Quinceañera (2006)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Directors:

Richard Glatzer
Wash Westmoreland

Writers:

Richard Glatzer (writer)
Wash Westmoreland (writer)

Release Date:

5 July 2006 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

As Magdalena's 15th birthday approaches, her simple, blissful life is complicated by the discovery that she's pregnant. Kicked out of her house, she finds a new family with her great-granduncle and gay cousin.

Plot Keywords:

Gay | Trio | Limousine | Preacher | Infidelity

Awards:

7 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Jesus Castanos	...	Ernesto (as Jesus Castanos Chima)
Araceli Guzman-Rico	...	Maria
Emily Rios	...	Magdalena
J.R. Cruz	...	Herman
Listette Avila	...	Jessica
Alicia Sixtos	...	Eileen May Garcia
Hector Quevedo	...	Dancing Boy
Germán Campos	...	Chambelàn (as German Zavala)
Carlos Linares	...	Videographer
Johnny Chavez	...	Uncle Walter
Carmen Aguirre	...	Aunt Silvia
Margarita Lugo	...	Aunt Candy
Jorge Ortiz	...	DJ
Veronica Sixtos	...	Young Girl
Jesse Garcia	...	Carlos

Also Known As:

Echo Park, L.A. (UK)
Sweet Fifteen (Australia) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sexual content and drug use.

Runtime:

90 min | UK:90 min (uncut)

Country:

USA

Language:

Spanish | English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:16 | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Echo Park Lake, Echo Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cinetic Media

Trivia:

Because of time constraints, the producers had still not found an actor to play James just before shooting was set to start, so they asked the casting director, Jason L. Wood, to play the part, because they liked how he had read the part as the other side of dialogue during actors' auditions. Wood was hesitant to take an acting part because he was worried that it might be a conflict of interest with his career as a casting agent, but he finally relented when the producers assured him he wouldn't have to cry in the film.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Herman describes his busy weekend, he states that he is taking his AP History exam on Saturday. AP exams are only given on weekdays.

Quotes:

Carlos: [at Tio Tomas' funeral] Tomas Alvarez was born in Jalisco, Mexico in 1921. The 13th kid out of 22. When he was born, he was so small, the midwife said he wasn't worth washing. But he ended up outliving all of them. In his life, he was an office boy, a barber and a farm worker. Then in America, he sold champurrado. Everybody knew him. If you walk down the street, he would stop every two minutes to talk to someone. They were always happy to see him.
[pauses]
Carlos: He had a love inside him that was so strong. It came from his heart and out through his eyes like a golden light. Everybody could see it, because he loved everyone and judged no one. At the end of my life, I will count it as my greatest privilege that I knew a saint. Because Tomas Alvarez was a saint. And he will not leave us. His spirit is still strong. He will be with us 'til the end of our days.

Movie Connections:

References "America's Next Top Model" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Pica Pica

Quinceanera was great!

Although it wasn't a first pick, I was able to get the time slot I wanted at Sundance to view this film. We were so impressed with the film that it was almost a post viewing panic session that we could have missed a film this awesome just because it didn't have any "big names" in it. Jesse Garcia is the next "big name" in Hollywood! Keep your eyes on this guy. His portrayal of a gay Hispanic gang member just blows all stereo types out of the water. Chalo González is a national treasure, and outshines the entire cast as Uncle Thomas. Emily Rios is also a great find, and really does a great job in her first big role. Listening to the writers/directors in person detailing their own experience of moving to Echo Park California, and witnessing the gentrification of the area which inspired the film, made this screening even more sweet. The only flaw that I could find was that I wanted to see more of Magdalena's family, and thought those relationships could have been fleshed out more to better understand why they did the things to her that they did. The entire cast was so approachable after the screening and Q&A, that it made me want to go out and do all their PR work for free! Glatzer and Westmoreland said to look for this film on HBO, so hopefully that will be the case really soon for the general public. Catch it if you can; it's worth the time.