Quinceanera (2000)

Starring:Martha Mijares, Maricruz Olivier
Studio: Vci Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Mild, Yet Tasty Enchillada
Appealing Alterna-Reality
!Que padre! Encantadora!!
Suprisingly good
pretty Good film

Quinceanera
Starring: Jesus Castanos , Araceli Guzman-Rico , Emily Rios , J.R. Cruz , and Listette Avila
Director: Richard Glatzer (II) , and Wash Westmoreland
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000K2Q7CI
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Amazon.com

A Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winner, Quinceañera is a small film with a big heart. The plot unfolds at the leisurely pace of life itself, yet there's not a wasted moment in the script. The story follows the travails of young Magdalena (Emily Rios), a teen in the Mexican-American, but gentrifying, Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park. As Magdalena's 15th birthday approaches, and the festive coming-of-age quinceañera party that accompanies it, life throws her a curve ball in the form of an unexpected--and possibly miraculous--pregnancy. In disgrace, she turns to her elderly uncle Tomas and sometime gangbanger and not-quite-uncloseted gay cousin Carlos. The interactions of these unlikely family members ring completely true, with stellar performances by Dios as well as Chalo González as her warm Tio Tomas and Jesse Garcia as the smoldering Carlos. The portrayal of life in Echo Park is intimate and effortless, as the teens slide interchangeably between Spanish and English; crime and gang activities coexist with trendy gay couples and their fashionable remodels. And in the heart of it all, the family ties among the three lead characters prove unconventional--and unbreakable. The DVD also contains a commentary with the filmmakers and cast members, a Q&A with them, and a "making-of" featurette. --A.T. Hurley

Product Description

As Magdalena's (Emily Rios) 15th birthday approaches, her working class family prepares for the all-important Quinceañera - a lavish coming-of-age celebration. To help with expenses, Magdalena is forced to wear a hand-me-down party dress and abandon her dream of arriving in a Hummer limousine. But when her father discovers she's pregnant and refuses to believe the incredible truth - she's actually still a virgin - Magdalena moves in with her elderly Uncle Tomas (Chalo González) and black sheep cousin Carlos (Jesse Garcia). Her newfound family is soon put to the test, however, when an unexpected crisis threatens to tear them apart, and Magdalena learns what it truly means to come of age.

Beyond Quinceañera at Amazon.com

More Films about Coming of Age
The Soundtrack
Celebrating a Quinceañera Book

Stills from Quinceañera (click for larger image)

Customer Reviews:

Mild, Yet Tasty Enchillada.......2007-06-12

Half in English, half in Spanish `Quincinera' is a coming-of-age story brimming with warmth and gentle humor. Significantly named, Magdalena (Emily Rios) is approaching her fifteenth birthday worthy of a debutante celebration. She is intimately dating Herman (J.R. Cruz) who is gentle and has aspirations for worldliness and the trappings a higher education can garner. Living with her is her cousin Carlos (Jesse Garcia) who is gay. Both treat each other alternately with scathing hostility and gentle regard. Polarizing the household are strict Catholic household head Ernesto (Jesus Castanos) and gentle great grand-uncle Tio Toma's (Chalo Gonzalez). In the meantime, Carlos, regarded as the black sheep of the family, has an affair with the nearby landlord, and both Magdalena and Carlos have to face conflicts involving betrayal and trust.

Much of the characterization and acting take away some of the soap-opera feel to the movie, especially with some solid writing and directing from Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. 'Quincinera' is good for giving us a fine cross-section of Mexican-American life and a drama that wins our affection.

Appealing Alterna-Reality.......2007-06-06

As a native-born Los Angeleno, I found this appealing film existed in a sort of fairy tale land. It somehow makes LA seem green and lush, with old school charm. The movie is populated with young Latino men who belie few signs of machismo. Instead, they are interested in soft words, art, and, well, each other. Go figure.

But the souce of Quinceañera's real charm is its teen protagonist, Emily Rios as Magdalena. She is a marvel as her character finds her tightlipped way through this film. Ms. Rios's portrayal is unexpectedly subtle and layered, which is interesting in that the DVD extras reveal that her approach to acting is extremely simplistic. Brava!

The DVD extras also show that the writer/director team and production staff for Quinceañera are overwhelming Anglo (and mostly gay). This outsider viewpoint is not a weakness for filmwatchers, but I would argue that it does detract from its verisimilitude. That said, kudos to the filmmakers for introducing the issue of neighborhood gentrification into their film, though it is not really resolved in any fashion. Perhaps that is just as well; this film is essentially a warmhearted character study, and on those terms, it succeeds.

