Review of Spare Parts (2015) by Efrain S — 19 Jan 2015

Okay fine, I'm a sentimentalist--I love a good cry. Few things fuel me on a Saturday afternoon like an unexpected tug on the strings of my heart to remind me I actually still have one beating inside. So lets see, what do we have here? A story about marginalized kids who must come together to accomplish something major while also unexpectedly gaining self worth? You've got my attention. Wait, what? There's also a side story about the mores of Latino masculinity and a father/son finding common ground and learning to accept each other? START THE MOVIE START THE MOVIE START THE MOVIE!!

Every season there comes a feel-good film that actually makes you feel good. A well-written story that is rarely told, led by a committed and talented cast. This season, I am happy to say, Spare Parts is that film. Led warmly by George Lopez in a surprising display of depth, the true standout is Esai Morales who wholly embodies the Latin American hombre complicado without slipping into parody. Following suit, the younger actors all manage to create distinct three dimensional characters, with at least two leaving lasting impressions.

Thanks entirely to a smart script by Joshua Davis, this film, which could be watched as a daring call for immigration reform, never feels political or partisan. Davis succeeds at humanizing a complicated subject without ever compromising the integrity of his characters or reducing them to symbols.

So yes I was primed to love this movie--I saw it on opening weekend to support mi gente for God's sake. But being the target audience is an uncomfortable place to be. When my expectations are high, I'm easy to disappoint, finding myself unable to silence the shrill curmudgeon inside me screaming "nothing kills the mood like bad writing, don't embarrass yourself! don't be fooled!" Lucky this time the curmudgeon finally got to take a break.