Armando Alvarez, played by Will Ferrell is the son of Miguel Ernesto Alvarez, played by Pedro Armendariz Jr, an esteemed ranch owner in the region where they reside.  Armando’s younger brother Raul, played by Diego Luna, arrives at the ranch with his fiancé Sonia, played by Genesis Rodriguez.  As the Alvarez’s ranch faces financial strains, the arrival of Raul puts Miguel at ease thinking he will be the ranch’s savior because Raul has become a successful business man.  It turns out that Raul is in the business of drug trafficking and has arrived at the ranch with a mission to take control of that territory. La Onza, played by Gael Garcia who turns out to be Sonia’s repressive uncle and the leader of the drug cartel in that region.  He is not pleased with Raul’s arrival, and seeks vengeance for Sonia’s capture.  At the end the Alvarez family find themselves in a war with La Onza and his people and it’s all up to Armando to save the day.

Matt Piedmont created an American satire completely in Spanish. He explores every stereotype possible about Mexicans.  With its melodramatic plot, he pokes fun of Latin telenovelas.  Often over directing the scenes to mimic a Mexican soap opera. With Armando’s character he plays on the notion that Mexicans are people of the land and don’t understand complex themes or ideas.  He goes as far as to having Armando sing a song that literally has the words ” I live a simple life, I am a friend of the cattle, I don’t know how to think, I’m just rancher”.  Armando’s father epitomizes the Macho man figure of Mexico.  Miguel Alvarez is proud of his younger son, Raul for being intelligent, financially successful, and  having a beautiful fiancé.  He is ashamed of Armando because he posses qualities that he considers too feminine.  He even draws comparisons between Armando and his mother, saying he is dumb and too emotional like her. La Onza plays your stereotypical drug lord; he wears fancy clothes, throws extravagant parties with beautiful woman.  He is ruthless and uses violence to intimidate.

La Casa de Mi Padre, is not only a comedy that makes fun of  Americans’ clichéd views of Mexico, it also touches on the Mexico’s prime issue; the drug trade.  While keeping a bizarre comedic approach, Piedmont is able to make a statement about the underlying problem of drug trafficking.  Which in his opinion is the demand of drugs coming from the United States.  In one of the most important scenes of the film, Armando confronts Raul about his unlawful business.  Raul explains that he is only in the drug business because of the supply and demand from the U.S.  He also discussed the issue of police corruption from both sides of the border.  Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Parker, works together with the chief of the municipal police of that region to instigate a war between La Onza and Raul.  Parker famously says, “Let them kill each other”.

This  film only received two stars on rotten tomatoes  and grossed eight million in the box office.  A disappointing figure for a Will Ferrell movie.  Let’s remember that this movie is entirely in Spanish. Even though, Will Ferrell has the star power, you have to be a dedicated fan to endure 84 minutes of him speaking Spanish.  There’s not much a white audience can relate to in this film.  In fact, this is where imaginative resistance takes place.  As Flory explains in Imaginative Resistance, White Gaze in Machete and the Help, imaginative resistance is the unwillingness to suspend yourself from reality and imagine what the author of the fiction prompts.  In this case it might be hard for the white audience to imagine what Piedmont is trying to say, because at first sight the movie might seem like a racist film making fun of the Mexican culture. But, we quickly get the sense that the white culture is the one that is being attacked. This is something that the white audience might be reluctant to accept. The over exaggeration of Mexican stereotypes suggest that the director thinks these views of Mexicans are ridiculous.  The Latino community is used to being blamed for social and economic issues, however, Americans seem indignant when the blame is placed on them.  In the end of the film, Armando tells the DEA agent that not all Mexicans are drug traffickers, in response the DEA agent says, not all Americans are bad.  This suggests that there is a mutual understanding that there are cultural issues on both sides of the border.

