Rating: 
Summary: America Ferrera is great!
Review: I enjoyed watching this movie. America Ferrera ruled the screened. Her presence made the movie so real. I was blown away by the culture of this Mexican family. All of us have family & cultural traditions that are hard to get away from. Ana seemed to know who she is at a very early age. I loved her character and I look forward to seeing this young lady in other films.
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining film
Review: I am really glad when I see films that are outside of the norm. "Real Women Have Curves" is one of those films. The main character, a young woman about to graduate from high school, really isn't that over weight if you ask me, but I guess by Hollywood's standards she is overweight. The main character seems to have a chip on her shoulder, and her mother seems so old I thought that the mother was her grandmother. The women in the story work hard to make a living and the brat main character never misses a chance to provide them with a snide remark, showing off the smarts that she thinks that she has. Her bad attitude almost causes her sister some problems. The attitude of the main character is poor and I don't know if she would be considered a role model, but the film itself is entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: Designing a Life
Review: REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES is a cute coming of age story in which Ana, a first generation Mexican-American teenager, is living in a predominately Latino community of East Los Angeles. This movie is filled with culture and sun drenched streets. America Ferrera has personal experience with this type of situation and this is perhaps why she adds such beauty and understanding to her role. She knows how even school counselors will not always encourage the dreams of their students. While in real life her mother encouraged her educational goals, in this movie, Ana's mother is completely against her daughter's dream of going to college. As she is evolving very quickly into a woman, Ana learns to accept her body, her needs and her dreams about her future. While her attitude about various subjects are definitely more modern than her families traditional values, she eventually learns to respect and value her family members. Ana is trying to deal with her own inner desires and the expectations of her parents. I found this movie amusing from the perspective of someone who used to sew all her own clothes as a teenager. Living in Africa did encourage such activities. This is a story about a teenager who thinks sewing and ironing are definitely not as fun as dating and reading a good book. I found out about dating after the sewing. Like most teenagers in America, Ana finds a part-time job. What is amazing is that while attending Beverly Hills High School, she becomes almost unaware of what the rest of her family struggles with on a daily basis. I think this might have something to do with having to take three buses to get to school and three to get home. Her day is consumed with travel and walking. On the last day of school, her mother competes for her attention and Ana chooses to ignore her mother's pain and go to school anyway. There is obviously a struggle between her family responsibilities and wanting to create her own life. Her mother (Lupe Ontiveros) is going through menopause and Ana is just finding out about her own sexuality. The two women are separated by a wide gulf of misunderstandings and life experiences. We laugh as Ana's mother says she is pregnant, all while fearing her daughter might date and become pregnant. This movie tries to also teach a bit about birth control, but fails to emphasis the need for commitment and love before consummation. To Ana, sex just seems to be something fun to do and doesn't seem to care if she sees her boyfriend again. Perhaps this emphasizes her masculine side. One of her supportive teacher, Mr. Guzman (George Lopez), keeps encouraging Ana to pursue her dreams of college, while her family wants to selfishly keep her to work in the sewing sweatshop. When Ana (the beautiful America Ferrera) does have to help her family to keep the factory working, she learns to appreciate how difficult life has been for her sister, Estela (Ingrid Oliu), and gains a new respect for her mother. I thought this movie was cute enough to watch three times and enjoyed the commentary! I liked the fact that Ana is willing to accept herself and show the world what a "real" woman looks like. Ana's mother is a real character and her facial expressions are at times just hilarious. She tries to teach Ana life lessons through stories, but it seems Ana is going to have to learn how to deal with life on her own. Mothers and daughters will relate well to this movie. For some reason they don't focus on any of Ana's female friendships, yet she does seem to have a rich family life and a boyfriend. She has a beautiful relationship with her grandfather who fully supports her in her dreams. A word of advice: If you burn yourself with an iron, apply an ice cube immediately. It works! A film about family and seeking fulfillment in your own life. I didn't really find this to be as much a comedy as a comforting story about finding your dreams. ~The Rebecca Review.com
Rating:
Summary: You KNOW these people...
Review: Every once in a while, a movie offers a glimpse into a world that you never once before gave a second thought. But it does so with such loving detail and precise imagery that you feel you know these people. You've seen these people. These people exist. And you want to see more.
