A Better Life (2011)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Powerful

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Carlos Galindo (Demián Bichir) is a hard-working Mexican illegal in L.A. He's a single dad and fears his son Luis is falling into bad company while dating Ruthie Valdez who has family in the gang. His boss Blasco is looking to sell his truck and return to Mexico. Carlos gets $12k loan from his poor sister to buy the truck. He hires Santiago from a street corner but he steals the truck on his first day. Carlos can't go to the cops. It's a desperate search by Carlos and Luis for the all important truck.This is a terrific performance from Demián Bichir. The story is basically 'The Bicycle Thief' grafted onto the illegal immigrant experience in America. The first half does move a little slow. However the movie builds to such a powerful emotional climax.

"We asked for workers. We got people instead." ― Max Frisch Perhaps loosely inspired by Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves", "A Better Life" is a weak film by director Chris Weitz. The plot? Demian Bichir plays Carlos Galindo, a Mexican gardener working in California. Much of the film watches as Galindo's son voices resentment toward his dad and mingles with low level gangsters, to his father's disapproval. The film ends with Galindo's gardening tools and truck being stolen. Like De Sica's classic, father and son then bond over their hunt for the missing gear."A Better Life" means well, and captures certain class and race based anxieties, but it's a thin, obvious and overly sentimental film, with many segments plagued by poor acting. The film's covert message – that immigrant sons should respect the sacrifices of their fathers, sacrifices which lay the foundations for the successes of future generations – gives the economic system these characters operate in, a free pass; capitalism always requires roughly 12-20 percent unemployment and whole swathes of immigrant labour. For similar, better films, see Ken Loach's "Bread and Roses", "El Norte", Kelly Reichardt's "Wendy and Lucy", and the documentaries "Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness", "Made in L.A", "9500 Liberty", "The 800 Mile Wall" and 2008's "American Harvest".5/10 – Worth one viewing.

'A BETTER LIFE': Four Stars (Out of Five) Chris Weitz directed this inspiring drama about an illegal immigrant from Mexico trying to make 'a better life' for his teenage son. Weitz is the director (and co-director, with brother Paul at times) of such popular films as 'AMERICAN PIE', 'ABOUT A BOY', 'THE GOLDEN COMPASS' and 'THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON'. The screenplay was written by Eric Eason and based on a story originally titled 'The Gardener' by Roger L. Simon. Star Demian Bichir was nominated for an Oscar for his work and is the highlight of this powerfully moving father-son tale.Bichir plays Carlos Galindo, a gardener who's employer, Blasco (Joaquin Cosio), constantly tries to convince him to buy his truck and business. When Carlos's sister Anita (Dolores Heredia) loans him the $12,000 he needs to buy the truck, and gardening tools, Carlos finally sees a way to provide a better future for his son Luis (Jose Julian), who has been struggling in school and began to get involved in crime. When Carlos's truck is stolen, right off the bat, he and his son go on an adventure to get it back.The movie is heartbreaking and hard to watch at times but it's also very moving and inspiring at other times. Thanks in large part to a well written and emotional script as well as topnotch directing from a Weitz brother once again. Bichir's performance is the heart of the film though and it's backbone. His award acclaim is very much deserved.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vj0JA1sJBzw

Carlos Galindo (Demian Bichir) wants nothing more than to provide his son, Luis (Jose Julian), with the life he himself never had. An illegal alien who has lived in the US for many years, Carlos works as a gardener and keeps his head down, always mindful of what deportation would mean for his son. Luis, meanwhile, is a typically rebellious teenager who doesn't understand or appreciate his father's sacrifices and who is on the brink of joining the local gang. When Carlos' boss planning to leave the gardening business and head home, he offers to sell his truck and equipment to his loyal employee. Desperate to make something happen for himself, Carlos accepts the offer and goes into business for himself, a risk he normally would not take. But when the truck is stolen by a day laborer, Carlos and Luis go on a journey to recover their property and in the process, rebuild the relationship that they've both sorely missed.I think it was a surprise to many to find Demian Bichir's name among those nominated for Best Actor at this year's Academy Awards. On a list that includes Gary Oldman, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and eventual winner Jean Dujardin, Bichir seemed a bit out of place, especially considering some of the great work done by accomplished actors who were not recognized by the academy (Ryan Gosling, Michael Shannon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, etc.). This is one of those situations, however, that demands a viewing before judgment because, having now seen A Better Life, I can certainly understand the Academy's decision. Simply put, this is a heartfelt, power house performance by an actor that perfectly embodies his role. Carlos encapsulates elements of heartbreak and hope, misfortune and motivation and in doing so creates a deeply layered and personal portrayal. Bichir plays Carlos with subtlety, acting as much with his eyes as with his words, giving notice of the internal conflict waging within the man throughout his various struggles. It is truly an outstanding performance and one that carries significant weight.The rest of A Better Life, though, doesn't quite measure up to the brilliance of the lead performer. Many of the early scenes come off as manufactured rather than organic, a polar opposite to the path that Bichir takes with his character. It is too earnest at times and that could cause cynical jerks like me to bail on the film before it ever really gets going. To be fair, A Better Life gets better as it goes and eventually leaves the safety of borderline-manipulative Oscar bait behind in favor of a more genuine tone but in some ways that makes the first act even more frustrating. There are also a handful of scenes that could have been edited out or restructured more purposefully and many of Bichir's colleagues fail to deliver at a compatible level with the film's star. Julian shows flashes of excellence but overall I found his performance to be spotty and less-than believable. I can't say whether the blame for this rests on Julian or the film's director, Chris Weitz, but the dynamic between father and son didn't always deliver. It would have been interesting to see Bichir go toe-to-toe with a more challenging co-star, similar to the interactions between George Clooney and Shailene Woodley in The Descendants. What saves A Better Life from becoming yet another independent film that doesn't live up to the strength of its leading performer is the conclusion. Weitz saves his best work for last, creating a stirring, emotional scene in the very end in which Bichir delivers beautifully and which exhibits the very best of the relationship between Carlos and Luis. It is a hopeful, impactful finale that covers over the film's previous missteps and allowed me to leave with a higher opinion of the film than I might have had otherwise. The result is a good movie highlighted my one fantastic performance and brought home by one stirring scene.Please see my reviews at thesoapboxoffice.blogspot.com