| My Family | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical Poster |
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| Directed by | Gregory Nava |
| Produced by | Executive Producers: Francis Ford Coppola Guy East Tom Luddy Sergio Molina Lindsay Law Producers: Anna Thomas Associate Producer: Nancy De Los Santos |
| Written by | Gregory Nava Anna Thomas |
| Narrated by | Edward James Olmos |
| Starring | Jimmy Smits Edward James Olmos Esai Morales |
| Music by | Orchestral: Mark McKenzie Folk Music: Pepe Ávila |
| Cinematography | Edward Lachman Jason Poteet |
| Editing by | Nancy Richardson |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
| Release date(s) | May 3, 1995 |
| Running time | 128 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English Spanish |
| Budget | $5,500,000, estimated. |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
My Family (1995) is a American drama film directed by Gregory Nava and written by Nava and Anna Thomas. The film is also known as My Family/Mi Familia. The motion picture stars Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos, Esai Morales and others. It also features Jennifer Lopez in her first film role.[1] The award winning film tracks three generations of a Mexican-American family that emigrated from Mexico and settled in East Los Angeles.
Contents |
Plot
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 very old man known as El Californio, who was born in Los Angeles when it was still part of Mexico. 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), 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. José and María find each other and settle down and raise a family of six.
In the 1950s, the second generation (the children of María and José) face ethnic bigotry in Los Angeles. José and María raise six children: Paco, (Edward James Olmos), a writer who narrates the film; Toni (Constance Marie), a nun; Jimmy (Jimmy Smits), an ex-convict; Memo (Enrique Castillo), a lawyer; Irene (Lupe Ontiveros), a restaurant owner; and Chucho (Esai Morales), a gang member who is seen shot dead. The third generation faces situations such as acculturation, assimilation, and past problems of the family. In a telling scene Isabel (Elpidia Carrillo), Jimmy Sanchez' wife (a Salvadorian 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. However, during Isabel's pregnancy with their son, she unexpectedly dies. Enraged, Jimmy returns to the life of crime eventually returning to prison while their son goes to live with his grandparents. 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.
Background
While the film was distributed by New Line Cinema, 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."[2] The final scene is duplicated shot-for-shot from the final scene of Apur Sansar (1959).[3]
Filming locations
The film was filmed in both California and Mexico. In California locations include: Agoura Hills and Los Angeles, California. In Mexico locations include: Ocumichu, Patamba, and Pátzcuaro, all in Michoacán, Mexico.
Cast
- Jimmy Smits as Jimmy Sanchez
- Edward James Olmos as Paco
- Esai Morales as Chucho
- Elpidia Carrillo as Isabel
- Enrique Castillo as Memo Sanchez
- Rafael Cortés as Roberto
- Constance Marie as Toni Sanchez
- Scott Bakula as David
- Lupe Ontiveros as Irene Sanchez
- León Singer as El Californio
- Mary Steenburgen as Gloria
- Dedee Pfeiffer as Karen Gillespie
- Bibi Besch as Mrs. Gillespie
- Bruce Gray as Mr. Gillespie
- Eduardo Lopez Rojas as Jose Sanchez
- Jenny Gago as Maria Sanchez
- Jacob Vargas as Jose Sanchez in the 1920s
- Jennifer Lopez as Maria Sanchez, in the 1920s
Critical reception
Roger Ebert, 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."[4] 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."[5] 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's 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."[6] Yet, she was very complementary of Jimmy Smits' performance. Currently, the film has an 80% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on ten reviews.[7]
Distribution
The producers used the following tagline to market the film:
- Three generations of dreams.
The film opened in the United States 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.[8] The budget of the film is estimated at $5,500,000.
Video/DVD
A video was released April 8, 1997 and a DVD version was released on April 6, 2006 by New Line Home Video. A Spanish version video was also released.
Soundtrack
For the original motion picture soundtrack the producers include a cross section of Latino 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. Performers include: Perez Prado, Los Lobos, Juan Luis Guerra, Pedro Infante, and others.
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.[9] 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 Award: 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 America: 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 Awards: Oscar; Best Make-Up, Best Makeup, Ken Diaz and Mark Sanchez; 1996.
- Independent Spirit Awards: Independent Spirit Award; Best Male Lead, Jimmy Smits; Best Supporting Female, Jennifer Lopez; 1996.
Footnotes
- ^ My Family at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Cineaste interview with Gregory Nava.
- ^ My Family, IMDb, ibid.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. Chicago Sun-Times, film review, May 3, 1995.
- ^ Brussat, Frederic and Mary Ann. Spirituality and Practice, film review. Last accessed: December 8, 2007.
- ^ James, Caryn. The New York Times, film review, May 3, 1995.
- ^ My Family at Rotten Tomatoes. Last accessed: November 22, 2007.
- ^ The Numbers box office data.
- ^ Lindahl, Andreas. Score Reviews, review of McKenzie's soundtrack.
External links
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