Ask Bookie
A Better Life
Overview
ABOUT A BOY director Chris Weitz takes the helm for this affecting drama about an illegal immigrant who struggles to give his teenage son a better life by working as a gardener in L.A. Determined to move out of the city in order to get his son away from gangs and into a decent school, the devoted father comes into possession of a truck that allows him to earn a better income by taking more gardening jobs. But with immigration agents on every corner and vicious gangsters trying to lure his son into a life of crime, it's a constant struggle just to survive in such an unforgiving city without being deported. Demián Bichir, José Julián, and Dolores Heredia star in a film written by Eric Eason (JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE NIGHT).
Awards:
Main Cast & Crew:
Chris Weitz - Director
Joaquin Cosio
Jos Juli n
Demián Bichir
Jose Julian
Chelsea Rendon
Dolores Heredia
Joaquín Cosío
Nancy Lenehan
Bobby Soto
Eddie Sotelo (Piolin)
Details
- Format: DVD (AC-3, Dolby, Widescreen)
- Run Time: 97
- UPC: 025192108457
- Genre: DRAMA
- Rating: PG-13 (MPAA)
- Release Date: October 2011
Movie Reviews
Reviews:
5 stars out of 5 -- "The timing is right for this remarkable and riveting family drama which puts a human face on the hot-button topic of immigration in such effective and emotional terms that you may never look at the subject in the same way again." - 06/21/2011 Box Office
"By keeping things simple and understated, Weitz and screenwriter Eric Eason have crafted a little gem where humanity is observed with compassion, not condescension." - 06/15/2011 Hollywood Reporter
"[A]n emotionally resonant film about how we live now....A BETTER LIFE involves a struggle to hold onto a home of one's own." - 06/24/2011 New York Times
"A BETTER LIFE is must-see viewing, poignantly revealing what it's like living confined to the shadows of contemporary society." - 06/22/2011 USA Today
"The story is an urgent one and its frame is well chosen." - 06/23/2011 Movieline
"Bichir gives a superb slow simmer of a performance. His Carlos is a silent striver who embodies a humanity that is ultimately heartbreaking." -- Grade: B+ - 07/01/2011 Entertainment Weekly
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "[T]he story takes on some of the shape of THE BICYCLE THIEF....The performances are pitch perfect..." - 07/06/2011 Chicago Sun-Times
3 stars out of 4 -- "Chris Weitz cuts deep in this tale....This movie will get under your skin." - 07/07/2011 Rolling Stone
3 stars out of 5 -- "[I]ts obvious debt to BICYCLE THIEVES is repaid with sincere sentiment and strong acting." - 07/07/2011 Total Film
"[A] gently understated tale....[Bichir's] performance -- much of it in subtitled Spanish -- is all the affecting for being utterly unshowy." - 09/01/2011 Sight and Sound
Customers Also Bought
- 1
