Review of How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer (2005) by Eric F — 30 Aug 2008

For what easily can be as sentimental and melodramatic as similar films in the genre like "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" or "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants", "How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer" treats it's characters and it's audience with respect and dignity. This isn't another stereotypical Hollywood A.D.D. character piece that jumps from one gag to the other and relys only on cliches as development - this is a brooding film that completely pushes the limits of dryness to the point where i'm sure many people would find it unbearably boring. However, due to a really well written triad of characters in a daughter-mother-granddaughter combination, "How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer" exceeds traditional "chick flick" fare into something insightful and completely refreshing.

The film starts with Dona Genoveva (Lucy Gallardo), a 70-year-old woman trying to scrounge up money to buy a car. Dona has never driven a car in her life, and only now does she start to get out and seek some adventure. Soon, her gardener, Don Pedro (Jorge Cerveva Jr.), offers to give Dona driving lessons and a very cute yet inconsistent relationship buds. However, things go awry as Dona's daughter, Lolita (Elizabeth Pena), strongly disapproves of her mother's new love interest. Lolita really doesn't have much room to be dictating the life of her mother, however as an audience we're let in to the fact that Lolita is nothing more than jealous.

Lolita is romantically pursued by Jose Luis (Rick Najera), a co-worker at her butcher shop. She's kind to him, but doesn't take him seriously. The man that she does have interest in, Victor (Steven Bauer), wins a date after relentless persistence that ends up in a near-rape. While Lolita seems to be the most lost in regards to her love life, her daughter, Blanca (America Ferrera), seems to have things pretty figured out. She spends her time with Sal (Leo Minaya), a new boy in town.

A lot of chick flicks either neglect men completely or raise them on a pedestal as prince charming. This film, however, is extremely smart in the way it handles the the male gender. Characters like Victor and Sal seem to be in constant pursuit of sex - and although Victor is fairly redeemable, Sal actually has intentions to start a relationship. The other two men, Don Pedro and Jose Luis, are both charmers and seem completely innocent. There's an odd scene where Blanca exclaims "is that all men want?" after Don Pedro had slept with her grandmother, but we realize that accusation is far-fetched. We believe Don Pedro does care for Dona. First time writer-director Georgina Garcia Riedel understands that in order to tell the most truthful story, every character must be fully realized and consistent. She strays away from cliches in what is essentially a very familiar genre.

"How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer" feels like taking a lazy stroll down the street during the summer. It's pace is incredibly slow and brooding, and it seems like each shot lingers 10 seconds more than it should. This requires a viewer with great patience. Personally, I was absolutely enthralled from start to finish, and I was only feeling that the film dragged a little bit towards the end.

I very much enjoyed the side-story of the old men on the sidewalk talking about their old cars and their old girlfriends. There are some double-entendres where you're not sure which they're talking about, and it's not only very funny but it provides a lot of contrast to the women characters in the film. I've already mentioned it, but it must be restated - Riedel's film is so great because she knows she can't neglect a single thing. She gives every character a chance to have a voice. This is as fully fleshed out as a film in this environment can get.

I thought this was an incredibly fascinating film that certainly shouldn't go unnoticed. The script is wonderful, and the performances are all top notch - particularly Elizabeth Pena, who I thought was absolutely extraordinary. I liked this a whole lot.