It's a slice of life story, about a Hispanic teen and her family. Nothing big happens, but the moments depicted really add up...it may sound ridiculous, but the world you see here is as three-dimensional and detailed as anything in the Star Wars series.(I'm talking environment here, not acting...) And to some, just as alien.
The acting is superb. Not a false note in the whole film.
Sometimes I think the sign of a great movie is that you wouldn't mind seeing a sequel...just to see what happens next to these characters you've suddenly grown attached to.
On the surface, it's a total "chick flick". But an accessible chick flick.
It's a "Latin" movie, but it speaks to everyone.
A great surprise.
Rating: 
Summary: a simple, but well deserved film!
Review: This film tells the story of a "typical" L.A. Mexican family living in the U.S. Ana wants to be the first to leave the nest and does so by attending college. THe story is one that is great to be shown on the screen, but it was highly predictable. The characters were not too indepth and not much depth to the film in all. The storyline is pertinent to many real-life situations today and something interesting to show for English-speakers who may not be fully aware of customs and challenges of spanish-speaking cultures that are in the US.
Rating:
Summary: I'm Glad She Didn't Wed -- Greek or Otherwise
Review: What a gem of a film! I saw immediately why this little masterpiece made such a fuss at Sundance. The film has been compared to 'Greek Wedding' in many ways, and there are some similarities: contentious, ethnic family issues; female with body-image issues;etc. However, from the soundtrack to the outstanding peformances, this film actually tops the fine 'Greek Wedding' because it is just as funny, accessibly artful, and most of all, it never pushes caricatures -- never overbakes the ethnic "ham" card in an attempt to get laughs. A realistic and, at times, almost surrealistic, work, 'Real Women' details the plight of Ana, a bright new grad from Beverly Hills High School who just happens to live in poor East Los Angeles with her extended Latino family. There is a great deal of love in her home, as is evident by Ana's relationship with her Grandfather, her father, her cousins, and even her surly, harried, dressmaker big sister, Estela. However, Ana and her mother, Carmen, are always at odds. Carmen and Ana are both obstinate, moody, overweight women -- the difference is that Mama thinks Daughter should abandon any notions of pursuing a future based upon her intellectual talents and sacrifice her happiness for the good of keeping the family unit intact. Mama belittles Ana constantly -- not so much in a deliberately cruel way, as in a way that indicates Mama's own self-awareness as an overweight martyr and her desire to raise Ana just as she herself was raised. Basically, she wants Ana to suffer hardship and undue toil in life, just like herself. The friction between old-fashioned mother and modern, stubborn daughter is the occasion for some great laughs. All of their bickering seems very real without becoming campy -- a problem that sometimes bogged down the lovely 'Greek Wedding' film. The excellent dialogue is a tribute to the screenplay adapted from Josefina's original play. The conflict here centers upon how Ana and her family are going to handle Ana's acceptance into Columbia University on a full scholarship. Mama tries everything in her repertoire of Guilt to break Ana's spirit of ambition, even to the point of forcing Ana into a godawful job at big sister Estela's dress-shop/sweatshop. The best commentary takes place there, where several of the workers provide superb characterizations without ever overplaying their roles. The laughs and heartfelt realizations never stop coming in this movie. A subplot in which Ana responsibly handles her first crush/sexual-relationship is handled with such poignancy, good-taste, and realism, that you can't help but marvel at the "powerful restraint" of the film's theme and direction. A truly perfect soundtrack of Mexican/Latin music hovers over the whole mix and the overall effect is warm and reshreshingly inviting. You will be drawn into the singular magic of this movie because it is so delicately orchestrated and displays not a shred of the contrived "reality" that seems to have saturated our entertainment culture. The movie is wonderfully, wistfully HUMAN. The performances by newcomer America Ferrero(Ana) and Lupe Ontiveros(Mama)are superb -- as are those by everyone in the cast, with special mention of the actress who plays Estella's overworked, pragmatic sister (PERFECT!). Will Ana find a way to move forward into *her* future against Mama's wishes and her own temptations to "settle" where her culture tells her she must settle? Will Estella's gaggle of lovable, flabby seamstresses finish their dresses on time to save the day -- and their jobs? Will they all just fade into the buzz and hustle of LA and be forgotten as the sun and the smog sets into the sultry barrio nights? Buy this "keeper" of a film and find out. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: The book is better!
