Rating: 
Summary: fascinating social drama with a dribble-away ending
Review:
***1/2
John Sayles, always an intriguing filmmaker, has come up with yet another conversation-starting film in "Casa de los Babys," a subtle exploration of the great divide that separates the haves from the have-nots in this maddeningly imbalanced world of ours. Sayles sets his story at a "hotel" in South America, one designed to cater specifically to American women who are waiting to adopt children to take back with them to the States. Due to bureaucratic red tape, many of the ladies Sayles introduces us to have been holed up in the hotel for months. Except for contact with the resort staff and the occasional foray into the local neighborhood, the women are essentially sealed off from the cultural and socioeconomic realities of the world around them.
The thing that separates Sayles' work from that of so many other socially conscious filmmakers is that he is scrupulously fair in his approach, refusing to pigeonhole any one group of people while allowing us to see the imperfections and humanity inherent in those on both sides of the divide. It would have been so easy for him to have portrayed the women as merely spoiled Americans, exploiting the poor of the world for their own selfish benefit. Indeed, one of the men who helps run the hotel decries the ladies as gringo "imperialists," looking to buy Hispanic babies as if they were strolling through the local market. Yet, his mother, who manages the resort and who also resents the imperialistic tone of some of the women, is pragmatic enough to know that this is a "business" like any other, and that the alternative for many of these orphans would be far grimmer if they were forced to fend for themselves out on the streets. In fact, the children in the facility, who are well cared for and who have some hope for the future, are in direct counterpoint to all the youngsters we see who are living in cardboard boxes, forced to wash windshields, beg from tourists, or steal to survive.
Of the American women, the most interesting is Nan (beautifully played by Marcia Gay Harden), who is the most obnoxiously pushy and least culturally sensitive of the group. We get the feeling that the moment she gets her hands on her new child, she will go to work draining every ounce of ethnicity from his or her soul and spirit. The other women are all far more open and tolerant than she is, being mainly concerned with filling that childless void located deep within themselves. The film is, in large part, a series of revealing conversations, in which the women voice their fears, concerns, visions and hopes about life as a parent.
The movie does an interesting job conveying the universality of motherhood, for despite the economic and language barriers that separate them, both the women yearning for babies and the women being forced to give their babies up for adoption are able to meet on the common ground of maternity.
In addition to Harden, there are excellent performances from Mary Steenbergen, Lili Taylor, Daryl Hannah, Maggie Gyllenhall and Susan Lynch as the American women, and Rita Moreno as the hotel manager who understands how the world works even if she doesn't fully approve of it. Each actress manages to create an interesting, fully realized character out of only a limited amount of screen time.
If there's a criticism to be leveled against the film, it is that Sayles leaves a few too many loose ends hanging at the end. As a storyteller, he has never been all that interested in conventional narrative, so this shouldn't surprise us, but we do sense that he could have gone a bit further with his characters here. As it is, "Casa de los Babys" feels somewhat incomplete, more like an exercise - albeit a fascinating one - than a full-fledged drama. Still, for its clear-eyed, three-dimensional and nonjudgmental take on a tricky subject, "Casa de los Babys" is a film well worth seeing.
Rating: 
Summary: A great movie
Review: Casa is a great movie about life and life in South America. While these women are looking to adopt babies, with poor children around. It shows Americans what South America really is.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner from John Sayles
Review: I always watch for films directed by John Sayles. His latest film, "Casa de los Babys" takes a fictional look at the adoption process in Mexico. Six women--5 Americans and one Irishwoman--are holed up at a hotel in Mexico awaiting approval of their respective applications before taking their newly adopted babies back to America. The soon-to-be mothers (including Lili Taylor, Mary Steenburgen, Daryl Hannah, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Mary Kay Place) have all sorts of personal problems, and for some of these women adopting in America would be problematic. A sense of competition exists between the women as they wait for their babies--who will be the best mother? Who doesn't 'deserve' to be a mother? Each woman has her own unique theories about child rearing, and, of course, the fact that these theories are untested does not make the women deviate one bit. Senora Munoz (wonderfully acted by Rita Moreno) runs the hotel that houses the waiting women. It's just a business to her--one she'd rather not examine too closely. The orphanage provides her with a living and also puts food on the table for the employees who lead marginal lives. The film raises some very interesting questions about adoption--some of these questions are tackled directly on the film. Senora Munoz's useless would-be-revolutionary son wonders how Americans would feel if Mexicans adopted American children and then subsequently raised them in Mexico. He believes this would be considered an outrage and that even if it were allowed to happen, it would be strictly regulated. The alternatives for the children who are not adopted are hopeless--throughout the film a band of street beggars--just children--roam around looking for opportunities to get enough to eat. There are holes in the adoption process for the Mexican children, and that is blatantly obvious as it is revealed that the severely unpleasant Nan's (Mary Kay Place) stories simply do not add up. But no one cares enough to block her application. I was a little concerned that this would be a 6 women get-together-touchy-feely-exchange thing. Faith in the director John Sayles told me this film would deliver more than just some lukewarm chat sessions. I was not disappointed. Only one scene was over-the-top with sentimentality--one character waxed on for an interminable amount of time about her soon-to-be daughter. The scene was excessive. The rest of the film, however, offers tremendous food-for-thought. Ultimately the film is about hope--hope the mothers have for their new children, hope that drives people to purchase a lottery ticket with the only money they have, and hope that keeps people going day after day with the idea that life will improve. Comments from John Sayles are included in the very worthy DVD extras--displacedhuman
