Review of A Better Life (2011) by John A — 31 Dec 2011

The film's heart is in the right place, and there are several well-done visual compositions. The scene at the rodeo works best to illustrate the culture clash going on within the family, while the regular shots of East Los Angeles serve to show us a world not often presented in the movies.

All that said, the film relies far too much on words to express its ideas, especially working hard to build sentiment to such a degree that it becomes off-putting rather than as it should be--affecting.