Movie Review: Real Women Have Curves
by Gabriela Kejner
Published: October 17, 2002
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Director: |
Cast: |
HBO Independent Productions |
Patricia Cardoso |
America Ferrera as Ana
George Lopez as Mr. Guzman
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For more information: IMDb Link |
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The so-called "Latin Explosion" pervaded the media in the late 90s and seemed to fizzle quickly along with Ricky Martin's "bon bon." Actually, the presence of Latinos in film, TV, and music never fizzled; in fact, it quietly trudged along and laid major groundwork for the future face of the media. Now in 2002, there are at least two television shows on the major networks and rapid growth in film. One major contribution to the film industry is "Real Women Have Curves," directed by Patricia Cardoso.
Newcomer America Ferrera stars as Ana, the daughter of a close working class Mexican-American family. Her family is what simultaneously holds her back and yet empowers Ana. Ana has just graduated from high school and is encouraged by Mr. Guzman, a teacher played by George Lopez, to attend college. However, Ana's parents have other ideas and immediately yank her into the family's world of hard work with little room for dreams. Ana's old-fashioned mother Carmen, played by Lupe Ontiveros, wants to teach her how to maintain a house and "take care of her husband," and wants Ana to work for the family business, which is little better than a sweat shop. Besides this new life that excluded higher education, Ana is constantly subjected to Carmen constantly harping on both of her daughters for not having perfect size 6 bodies and tells them how much better their lives would be by subtracting their extra pounds and adding a husband.
Ferrera is one of the strong aspects of the film; that is why it is so surprising that she only has one other film to her credit. She portrays Ana in a strong yet vulnerable way that brings strength to the character, rather than playing her as dramatically insecure child who just realized that life is not easy and is going to throw a tantrum. The film does not need all the fuss and crying to indicate that Ana is trapped and crushed by her situation, yet at the same time is slowly struggling toward a life of her own making. The rest of the characters blend into the background but are strong and supportive to the wavering dynamic captured between Ana and Carmen; George Lopez is a mere presence while Ana's sister Estela and her father Raul add energy as examples of what Ana's life could become.
This film captures the lives of these people and portrays a simple story without surprises or deep, dark secrets; what is intriguing is finding out what causes these characters to act out their quirks and beliefs in their interactions with each other. Why does Carmen constantly try to make Ana feel that she is not good enough for some imaginary standard? Why does Estela always seem to be in a bad mood and unsympathetic? What makes Ana think independently and decide what her life will be like? These are all questions unraveled and twisted in the story. What it comes down to is perhaps a very strongly held stereotype about Hispanic people, but one that is not disliked or renounced-the strong ties of family. This film is about a girl, but her strong family connection cannot be separated in the telling of her story, and only serves to provide a glimpse of how "real" family relationships work. There are no neat and tidy endings here, but a sense of growth and realization.
Overall Rating: B+
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