Rating:
Summary: Another winner from John Sayles
Review: I always watch for films directed by John Sayles. His latest film, "Casa de los Babys" takes a fictional look at the adoption process in Mexico. Six women--5 Americans and one Irishwoman--are holed up at a hotel in Mexico awaiting approval of their respective applications before taking their newly adopted babies back to America. The soon-to-be mothers (including Lili Taylor, Mary Steenburgen, Daryl Hannah, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Mary Kay Place) have all sorts of personal problems, and for some of these women adopting in America would be problematic. A sense of competition exists between the women as they wait for their babies--who will be the best mother? Who doesn't 'deserve' to be a mother? Each woman has her own unique theories about child rearing, and, of course, the fact that these theories are untested does not make the women deviate one bit. Senora Munoz (wonderfully acted by Rita Moreno) runs the hotel that houses the waiting women. It's just a business to her--one she'd rather not examine too closely. The orphanage provides her with a living and also puts food on the table for the employees who lead marginal lives. The film raises some very interesting questions about adoption--some of these questions are tackled directly on the film. Senora Munoz's useless would-be-revolutionary son wonders how Americans would feel if Mexicans adopted American children and then subsequently raised them in Mexico. He believes this would be considered an outrage and that even if it were allowed to happen, it would be strictly regulated. The alternatives for the children who are not adopted are hopeless--throughout the film a band of street beggars--just children--roam around looking for opportunities to get enough to eat. There are holes in the adoption process for the Mexican children, and that is blatantly obvious as it is revealed that the severely unpleasant Nan's (Mary Kay Place) stories simply do not add up. But no one cares enough to block her application. I was a little concerned that this would be a 6 women get-together-touchy-feely-exchange thing. Faith in the director John Sayles told me this film would deliver more than just some lukewarm chat sessions. I was not disappointed. Only one scene was over-the-top with sentimentality--one character waxed on for an interminable amount of time about her soon-to-be daughter. The scene was excessive. The rest of the film, however, offers tremendous food-for-thought. Ultimately the film is about hope--hope the mothers have for their new children, hope that drives people to purchase a lottery ticket with the only money they have, and hope that keeps people going day after day with the idea that life will improve. Comments from John Sayles are included in the very worthy DVD extras--displacedhuman
Rating: 
Summary: Casa de Los Babys
Review: I found this movie to be very touching and real. It isn't John Sayles best movie, but we've come to expect something totally stunning from him every time. It is however very much worth seeing. It gives a very gritty feeling of being in Mexico waiting to adopt a baby. The women who play the main characters do great acting. They play a cross section of very genuine personality types. No plot, just the drama of daily life in an emotionally volatile situation. Brings up all sides of the issue of adopting babies in foreign countries, including a very moving portrayal of the life of homeless street children.
Rating:
Summary: Casa de Los Babys
Review: I found this movie to be very touching and real. It isn't John Sayles best movie, but we've come to expect something totally stunning from him every time. It is however very much worth seeing. It gives a very gritty feeling of being in Mexico waiting to adopt a baby. The women who play the main characters do great acting. They play a cross section of very genuine personality types. No plot, just the drama of daily life in an emotionally volatile situation. Brings up all sides of the issue of adopting babies in foreign countries, including a very moving portrayal of the life of homeless street children.
Rating:
Summary: Presenting the "Big Picture" of Adoption Industry
Review: I was so deeply immersed in this movie I had a very hard moment when it suddenly ended. The ending might have been at the appropriate time movie wise, but for me it was too fast, without satisfying my curiosity for what happened next. My feeling is also validated by any objective measure as the movie is only 95 minutes long. What does the future hold for these six women and their babies? I remain with my thoughts and guesses built on the information we were given during the film.
"Casa De Los Babys" holds everything I love about movies. A wonderful group of actresses (I admit I was a prejudiced viewer - what can go wrong with such a great group of actresses in a movie about such a feminine issue), a human story where another angel is presented or revealed at each stage of the plot and a beautiful setting. Five of the six characters were able to gain my sympathy (some immediately, some after a while) throughout the movie and the one character that did not, stands out completely and was clearly intended to be brought out this way. Nan, played by Marcia Gay harden is no doubt a character everyone despises although her character might be a little too extreme. The Irish actress Susan Lynch is always a pleasure to watch especially in such an endearing role.
