Nonureva Really Surprised!

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Winifred The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

hubiestubert This is a film that is understated and while it's billed as a comedy, it ain't. It's about music, it's about people, and how music brings folks together.For fans of John Leguizamo's past films, this is going to be a surprise. It's not laugh out loud funny. It's a tale about a musician who comes from Mexico to LA, and the star in this film isn't John, it's not Elizabeth Pena, or any of the other very capable actors who lent their time to the film, but the music. And their passion for the music.And the nice thing is the stars in the film take a back seat to the music, they deliver a vehicle to let the sounds of the LA Latin music scene come forward.It's not a film for everyone. Some folks demand a plot that is a bit more driven, but this film slopes toward its conclusion, not with any haste, and gently. The characters are a framework to deliver the sounds of the scene, and that sort of structure is anathema to some film goers, but very familiar to folks who loved the classics, and this is a film that loves the classics as well as the new voices. It's a great homage to the great old vehicles that let bands and artists get notice, that championed their music.If you're looking for The Pest or something akin to Leguizamo's fantastic monologues, you might want to pass on it. This ain't them. But if you're looking for a film that is full of music, for just a sweet story, this might be the ticket.

theoneandonlyegi To be fair to the cast...... it wasn't totally their fault! The script was one of the worst dramas ever produced, as for comedy. It was lacking any sort of charismatic charm. The band's music were trainwrecks, except the (probably unintentional) Spanish? version of Duran Duran's Hungry like the Wolf. Ana Claudia Talancón contributed to the poor excuse of a supporting cast, all the focus was on Antonio (John Leguizamo) who failed to deliver a strong cocky young Antonio (although once again poor script). John Leguizamo is getting a little too old for this kind of part. Overall, i wouldn't even eat chocolate and watch this movie for inspiration.

kbailey555 Oh, dear. This movie is unintentionally one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. If it weren't so serious about itself, I'd put it in Christopher Guest territory. But unfortunately, this movie takes itself SO seriously that it can't see how flawed it is, both cinematically and practically. The one scene that had my boyfriend and I rolling on the floor was the band practice with Antonio's first band. One minute the boys backing him up are in their own band, "on the way up." The next thing you know, they've let this Antonio kid come in and take over. In what we must assume is their FIRST practice, sweet, sincere Antonio turns into a complete asshole, actually SHOVING his brand new guitar player because he doesn't like the way the guy plays! Egos fly, it nearly comes to fisticuffs, but the "manager" steps in with a Brady Bunch speech and Antonio and his new guitar player shake and make up. None of this would EVER happen in a band. Never. Unless, of course, the band is comprised of retarded monkeys in heat. Then, it might happen.This is just one of about a million cookie cutter clichés in the movie. Each and every scene in this movie is a "Ye Olde Shoppe" version of reality: of Mexican culture, of young love, of fear and uncertainty, of the desire to put something meaningful into the world, and all the other "human conditions." It's completely unbelievable, and what little charm it might have had is completely destroyed by the extremely limiting script, which tries to tell too many stories without an ounce of continuity or building of relationships. Just like we never get to see Superman actually transform, we never get to see any of these characters develop, or fall in love. They simply state their "suenos" to the camera, step into a phone booth, and emerge transformed. Example: the big contest is three days away. In three days, Antonio finds a band, the band fires him, he finds another band, convinces his reluctant neighbor (a single mom with two kids) to join up, learns some original material, and then shows up at the audition just as they're supposed to go on, and then they get up their and play like they've been together seven years and have just emerged from having a nice quiet beer in the green room. Never happen.A lot of the music was really great, though. But a lot of it was, again, stereotypes of music genres sung by Latinos, seemingly to prove to the world that Mexicans can be hip to rap, garage rock, cock rock, funk, and math rock. The overstating of it through clichés made it feel like a propaganda poster, and slightly offended my boyfriend, a rockabilly band front-man who also happens to be Mexican. He didn't know he had anything to prove.

DragonflyS6 This film fits under the genre of whimsy. What makes it good is its appeal to the senses through Mexican culture. John Leguizamo excels in the part of Antonio: a struggling musician with an irrepressible spirit. Generally it is a well cast film. The music is good overall: some songs are truly excellent making up for one or two exceptions. Unexpected humor at times makes this an uplifting little romance and the charm of the film overcomes any moments that may seem a bit contrived. Visually it succeeds in capturing Mexican art and culture and explores a gentler, more optimistic side of Mexican culture that has not been brought out in other films. This is an enjoyable film well suited to uplifting a dreary afternoon. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys music or Hispanic culture.