Flory, Dan. The White Gaze and Machete

http://www.amazon.com/Casa-Padre-Blu-ray-Will-Ferrell/dp/B007L6VQ2W

(Must Watch)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ1Nfgltvdk

In the film, Under The Same Moon, Patricia Riggen tells the story of Carlitos, played by Adrian Alonso. A nine year-old Mexican boy who after the death of his grandmother, decides to cross the border to reunite with his mother who he hasn’t seen in four years. Rosario, Carlito’s mom is played by Kate del Castillo, emigrated to the United States in hopes to be able to provide a better future for her son. She works restlessly to save enough money bring her son to Los Angeles to live with her, but that dream seems to be far from the horizon and Carlitos can feel it. After his grandmother’s death, he is terrified that his oppressive uncle would obtain custody of him and decides to pay a couple of college students, who are in need of tuition money to cross him over to the United States (US). This is where his journey to find his mother in Los Angeles begins.

In Carlito’s journey to find his mom, he experiences the harsh realities of trying to survive in a foreign country. Although, his journey is roughly one week, he encounters the difficulties of a seasoned immigrant. Carlitos works in the fields picking fruit in the scourging heat surrounded by dangerous pesticides. He even has a run in with “La Migra,” who barges in the fields picking up every immigrant in sight. Luckily, Carlitos gets away but is left with no money forcing him to work odd jobs in a restaurant for very low wages. When arriving in Los Angeles, he has no money and has to settle for a night’s sleep in the park. Then we have Rosario, who works two housekeeping jobs to make ends meet for herself, her son and her mother on the other side of the border. Unable find a job after being fired without notice by her white employer, who mocks her by urging her to call police after she refuses to pay her for her last week’s work, she becomes desperate to get to Carlitos. This situation brings her to contemplate the idea of marrying her friend to change her legal Status. Despite having to endure such hardships, Carlitos and Rosario overcome adversity without losing their immigrant spirit.

In the middle of the 2016 presidential election, with a republican candidate who has ascended in the poles due to the anti-immigration policies he is pushing, I can’t help to think that the 2007 film Under the Same Moon came out in the wrong year. Immigration has been the central issue of this election. The American people want to know where the next potential President of the United States stands on this issue. Although Mexicans have been crossing the border for decades and in some instances recruited by the US for work. For example, the “Traqueros” who were Mexicans who were brought over to the US and trained to work at the railroads in the late 1800 to early 1900. This program was sponsored by US railroad companies but for some reason Mexican immigrants have just become a threat to our nation in recent years.

In the midst of all the fear mongering by the Trump campaign, by taking a few hours to watch this film it can change the negative perspective that many hold regarding undocumented immigrants. In The article The Boarder Crossed Us, Ingle describes the Latino Narrative Threat as “A Foucauldian discourse based on knowledge and power and the fear that occurs when one feel threatened by the “other”.” Trump is utilizing the Latino Threat Narrative to instill fear into the American people who are not familiar with the struggles immigrant workers face. This film depicts the hardships that undocumented families have to go through in order to escape poverty and violence in their native country and move to the US in search of a better life. In addition, the film touches on issues such as, family separation, low wages, job scarcity, civil rights violations, marriage fraud, and living in fear of Immigration and Naturalization Service.

In conclusion, contrary to the popular believe that immigrants come to the US to leach off our welfare system and take our jobs, Under The Same Moon shows us the opposite. It depicts the wearying struggle immigrant families face as soon as they cross the border. Carlitos and Rosario are not the stereotypical lazy Mexican; they are not afraid to work, often times working long hours for low pay. They also have a high level of morality. Rosario exhibits her morality by not going through with marrying her friend in order to change her immigration status. These characters have every good quality a US citizen should hold to make this country great again.

Ingle, Zachary “The Border Crossed Us”

A Million to Juan is a light hearted comedy starring and directed by Paul Rodriguez. In the film, Rodriguez’s character Juan, is an undocumented immigrant, who is struggling to obtain a green card. After his wife’s death, he is left to take care of his son Alejandro. As an undocumented immigrant, he has a hard time finding a stable job and has to resort to doing odd jobs to make ends meet. One day while selling oranges in a street corner he is approached by a man in a limousine, who hands him a check for one million dollars. Juan is free to use the money as he wishes with the condition he pays it all back in 30 days. This leaves him to figure out how to use the money best to build a better future for him and his family. Although the film is a comedy, it is evident that Rodriguez addressed many Latino stereotypes some being funny and some hurtful to the Latino community. In this blog, I chose to discuss the stereotype that Latinos are unintelligent and simpleminded. I also take a look at the stereotypical “spicy brainless Latina” played by Maria Rangel. In addition, I want to explore the idea that this film can very well be characterize as white savior film.

