I get it: I don't live in or around San Francisco and I know it's only stereotyped as the "Gayest Town on the Planet," but it was hard for me to find homophobia this deep in the glorified afterschool special, La Mission.
I'm sure it exists as I'm sure there are Gambler Anonymous meetings near Las Vegas Blvd, and perhaps it would've been even more cliché to set this movie about a father coming to terms with his son's homosexuality in Laramie, WY. For me, that was as tough a pill to swallow as tough-guy Che (Bratt) displayed.
Okay, so we have Che & son, Jesse, (Valdez) who live in the Mission district of San Francisco. They like slow moving cars and enjoy sobriety. Well, Jesse's tastes are changing, literally. From the disinterest in cars, to the newly discovered beer and most importantly: men. Ex-con and macho-man-of-the-year daddy won't have any of that.
Might I mention that part of his phobia stems from his devote Catholic and Hispanic heritage? Probably more from the religious side, because some of the other Hispanic neighbors don't seem to care as much.
Throw in the ever smart and tree-hugging Lena (Erika Alexander) as the neighbor of reason and affection from Che, some hate crimes and a back-drop of Alcoholics Anonymous brings you to a practically harmless afterschool special. Heck, they even had the obligatory hospital scene.
It's much too long to hold too many people's interest and Che's anger barely calms throughout, in fact it grows more and more until the finale. I almost expected a "To Be Continued" to show up because it was taking far too long to get to the inevitable "acceptance" message.
And that, his anger, though integral to the story line, was a bit harsh to consume. Barely a consequence was shown, hardly a realization to be had. I'm sure this type of extreme rebellion exists, but I think the kid, Jesse, who could've been anyone's kid as he showed zero resemblance inside or out to Che, should've left the scene long before due to the mad man he calls Dad.
Despite the soundtrack I hated terribly, the movie's beautifully shot and the acting's surprisingly above par. That said, I'd recommend other coming-of-terms films as this brings little to the table in originality or surprises.
I'm sure it exists as I'm sure there are Gambler Anonymous meetings near Las Vegas Blvd, and perhaps it would've been even more cliché to set this movie about a father coming to terms with his son's homosexuality in Laramie, WY. For me, that was as tough a pill to swallow as tough-guy Che (Bratt) displayed.
Okay, so we have Che & son, Jesse, (Valdez) who live in the Mission district of San Francisco. They like slow moving cars and enjoy sobriety. Well, Jesse's tastes are changing, literally. From the disinterest in cars, to the newly discovered beer and most importantly: men. Ex-con and macho-man-of-the-year daddy won't have any of that.
Might I mention that part of his phobia stems from his devote Catholic and Hispanic heritage? Probably more from the religious side, because some of the other Hispanic neighbors don't seem to care as much.
Throw in the ever smart and tree-hugging Lena (Erika Alexander) as the neighbor of reason and affection from Che, some hate crimes and a back-drop of Alcoholics Anonymous brings you to a practically harmless afterschool special. Heck, they even had the obligatory hospital scene.
It's much too long to hold too many people's interest and Che's anger barely calms throughout, in fact it grows more and more until the finale. I almost expected a "To Be Continued" to show up because it was taking far too long to get to the inevitable "acceptance" message.
And that, his anger, though integral to the story line, was a bit harsh to consume. Barely a consequence was shown, hardly a realization to be had. I'm sure this type of extreme rebellion exists, but I think the kid, Jesse, who could've been anyone's kid as he showed zero resemblance inside or out to Che, should've left the scene long before due to the mad man he calls Dad.
Despite the soundtrack I hated terribly, the movie's beautifully shot and the acting's surprisingly above par. That said, I'd recommend other coming-of-terms films as this brings little to the table in originality or surprises.