A Day Without a Mexican (2004)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Sergio Arau

Writers:

Sergio Arau (writer)
Yareli Arizmendi (writer)

Release Date:

6 August 2004 (Mexico)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

Tagline:

On May 14 there will be no Mexicans in California.

Plot:

One day California wakes up and not a single Latino is left in the state. They have all inexplicably dissappeared, chaos, tragedy, and comedy quickly ensue.

Plot Keywords:

Mexican | Border | Musician | Senator | Scientist

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Caroline Aaron	...	Aunt Gigi
Tony Abatemarco	...	Talk Show Host
Melinda Allen	...	Ellen Abercombie (as Melinda R. Allen)
Frankie J. Allison	...	Oficer Carr (as Frankie Jay Allison)
Fernando Arau	...	Undocumented 1
Yareli Arizmendi	...	Lila Rodriguez
Todd Babcock	...	Nick
Maria Beck	...	Officer Sanchez
Yeniffer Behrens	...	Suzy
Arell Blanton	...	Chris
Cassidy Paige Bringas	...	Tracy Abercrombie
Brian Brophy	...	Barney Montana
Pilar Camporredondo	...	Lila's Mom (as Maria Camporredondo Neeley)
Elpidia Carrillo	...	Cata
Larry Carroll	...	Newscaster

Also Known As:

Un día sin méxicanos (Mexico)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

USA:100 min | Argentina:100 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

USA | Mexico | Spain

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:12 | Argentina:16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company:

Eye On The Ball Films

Trivia:

Eduardo Palomo's last film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Senator Abercombie is declaring a state of emergency and telling the reporters the military is conducting reconnaissance missions, the F-16 shown flying into the fog has Washington (state) Air National Guard markings on it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: The Christmas Show (#1.11)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Raices

Watch this, only if there's nothing else to do.

I just finished watching A Day Without a Mexican, so my comments are fresh.

As some other reviewers have mentioned, this film had the potential to be much more in terms of social commentary. The fact that it went in a comedic direction isn't bad in itself, it's just the execution of everything seemed so flawed.

There were chances to make statements, and to be relevant; one can still do that while still being funny. It's just -- I never laughed during the entire film, and I never felt as if any point was driven home, so it failed both goals.

I won't call this a bad film, but it's certainly not worth the $4 rental fee. If it shows up on TV for free, go ahead and watch it, otherwise find something else to spend your money on. Stereotypes can be used to convey a serious message (see Hollywood Shuffle), however I'm not sure what this film's message really was. Was it that Mexicans are a cheap economic revenue? That they're our maids, and token love interests?

As for bad acting, I can get over that. The problem is with the script. The initial idea sounds great, but the initial idea needs followed up with original and clever thought; that's where this film went downhill quickly.