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UNDER THE SAME MOON (2008)
OUR REVIEW
by Dave White
Who's in It: Adrian Alonso, Kate del Castillo, Eugenio Derbez, Jesse Garcia, America Ferrera
The Basics: A little boy in Mexico, living with his grandmother while his mother works as a maid in Los Angeles, has to set out on his own to find Mom after Grandma unexpectedly dies. One problem: He has no idea where to find her. Bring the travel-size Kleenex with you.
What's the Deal? It would be kind of harsh of me to dismiss this clunky movie as one-note and manipulative. I mean, it is both, but still, it would be like kicking a lost puppy when it shows up at your door whimpering for food. You're not going to get anything resembling an even-handed treatment of illegal immigration, but if that's what you want instead of a heart-on-sleeve drama about a cute kid looking for his mommy then you should probably be watching a documentary instead.
Kid Actor Points: For Alonso, who manages not to overdo it with the old-school annoying cuteness. He straddles that comfortable middle ground between Elle Fanning seriousness in Babel and that little girl from The Game Plan.
Ugly Betty Fans, Take Note: Yes, Ferrera is in this (no glasses, no braces), but not much. So is the really popular Tejano band, Los Tigres del Norte. But again, not for long.
Who Should See It: Pat Buchanan and all those other "let's put an electric fence up" people. They'd hate it, of course, for the very same reasons everyone else will love it. But still, it'd do 'em some good.
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