Real Women Have Curves

REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES (2002) ***1/2 America Ferrera, Lupe Ontiveros, Ingrid Oliu, George Lopez, Brian Sites, Soledad St. Hilaire, Dale E. Turner. Above average indie diamond in the rough slice of life portrayal of a Mexican American teenager (Ferrara in a remarkable acting debut) trying to cope with her dream to attend college and her quarrelsome relationship with her loving but problematic mother (Ontiveros who gives a beautifully modulated turn) whose own insecurities and frustrations are taken out on her zaftig daughter. Funny, poignant and ultimately a triumph in full-bodied (no pun intended) protagonists without compromising it's clear headed vision of how society and culture myopically decides what is pleasant to the eye (or acceptable for that matter). Finally a film that portrays Latinos in a positive light by not making it a ‘racial film' either. The screenplay by George LaVoo and Josefina Lopez (adapting her play) offers insight to familiar subject matter but with a refreshing focus on character development by not compromising it's strong message: to accept one self is to love one self. (Dir: Patricia Cardoso)

A coming of age story in which Ana (America Ferrera) deals with the effects of tradition, gender, social class and race on her future and on her family. The cinematic gaze on Ana is that she is a healthy sized Latin woman with curves and intelligence coming from a lower class family. Certain stereotypes of Latin people and women are reinforced in this movie in the form of Ana's mother, Carmen (Lupe Ontiveros) and sister, Estela (Ingrid Oliu), which are then in turn critiqued by Ana. For example, Ana's sister owns a clothing sweat-shop which relies on the upper class white people for everything. Estela fears the upper/dominant/powerful class, while Ana confronts them and makes her demands perfectly clear without compromising herself. Ana's mother has revolved her life around getting married and raising a family, while Ana refuses to compromise her future and dreams by taking a husband and household on before she really wants to.

The movie revolves primarily around Ana's college application. This is the plot device whose effects progress the film. The scholarship to the University is dependent upon the fact that Ana is a minority, and without the scholarship, Ana and her family make it clear that they could not financially afford to send Ana to college, which would then reproduce stereotypes of women and minorities of being less financially stable.

Eventually, both despite and with the help of her gender, race and social and economic class, Ana is able to advance herself and develop a sense of confidence in herself and her identity.

I was showed this movie in my 11th grade class and I never thought that a movie like this would really be funny and dramatic. I really didn't think that this movie was going to be any good but I was wrong. I did what a lot of people do now a days, judged a book or movie by it's cover. But the message of this movie is to feel easy going about that very cover. Real Women Have Curve is a film that is about Mexican Americans and also the a view of how society standardize "sexy". Ana being a little overweight finds herself on an quest to find the sexy women in her and change the views of not only herself but the views of others as well.

Thanks to a beautifully subtle script, equally subtle direction and brilliant performances from all the leads, Real Women Have Curves comes across as a superbly soulful and insightful slice of life. The always great Lupe Ontiveros is maddeningly tragic as the selfish mother who stubbornly refuses to see beyond her own needs, and America Ferrera blazes across the screen in blissful defiance - the smart girl who instinctively knows she's more than just the sum of her body parts and finds the strength inside herself to back up that belief with or without her mother's blessing. Kudos to everyone connected with this enlightened and enlightening movie.

The movie Real Women Have Curves is a 2002 comedy directed by Patricia Cardoso. Ana (America Ferrera) is a young and smart girl from a Mexican immigrant family, who graduates from the famous Beverly High School of California, and gets accepted in Columbia University with a full scholarship. Controlled by her mother Mrs. Carmen (Lupe Ontiveros), who strongly believes that a girl's fate is to learn to work hard and learn to take care of her future husband. Raul Garcia (Jorge Cervera Jr.) Ana's father and Mr. Guzman (George Lopez) Ana's English teacher play wonderful mediators and defend Ana to go to college.

This is a movie for everyone to see. Children can confront parents in laughter, while enjoying this together. It reveals the constant battle between mother and daughter, but most of all; it shows how challenging it is for smart children from uneducated families to pursue a higher education.

Although the comedian George Lopez, from the George Lopez show, is not an actor, he gives a high performance in this movie playing the role of the teacher who tries by all means to see one of his smartest students succeeding in what she deserves, despite the character hostile of Lupe Ontiveros, who sees her daughter going against the value of their traditions.

This movie makes me think of the Cider House Rules, in which Dr. Larch (Michael Caine) always reminds Homer Well (Toby McGuire), his traditions and what he comes to accomplish in life. Like America Ferrera, it is hard for Toby McGuire to break the rules, and leave the orphanage to discover what is out there for him.

Patricia Cardoso increases the suspense in this movie with the motif "red color," which appears every time America Ferrera's future is being discussed. She makes this screenplay so funny and devoid of bad scenes or language. This is what Robert Ebert from the Chicago Tribune calls "enormously entertaining for moviegoers of any age."