In this film Latinos are portrayed as being uneducated, making them appear as ignorant. Juan, who is the most thoughtful Latino in the film, aside from “The Angel” played by Edward James Olmos, who only appears a couple times in the film. Juan is not your stereotypical macho man who loves to party and drink, yet for some reason he is unable to make a smart decision when it comes to his future and the million dollar check. In the article, Latinidad and Masculinidad in Hollywood Script, whiteness in Hollywood is discussed. The article defines whiteness in terms of the characteristics that white people hold, for instance, being rational and orderly. The stereotype that Latinos are passionate and are unable to rationalize is well illustrated when Juan is feeling heartbroken. This is brought upon when Olivia breaks up with him, he gives up on his plan to own a business and returns to selling oranges on the street corner. Juan’s ignorance is also shown when he makes foolish financial decisions. For example, when Juan realizes the million dollar check is not fraudulent, the first thing he does is go on a shopping spree buying designer clothes and a luxury car. He is “too dumb” to think of the amount of debt he is accumulating.

The character of Anita, played by Maria Rangel, is one of the three major woman roles in the film. She plays Juan’s sexy Latina girlfriend. Anita is looking for a man that can take care of her financially, instead of working hard to provide for herself. She ends up breaking up with Juan because he can’t afford to give her the lifestyle she desires. A huge difference between Dolly Draper’s character, Olivia’s Smith, who is smart, hardworking, and selfless. Unlike, Anita who fails to see past Juan’s financial instability, Olivia Smith sees and nurtures his good qualities. Her look is dramatically different from Anita’s who wears an exaggerated amount of makeup, dresses is skin tight, provocative clothes that accentuate her curves. In comparison to Anita, Olivia’s make up is toned down and her wardrobe is simple and less provocative. She is the epitome of whiteness, in the other hand Anita is the perfect example empty-headed “Spicy Latina”.

One can make the argument that A Million to Juan in its own right, is a white savior film. As previously discussed, Juan is not capable of making a smart decision of how to utilize the million dollars to improve his life. This is until Olivia Smith, steps in to play a major role in Juan’s success at the end of the film. Olivia Smith is a smart, educated immigration worker, who sympathizes with the Latino community and assimilates to their culture. Before talking to Olivia, Juan goes on a shopping spree, opening credit in the most upscale, luxury stores in Los Angeles thanks to the million dollar check. After talking to Olivia, she reminds him that the money does not belong to him and he would need to pay back. She then gives him the idea to use the money as collateral to get a loan and invest in a business. Another example of Olivia coming to save the day, is when she sees the horrible living conditions Juan and rest of the tenants live in the apartment building. She immediately reports it, resulting in the landlord having to pay to fix what’s needed to better their living conditions. In the end, Olivia marries Juan and is now a successful man, thanks to her help.

Ultimately, A Million to Juan is a comedy created to suspend the audience from reality for 93 minutes and get few laughs. I believe the targeted audience were Latinos that can easily relate with the everyday struggles Juan faces. The problem is when examining the film in a more serious note, it’s hard to shake the notion that Latinos are being misrepresented by these simple minded characters and with Olivia Smith, we are reminded once again by Hollywood that we should strive for “whiteness”.

A Million to Juan

Ana S. Q. Liberato , Guillermo Rebollo-Gil , John D. Foster & Amanda Moras (2009) Latinidad and masculinidad in Hollywood scripts, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 32:6, 948-966, DOI: 10.1080/01419870802334549

Hello everyone!

My name is Vanesa Marquez and I’m currently in my second semester here at Dominguez Hills. The following is a bit about myself:  I enjoy cold weather, major coffee devotee, love shopping, best time of my day is when i walk my dogs. I’m an IDS major. So far I have enjoyed every class. It’s brought to light so many social issues and injustices our community has endured through out the years. I’m excited to learn more about Chicano/Latino community, particularly here in Los Angeles.

@VaneMar24