Real Women Have Curves

Rating:
Summary: A make-you-feel good movie
Review: A good movie with a simple plot, yet with a powerful message. Not your normal Hollywood movie. A very pleasant surprise.

Rating:
Summary: An entertaining, empowering movie of substance
Review: My husband and I watched this film together and we both agreed that it was enjoyable and empowering. The main character Ana, played by a young new, actress, is outstanding. She is funny and willful. She acts the part of a teenager unhappy with her family but is also wise beyond her years. The movie is full of interesting characters who are anything but stereotypical. As a non-Hispanic person, this film gave me what seemed like a genuine insight in Mexican-American culture. The movie is vivid and the message is powerful. I felt uplifted and refreshed by the end. My only criticism is that there seemed to be a few loose ends, such as the dress Estela makes and an essay Ana writes. But perhaps items such as these are what we expect from typical "spoonfeeding" movies, which this film is not. As for the DVD itself, the features aren't outstanding-- mostly interviews and bios. The bios are very complete and interesting, however.

Rating:
Summary: Response to David Peppen and the "eye candy" comment
Review: Since this is technically supposed to be a movie review, I should begin by stating that REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES deserves a 5/5 rating for its realistic treatment of family dynamics and womens' struggles with self-acceptance.

Now, down to the real reason for this message: I was infuriated by David Peppen's comment that he watched this movie because he likes slightly chubby girls and wanted to see some "eye candy." Mr. Peppen (and I use that term lightly), do you realize that liking a woman because she is chubby is just as narcissistic and insulting as liking a woman because she is thin or blond or leggy? Does it matter if a woman is into politics? If she is well-read, witty, or intelligent? Or does her size only matter? Get with the program--women are not "eye candy." We have brains that contain real thoughts. And any woman with half a brain would never consider dating an ignorant fool like you.

I think you missed the entire point of this film. Perhaps you should watch it again ... or maybe return it and use the money you get to buy a clue.

Rating:
Summary: good
Review: I assumed this movie would stink based on the title alone, but I rented it because I like slightly chubby women (as well as smaller ones) and needed some eye-candy. In this I was not disappointed, and was even mildly surprised by a couple of scenes with America Ferrara [wearing little]!

But it turned out to be a fairly decent movie. There is a complex relationship between the main character and the two closest women in her life, wherein the slightly lazy know-it-all melodramatic teenager learns about what family relationships mean.

Drawbacks include: not enough exploration of Ana's relationship with her boyfriend. Also, I was never able to really guage whether she was right to go to Columbia University, since they never went into what she wanted to major in. I think college is usually a [very costly] and movies tend to perpetuate the myth that it is always a good idea to waste money on so-called "higher education" leaving most young adults no better off in the end, with only huge debts to pay.

All in all this was a decent movie. ...

Rating:
Summary: HAppy, likeable ethnic comedy
Review: "Real Women Have Curves" is a warm, funny ethnic comedy - one of the most likeable movies I have seen in a long time. It also seems rather true to life. The script has a few flaws in it [a couple of key plot points never pan out, for example], but these are not significant enough to spoil either the fun or the film's message about the joy of being yourself - or, more specifically, your own woman.

Ana [America Ferrara] lives with her family in a Latino section of Los Angeles. Because of her intelligence and good grades, she's been able to attend upscale Beverly Hills High School. She's about to graduate and is definitely college material. Her mother [Lupe Ontiveros], an eccentric, neurotic woman, has other plans for Ana. She wants her to stay home and go to work in her older daughter, Estela's [Ingrid Oliv], small dress factory. The family doesn't have the money for college, and mom blissfully ignores the fact that Ana can easily qualify for grants and scholarships. Ana unhappily agrees to work in the factory, where she is ridiculed for being too overweight to fit into the stylish dresses her family churns out. But there are things in her favor - she likes who she is and what she can become. Slowly, the family comes to see Ana in a new light and to understand that her inner beauty is far more important than her exterior appearance.

The cast is relatively unknown to mainstream American audiences, but it is a remarkable one. Ferrara lights up the screen with her shrewd, charming performance.

"Real Women Have Curves" may not teach you a lot you don't already know about Latino culture, but it does something almost as important - it makes you happy.

Rating:
Summary: THREE STARS
Review: Praise for a good movie that breaks your conventional sterotypes, not just culturally but across the board as far as body image is concerned. Wonderful movie with a "real" cast. I give it three stars only because I was disappointed with it based on my expectations.

