This Mira Nair film is easier and kind. It comes from a director gaining experience and expressing with confidence. The film is based on two Cuban immigrants, Marisa Tomei and Alfredo Molina, working their way into settling down in their new country of USA and all the hapless and pitiful situations they find themselves in with the City Departments. Alfredo's character wants to find his separated wife from long ago and Marisa has a thing for John Wayne who's been dead for some time.
Mira then spins a humorous and poetic story around them and their real freedom into true happiness and contentment. The film scores well here. It does not follow any standard negative depictions that are expected from 'such' cinema or population groups. Mira is able to make the characters likable with a warm and friendly tone.
The film's weaknesses come from a lack of emotion and sadness that is usually attached to characters by epicureans. Even its surreal scenes do not make this slow moving drama any faster. The missing elements are many and as a film suffers depth issues.
Rated at 8 purely for its approach and strength to connect, Mira Nair can now try to bring more life into her characters in an example of what I consider good film-making but not good films. And not to be missed, both actors in the film play their roles brilliantly and deliver their best.
Mira then spins a humorous and poetic story around them and their real freedom into true happiness and contentment. The film scores well here. It does not follow any standard negative depictions that are expected from 'such' cinema or population groups. Mira is able to make the characters likable with a warm and friendly tone.
The film's weaknesses come from a lack of emotion and sadness that is usually attached to characters by epicureans. Even its surreal scenes do not make this slow moving drama any faster. The missing elements are many and as a film suffers depth issues.
Rated at 8 purely for its approach and strength to connect, Mira Nair can now try to bring more life into her characters in an example of what I consider good film-making but not good films. And not to be missed, both actors in the film play their roles brilliantly and deliver their best.