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Actors: Marisa Tomei, Alfred Molina, Angelica Houston, Chazz Palminteri, Diego Wallraff, Trini Alvarado, Ellen Cleghorne, Vincent Gallo
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Perez Family |
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By the year 1980 Juan Raul Perez (Molina) has been a political prisoner in Castro's Cuba for more than twenty years; his wife Carmela (Houston) and young daughter Teresa (Alvarado) having fled to Florida. When the Mariel boatlift frees more than 50,000 of Castro's unwanted criminals, mentally ill, aged, and ailing citizens; an eclectic group of Cuban refugees arrives in Key West. Juan meets a young sugar cane field worker named Dorita “Dottie” Evita Perez (Tomei) who is infatuated with John Wayne. They learn that to be released in the US they must get a job and a sponsor or remain at the internment camp set up at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Dottie spent time as a prostitute in Cuba and will do anything to gain her freedom.
Carmela and Teresa anxiously await news of Juan's arrival but hear nothing. Her brother Angel (Wallraff), obsessed with home security for the women, installs alarms, gives them a handgun, and purchases an attack dog. Each time the alarm is set off Miami Police Officer Rhoades (Cleghorne) and Special Agent Pirelli (Palminteri) arrive to the Coral Gables house. Carmela is attracted to Agent Pirelli and begins dating him. Dottie is determined to create a family in order to move up the waiting list for sponsorship. As Juan's efforts to make contact with his estranged wife fail, he is persuaded to pose as Dottie's husband along with a young boy named Felipe from the streets of Miami and a crazy old man who strips naked then climbs trees and light poles.
As the Perez family they are sponsored by a monastery and sell flowers on the streets of Miami. Dottie falls in love with her fictitious husband, but is devastated to learn that Felipe's been killed by a criminal lowlife named Orlando (Gallo). Angel openly prevents Juan from reuniting with Carmela.
--David Fletcher, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Perez Family |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1980's-1999
Ethnic/Regional/Gender story?
Yes
Main Char. ethnic: (if not US Caucasian)
- Hispanic/Spanish
Woman/class/friends story?
- immigrant story
Culture of surrounding area:
- American Florida
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- accused criminal
Age:
- 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Unclothed?
- Chest
Events of movie makes character more...
- caring
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Hispanic/Latinic
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn curly
Body type
- (woman) ample bosom & buttocks
Unclothed?
- very tight clothes
How much in movie?
- 90%-100%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Hispanic/Latinic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- a deadline
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Deep South
The Americas (not US):
Yes
The Americas:
- The Caribbean
City?
Yes
City:
- Miami
Misc setting
- bar
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- excited
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
- touching of personal anatomy
- seeing nude male butt
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Modern rock/pop
Is this movie based on a
- book
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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