Rating:
Summary: Genuine, Energetic and Thoroughly Enjoyable.
Review: Ana (America Ferrera) has recently graduated from high school and dreams of going to college and pursuing a different sort of life than her parents and sister have. But for the summer she must help her sister Estela (Ingrid Oliu) in her dressmaking business. When Ana learns how hard her sister works for so little pay, it only reinforces her desire to follow a differerent path. Ana tries not to be discouraged by her mother's (Lupe Ontiveros) constant criticism and stubborn insistence that she should work, marry, and forget about college. The acceptance of her father, boyfriend, and a close friendship with her grandfather, along with her own strong sense of selfworth, provide Ana with the strength and motivation to pursue her goals.

"Real Women Have Curves" immediately impressed me as a movie about real people. The characters give a strong impression of authenticity. They seem more genuine than any movie characters in my recent memory. In this case, reality is a good thing. Ana and her family and friends are sometimes charming, sometimes exasperating, but always full of life. Ana's youthful energy and hope are palpable. The cast is excellent all around. There is nothing earth-shattering about this film. It's just about a spirited young woman trying to balance expectations and realities with her own hopes for the future. But "Real Women Have Curves" is vital and thoroughly enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I had to see this movie for a school assignment and at first I was reluctant to see it, to say the least, but not too long after it started, I started liking it. The rest of the people that were in the room with me were cheering and laughing, etc. too, it's an awesome movie, I definately recommend that everyone go see it, especially if your a teenage girl or woman of any age who is uncomfortable in the skin they're in.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie!
Review: Some of the reviews of this movie that I had read in several papers compared it to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". I wouldn't say that this is that much like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", though. It's more light-hearted. And nonetheless, it is a great movie.

And a lot of reviewers have said that this is about a Mexican-American family. But this is never really said in the movie. In real life, the actress America Ferrera is of Honduran descent. So, it could just as well be about a Honduran-American family in East Los Angeles.

Also, many people have said that this is about an overweight young woman defying Hollywood's skinny ideal. But I think it's more accurate to say that it is about a NORMAL weight young woman defying Hollywood's stick-thin ideal.

Don't get me wrong, though, I definately agree with everybody else on here. This movie was a nice change.

It's nice to see a movie where a Latina (especially of mestiza background) is portrayed positively and not as some slut or "chola" - type gang banger that goes out with a thug. "Training Day" is one such movie that does that (that movie is incredibly over-rated and just horrible and soo cliche).

This non-Latino white guy would go out with America Ferrera in a heartbeat over the same old, same old WASPy stick thin actresses that Hollywood says we are supposed to like. Isn't that what America is all about? Voicing your own opinion? Well, I just did. And so does America!

America is my "All-American girl". And I think a lot of those producers in Hollywood would be surprised to know that there are A LOT of guys just like me who feel the same way.

Rating:
Summary: One of the finest of 2002 without a doubt.
Review: Real Women Have Curves (Patricia Cardoso, 2002)

Seeing this one the same weekend the Oscars aired was a travesty. Thoroughly snubbed by the Oscars, this film, which won a large number of other awards (including Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival), stood head and shoulders above much of what there was to see, according to the Academy.

The story centers around Ana, a teen just graduating from high school (America Ferrara, in her screen debut), her insane family, an English teacher who keeps encouraging her to go on to college, and one of her classmates, who's been worshipping her from afar all year. While the main point of the story (reflected in the title) is Ana's unwillingness to cave into her mother's (Lupe Ontiveros [Mi Familia, As Good As It Gets, etc.]) constant cracks about her weight, much of the subtext centers on the plight of first-generation immigrant families in America. Ana and her family have it relatively good, in a number of ways; Ana finagled herself a full scholarship to Beverly Hills high school, her sister (Ingrid Oliu, from Flatliners and Stand and Deliver) is an entrepreneur running her own business, even if it is a chronically-behind-on-its-orders sweatshop, her father has a good job, etc. etc. But, like most families who live day to day wondering when the wave that will push their heads under is coming, when sudden changes occur, the whole fragile network is flung into chaos. Always, in the background, Ana's mother is telling her to lose weight, and Ana responds by refusing to feel bad about it. (And here is where the story hits a slight snag in suspension of disbelief; no matter how good the actress, casting a girl who's maybe size 14-16 in such a role made me wonder if this movie would have ever gotten released were the main character really fat.)

The whole thing is loud, chaotic, and fast-moving without ever going over the top, and in that it is truly distinguished. It makes the viewer feel good without manipulating the viewer into feeling good, and that is a very rare thing in American film these days. A minor, and completely overlooked, gem well worth searching out, and one of the ten best movies of 2002. ****