!Que padre! Encantadora!!.......2007-05-29

This unique, and yet universally "human" story combines the charm and vividness of the Mexican culture...the beauty and spirit of that culture and its people, its dance, its religious beliefs, its music and customs and traditions of family and honour, and at the same time transcends these cultural differences it enlightens us on to take us on a human journey of true courage, honesty and love. A movie to watch over and over again, and talk to your friends about in movie clubs! Buy it and treasure it always. Learn how fundamentally we, as human beings, are looking and searching for the same values, even if these values seem to play out in what appears to be different worlds. A wonderful way to get a glimpse of what it means to be a 15 year old girl with mexican roots, living in a modern world. A wonderful way to learn what is important to us all in our search for truth.

Suprisingly good.......2007-05-20

I admit I wasn't expecting much, I bought the movie used from Amazon because it looked interesting. It turned out to be a good story, very well acted. Glad I got it.

pretty Good film.......2007-04-01

i got a chance to see this film recently&it took me a while to figure everything out,but once it got rolling it all came together. this film had some good solid parts. the Brother&Sister dealing with there own personal issues and the challenges they had to deal with. the Uncle was a Good Natured Man. it was a film that will keep your interests. I'd give it close to a 3 and a half.alot of interesting situations and i like how it ends.

Average customer rating:

La Quinceañera

Manufacturer: Customflix
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

amazon.com

Set in Tijuana, Mexico, "La Quinceanera" is a 40-minute digital documentary that follows a family as they prepare for and participate in the youngest daughter's Quince Anos celebration. Many of Ana Maria's previous "special days" have gone wrong and this documentary is a record of the hope and struggle of her 5 siblings and their mother, Lili, to make her Quince Anos something special. Exploring issues of tradition, coming of age, family, and faith, "La Quinceanera" is a touching portrait of a family participating in the Quinceanera tradition. (Spanish with English subtitles)

Average customer rating:

Quinceanera
Starring: Martha Mijares , Maricruz Olivier , and Teresa Velazquez
Director: Alfredo B. Crevenna
Manufacturer: Vci Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Quinceanera
Quinceanera
Fire
Y Tu Mama Tambien
Volver

ASIN: B0000687E5
Release Date: 2002-07-30

Average customer rating:

Mild, Yet Tasty Enchillada
Appealing Alterna-Reality
!Que padre! Encantadora!!
Suprisingly good
pretty Good film

Quinceañera
Starring: Jesus Castanos , Araceli Guzman-Rico , Emily Rios , J.R. Cruz , and Listette Avila
Director: Richard Glatzer (II) , and Wash Westmoreland
ProductGroup: Theatrical Release
Binding: Theatrical Release

Volver
Little Miss Sunshine
Half Nelson
Babel
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ASIN: B00005JP7S

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Mild, Yet Tasty Enchillada.......2007-06-12

Appealing Alterna-Reality.......2007-06-06

!Que padre! Encantadora!!.......2007-05-29

Suprisingly good.......2007-05-20

I admit I wasn't expecting much, I bought the movie used from Amazon because it looked interesting. It turned out to be a good story, very well acted. Glad I got it.

pretty Good film.......2007-04-01

Average customer rating:

Mi Quinceanera
Starring: Mi Quinceanera
Manufacturer: Phoenix
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Quinceanera

ASIN: B000IHYXWG
Release Date: 2006-10-02

Average customer rating:

La Fiesta Quinceañera (English) DVD

Manufacturer: Educational Video Network, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0002CU380
Release Date: 2004-04-12

Description

Coinciding with a girl's fifteenth birthday, the quinceañera celebration heralds her arrival into womanhood. Follow one such girl during this important transitional period of her life.

Average customer rating:

GREAT MOVIE! But get out the tissues!
Coming of Age in Los Angeles' barrios

Quinceañera
Starring: Emily Rios , Jesse Garcia (III) , Chalo González , David W. Ross , and Ramiro Iniguez
Director: Richard Glatzer (II) , and Wash Westmoreland
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

( Q ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

General | Foreign & International | Stores | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00005JP7U

Customer Reviews:

GREAT MOVIE! But get out the tissues!.......2007-04-21

Wow, wow, wow. I ordered this when Amazon had it and came out here to buy a copy for everyone I know - but for some reason you are out of stock. I hope it is because so many people ordered it. This is one of the best indie movies I have seen in years. Smart, touching - very much "of the times". Well deserving of all the awards.

Coming of Age in Los Angeles' barrios.......2006-08-23

A Mexican girl's 15th birthday is a rite of passage akin to the Jewish Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah. For Magdelena it is ripe with many things ... the boyfriend Hermann, her parents' rules, her own debut, and the subtle family tensions and rivalries. Her entire liife turns upside down when she is pregnant, kicked out of the house, and moves in with her great grand-uncle and gay cousin. What unfolds is the tensions and turmoil of Echo Park and all the culture changes between the immigrant community and the upscale wasps that enter the neighborhood. A pivotal capture of what happens when the old world must give way to a new modern life, and the clash of values that proceeds.

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