I would like to note that I was mostly surprised and pleased by Daryl Hannah playing "Skipper". This actress never impressed me (except maybe in "Kill Bill"...) but in this movie she manages to deliver a very clear picture of a sensitive woman with an athletic "ice queen" appearance holding much inside. Her secret is exposed in a beautiful scene with Maggie Gyllenhaal playing the rich, somewhat naive Gennifer. This very dramatic scene is a tribute to the acting abilities of both actresses. Skipper is performing a massage to Gennifer who is very clearly uncomfortable with the situation. During their conversation Skipper reveals her past efforts to have a natural child
Another moving scene is when Asuncion, the Latin maid, watches her little sister through the window shields. We only see her eyes but a whole world of feelings is expressed by them.
The six women are waiting for their babies in a foreign land and have no other choice but to be in each other's company. They pass their time touring the area and gossiping about each other. The hottest topic is whetehr this or other woman is worthy of being a mother, and this indeed is what the viewer is also asking himself. However the six women are only part of the whole story. Other semi stories include a group of street children showing us what becomes of these children who were not lucky enough to be adopted, and on the other hand political conversations of the American capitalism and its exploitation of the Latin resources (babies in this case). We are presented with all angels of the baby adoption enterprise and need to draw the conclusions ourselves.
The movie suffers from this surplus of semi plots and characters since it seems the director was more concerned with the "big picture" then with the personal stories which more concern the simple viewer such as myself. Six main characters (each one with enough substance for a seperate tale) and a host of several more sub stories are difficult to present in such a short time. This overflow clearly undermines the outcome.
In any case, a pleasure to watch.
Rating: 
Summary: feels unfinished
Review: I've been a fan of director John Sayles in the past, his films PASSION FISH, SUNSHINE STATE, and LONE STAR are among my favorites. Unfortunately I don't think CASA DE LOS BABYS is among his best...
The plot concerns a group of women each waiting in an unidentified Latin American country to adopt a baby. Each character (played by Darryl Hannah, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary Steenburgen, Susan Lynch,Marcia Gay Harden, and Lili Taylor) has their own story, but none except for Harden's and Lynch's are very well developed. Meanwhile, assorted Latin American characters (Rita Moreno and Vanessa Martinez get most of the screen time) complain about those annoying Americans and we follow a group of child waifs through a day on the streets. Lip service is paid to the issue of Latina children being raised by whites.
A number of issues and storylines are begun, but none of them even come close to a resolution...Sayles clearly has great affection for this culture, but he did not develop this script thoroughly enough.....disappointing
Rating:
Summary: A Movie that is not a Movie
Review: John Sayles has a way of taking the filters off our civilization that allows us to observe the people around us in a casual manner without any of the clutter of the 'Hollywood take'. His movies deal with real issues, issues that most people would not think fodder for an interesting film or even story. But with Sayles integrity, his films offer the opportunity to 'overhear' as a hidden observer issues that are usually avoided. Some of his other films - 'Lone Star', 'Secret of Road Inish', 'Passion Fish', 'Lianna', and the much underrated 'Sunshine State', among others - have dealt with one-on-one relationships. In CASA DE LOS BABYS Sayles manages to gather six women waiting in Latin America for a baby to adopt, living in a hotel under the hard thumb control of Rita Moreno (always a joy to see in film!). The women are all unique in their desires to adopt, their backgrounds, their expectations, their inner turmoil and their facades, and Sayles quietly and without much hoopla lets us just observe the playing out of their lives as they wait for their 'new babies'. The story works beautifully, largely due (in addition to the direction and writing) to the quality of performances of the cast: Marcia Gay Harden, Mary Steenburgen, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daryl Hannah, Lili Taylor, and Susan Lynch. And the Latin women who represent the other side of this quasi- legal adoption agency stance are equally well cast. This is a sleeper movie but one that will say with you long after the quiet credits have completed their role down.
Rating:
Summary: A Movie that is not a Movie
Review: John Sayles has a way of taking the filters off our civilization that allows us to observe the people around us in a casual manner without any of the clutter of the 'Hollywood take'. His movies deal with real issues, issues that most people would not think fodder for an interesting film or even story. But with Sayles integrity, his films offer the opportunity to 'overhear' as a hidden observer issues that are usually avoided. Some of his other films - 'Lone Star', 'Secret of Road Inish', 'Passion Fish', 'Lianna', and the much underrated 'Sunshine State', among others - have dealt with one-on-one relationships. In CASA DE LOS BABYS Sayles manages to gather six women waiting in Latin America for a baby to adopt, living in a hotel under the hard thumb control of Rita Moreno (always a joy to see in film!). The women are all unique in their desires to adopt, their backgrounds, their expectations, their inner turmoil and their facades, and Sayles quietly and without much hoopla lets us just observe the playing out of their lives as they wait for their 'new babies'. The story works beautifully, largely due (in addition to the direction and writing) to the quality of performances of the cast: Marcia Gay Harden, Mary Steenburgen, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daryl Hannah, Lili Taylor, and Susan Lynch. And the Latin women who represent the other side of this quasi- legal adoption agency stance are equally well cast. This is a sleeper movie but one that will say with you long after the quiet credits have completed their role down.
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