Born in East L.A. (1987)

Good concept, poorly executed.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

As a kid, I didn't like it probably because he wasn't with Chong getting stoned all the time. But having just watched it as a standalone piece, I found it quite bittersweet and enjoyable. Sure the story was a bit predictable but the movie did have a decent flow and never seemed to bore. The acting was pretty decent and there were plenty of laughs (again it's not slapstick stoner humor) Also keeping in mind that Chong usually directed their films, Cheech did a good job first time out. I think we'd all like to see them reunite, but lets just appreciate the material they've left us and leave it at that. So if you want to see Cheech branch out on his own, I'd suggest checking this out.

Much better than i expected. I first saw this film on one of those boring rainy days where you end up sitting in front of the TV channel surfing. i stopped while this was on. needless to say, i watched the whole thing and totally enjoyed it.it's very funny at times, and the plot is hilarious! some of the comedy is slapstick and some of it isn't...but it's all good. give it a rent and you won't be disappointed. i just picked up the DVD for 9.99 and i'm glad i did.yeahhhhhhhhhhh yeah yeah!(sorry, i need ten lines before i could post a comment)

Pretty entertaining movie staring Cheech Marin as a Latin guy named Rudy from East LA who mistakenly gets deported to Mexico. Marin is tooling around some factory one day when INS busts in and rounds up the lot of them. Jan Michael Vincent busts him, Rudy not having his id is thought to be an illegal and is promptly shipped off to Mexico. Meantime Rudy's cousin or something like that played by Paul Rodriguez ends up at Rudy's house waiting for his arrival. Rudy ends up meeting Jimmy (stern) down in Mexico and begins to work some low end jobs and things to earn some cash to get back to the US. After many comical scenes he meets Dolores and brings her back to the US. Of course he marries her in the end and she is able to stay...the end. This isn't the funniest movie I have ever seen, but its very entertaining. Cheech is always fun to watch and saves what probably would have been a fairly boring movie. If your looking for some time to waste on a Saturday, as I was, flip the channel and find this. 6 and half stars. "Born in east LA, I was Born in east LA!"

An idea suited more toward a 10 minute sketch is stretched to feature length in this decent enough comedy. The beginning and end are excellent ideas for perhaps a Saturday Night Live bit, but to pad the running time to its meek 87 minute point, writer-director-star Marin throws in some moderately entertanining moments. It all begins when he shows up at a factory to pick up his illegal alien cousin, but a surprise immagration raid ensues and, in the madness, an identification-less Marin is deported to Mexico. After some humorously done attempts at crossing the border fail, he goes to work for Stern, some sort of thumb-in-several pies businessman in Tijauna. In one of his pre-"Wonder Years" voice, City Slickers and Home Alone roles, Stern is great as the high octane Jimmy, a sauve operator of anything money related. He puts Marin to work encouraging passers by to enter a bar, or has him selling oranges on a street corner, and in one of the films best gags, teaching a bunch of dopey non-English speaking foreigners how to carry themselves in LA. The "wass-sappening" boys will be well remembered. But when the well runs dry at several points, Marin resorts to an extensive amount of musical numbers to suck up time. He throws in a half-hearted romance that doesn't really go anywhere, which may have given the film a little more to chew on. But its well worth the wait for the truly ingenius ending that I wouldn't dare spoil, only to say it cleverly incorparates Neil Diamond's "America". I would guess that Marin came up with the ending first and tried to come up with enough antics to reach that point. If you're patient, it should pay off well for you. Marin also contributed the memorable title song as well.