Review: Really? What is so exceptional about this movie? I feel betrayed by the creator of "Real Women Have Curves." The main character seemed snobby and had a lot of attitude, but where did it get her? It got her to lose her virginity at a young age and it made her afraid of being who she was. She should have embraced her traditions and should have been thankful for having a family that loved her and cared for her. The message of "Real Women Have Curves" was not seen at all in the film. They were busy making size 4 or size 6 dresses and always dreamt of wearing those dresses, but the true message is that women have to be proud of their bodies and accept their true selves. They can not be sitting around rolling their eyes at their mother just because of her old-fashioned way of thinking. In the book it deals with the idea of bulimia and anorexia which is an important message which was clearly overshadowed in the movie. The true sense of the empowerment of women was not "strongly-based" as it was in the book. I understand that Ana was able to break that "traditional" mold and got accepted to an exceptional school and had the big [gesture] to everyone by being chunky, but really, where is the true flavor of the ideas that the original story had? It seemed to be such a commercialized movie that really change for the worse. It reminded me of "Stand and Deliver" on steroids and estrogen. Just for your information Josefina Lopez which is the creator of "Real Women Have Curves," has a cameo in the movie. She plays Ana's boss who stands behind the restaurant counter and hands her, her last paycheck.
Rating:
Summary: This movie was incredible!
Review: America Ferrara and Lupe Ontiveros deserved Oscars for their performances. This is an intense, emotional story about mothers and daughters, body image, and making tough decisions. The scene where the women at the factory shed their clothes and accept themselves as they are moved me to tears. I wish all American women could see that scene. I wish we could all feel that comfortable with ourselves and our supposed "flaws." Women's bodies are amazing. They can help create a brand new human being, house that growing life, and give birth. Their bodies can provide nutrition and comfort for that new life. Why shouldn't we be proud of our bodies - rolls of fat and all?! The relationship between Ana and her mother is so complex. In one sense her mother seems so selfish - wanting Ana to work at the factory instead of going to college. In another way, her mother's feelings are understandable. Just because we are mothers, does not mean we are not prone to jealousy and regret. Carmen worked for 38 years as a seamstress and continues to work long hours for little pay. She did this to help support her family and provide for her daughters. Now, she sees Ana moving on, moving up, and she feels it isn't fair. Is she a horrible mother? Is she selfish beyond words? Or, is she understandably human? This movie is fabulous. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a film with substance and emotion.
Rating:
Summary: A movie worth watching.......I highly recommend this movie!
Review: I found this movie in few words, very powerful. It is about a working-class Mexican-American family. The main character, Ana, played by America Ferrera delivers an emotionally powerful performance. The movie unfolds with the daily lives of Ana's family: The father works as a landscaper; the mother and older sister work as seamstress workers; and Ana is completing her high school.
Ana is not the "stereotypical" hollywood Latina. She is ambitious; she is educated; she is very analytical and is in search of a way out of the barrio and is struggling with many emotions. She is a non-conformist; she is not complacent with her daily routine; she is not going to settle for hard work; she wants to badly make a life, a career, plant a future. I cannot praise the producers, directors, and all contributors enough. This movie is not only well made, it is about life. And more centrally, it is about a young lady in America going against the odds that society has placed to derail, distract, and to label as failures. She is going to get her education and yes, she is going to make it happen. I plan on buying this DVD. I would strongly recommend this movie to cities that have a large concentration of Latinos. Let them see it and believe there is another side to life than one filled with only struggle and conformity. It is about their futures. Many thanks........ Diego
Rating:
Summary: very nice
Review: I liked this film because it was refreshing. You've got this girl named Ana who has issues with her weight, going to college, her mother, working for her sister, getting her first boyfriend and a few other things. I like how determined she was to be somebody. She just didn't stop and take whatever was handed to her. This film made me feel better as a person (especially about my weight). I also like how comfortable the actress America Ferrera (who played ana) was with herself in this film. That type of boldness is needed with this generation now a days. Why this movie was seen as a comedy is beyond me. It's more of a drama. Overall this film is a must see.
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