problem of her family needing her to work right after high school. Both students had the help of a teacher who believed in them and both overcame obstacles and proved to be successful. They were able to break the stereotype of the underserved Latino teenager. Unlike in American Me where the new generation of kids grew up to follow in the footsteps of their delinquent older siblings, these students were able to break the cycle and change their futures for the better.

Overall I really enjoyed this film. I felt that it showed a realistic view of immigrant students than what they are stereotyped as. Many believe the stereotypes that Latino immigrants are all criminals who are here to cause trouble and steal American jobs. They forget that there are many first generation students who came here as young children. Many of these students do not even remember being in Mexico. They are just as American as the student sitting next to them. Unfortunately they have to live with this fear of not knowing what will happen to them. After doing some research on the film, it’s interesting to note that Oscar Vazquez continued on to Arizona State University where he founded their robotics club and graduated with an Engineering Degree. Shortly after that he voluntarily deported himself in order to try to gain citizenship by going through the process. When asked if he had ever resided in the U.S. illegally after the age of 18, he answered yes. He was told that because of that he was banned from the U.S. for ten years. Thankfully with the help of a Senator and a few others, he was granted amnesty and allowed to reenter where he then enlisted in the Army and served in Afghanistan. Films like this are very important in helping us to see the other side of immigration issues and see how much it affects families. It’s also important in showing that despite the adversity and disadvantages you face in life, you can overcome the stereotypes and be successful. No one thought this ragtag team of underdogs would be able to accomplish such a feat as beating MIT in a robotics competition. But with the help of their teacher coupled with their motivation and drive, they were able to accomplish something great and become role models for others in their same situations.

Robotics Club with their robot “Stinky”

The 1997 biographical film, Selena, tells the story of the life and career of late Tejano star Selena Quintanilla-Perez. As a young Mexican-American girl growing up in Corpus Christi, TX, Selena and her family band find success in Tejano music. After some struggles identifying with her Mexican roots, she overcomes this, learns to sing in Spanish and quickly becomes a rising star, conquering the Spanish charts. Selena and her family live out the American Dream as they tour across the country performing for sold out arenas. As she is set to become the first female singer to cross over from Spanish to English markets, her dreams are cut short when she is murdered by the President of her own fan club at the very young age of 23.

Throughout the film, issues of cultural identity are a main theme. Selena is raised in a predominantly English speaking society to Mexican-American parents. Her father Abraham formed the family band with young Selena as the lead singer, her brother AB on the guitar, and her sister Susie on the drums. He named the band “Selena y los Dinos” after the teenage boy band he was in. After very little success performing at school dances and fairs, Abraham suggests that Selena learn to sing in Spanish, despite the fact that she doesn’t speak the language.   Selena tells her father, “I don’t want to learn to sing in Spanish! I don’t even like Spanish music. I like Donna Summer” Abraham tells her she has to sing from the inside, from what she is, and she is Mexican-American, between two worlds, and that’s tough: “The Americans jump all over us because we don’t speak perfect English, and then the Mexicans jump all over us because we don’t speak perfect Spanish.” So Selena learns from her father to sing Spanish and eventually to speak it. As Selena accepts her heritage, she discovers how to balance the two cultures and draws from them both to create her own style. Selena is very relatable for many of us who struggle with cultural identity and figuring out where we fit in within society.

Director Gregory Nava does a great job in showing the gender barriers that Selena and her family break. At the time, Tejano music was dominated by men. Despite Selena’s talent, she was passed up by recording studios because it just wasn’t accepted to be a woman in Tejano music. Selena and her family did not give up but continued to perform and tour.   With her talent for fashion, amazing voice, and sexy yet humble image, Selena is able to win crowds over and break into the Tejano world, rising to the top of the Spanish charts while breaking gender stereotypes. Another noteworthy character is Selena’s sister Susie who after initially complaining that girls don’t play the drums, becomes a very accomplished drummer for the band.

The film also focuses on issues of race. Selena’s family feel that because of their race, they have to work extra hard to be successful. They feel that being Latino in America means not being fully accepted by the Anglo community or by the Latino community. Selena’s dad points this out when he tells his daughter that, “she must be “more Mexican than most Mexicans and more American than most Americans.” Selena’s dad is unsure how successful their Spanish albums will be with the American people and he decides to have Selena sing in English and to release her first English crossover album. While Selena prepares to release her first English album, she confronts the president of her fan club who is also the bookkeeper for her fashion boutique, about some financial discrepancies. As Selena confronts Yolanda about the stolen checks, she is shot and killed in a heartbreaking scene showing actual news footage from the real life event. The film ends with family and fans conducting a vigil for the slain star.

Selena is one of my favorite movies for many reasons. Being a Mexican-American female who also does not speak Spanish, I can truly identify with the struggles Selena went through as a young girl. You never quite know where you fit it. Selena shows us that you can overcome these struggles. You can identify with your roots while still being American. Selena also broke gender stereotypes and proved to be a strong, independent woman and a role model. She found success in just being herself and letting people accept her for who she was. Sadly, her dream was cut short at such a young age, but her life will be forever memorialized in this beautiful film.

Hi! My name is Jaime Esquivel and I’m in my last semester here at CSUDH.  I’m so excited to graduate in May!  It’s been a long four years but my hard work will finally pay off.  Like most in the class, I’m majoring in IDS and have loved the program.  I love how accommodating the class schedule is, as well as how understanding the professors are in knowing that most of us are non-traditional students with busy lives.  Working full time while attending school is hard enough.  Throw in a one year old and it can be a bit overwhelming!  If it wasn’t for the IDS/PACE program, I never could have done it.  I’m so thankful!  Most of my free time (haha!) is spent hanging out with my husband and son.  Some of my hobbies are playing music, watching movies, sports, and anything Disney related!  I look forward to taking this class with all of you!

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