Quinceañera (2006)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Directors:

Richard Glatzer
Wash Westmoreland

Writers:

Richard Glatzer (writer)
Wash Westmoreland (writer)

Release Date:

5 July 2006 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

As Magdalena's 15th birthday approaches, her simple, blissful life is complicated by the discovery that she's pregnant. Kicked out of her house, she finds a new family with her great-granduncle and gay cousin.

Plot Keywords:

Gay | Preacher | Trio | Limousine | Gay Relationship

Awards:

7 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Jesus Castanos	...	Ernesto (as Jesus Castanos Chima)
Araceli Guzman-Rico	...	Maria
Emily Rios	...	Magdalena
J.R. Cruz	...	Herman
Listette Avila	...	Jessica
Alicia Sixtos	...	Eileen May Garcia
Hector Quevedo	...	Dancing Boy
Germán Campos	...	Chambelàn (as German Zavala)
Carlos Linares	...	Videographer
Johnny Chavez	...	Uncle Walter
Carmen Aguirre	...	Aunt Silvia
Margarita Lugo	...	Aunt Candy
Jorge Ortiz	...	DJ
Veronica Sixtos	...	Young Girl
Jesse Garcia	...	Carlos

Also Known As:

Echo Park, L.A. (UK)
Sweet Fifteen (Australia) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sexual content and drug use.

Runtime:

90 min | UK:90 min (uncut)

Country:

USA

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:Btl | Argentina:16 | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Echo Park Lake, Echo Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cinetic Media

Trivia:

The character of Tio Tomas was based on writer/director Wash Westmoreland's great uncle.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Herman describes his busy weekend, he states that he is taking his AP History exam on Saturday. AP exams are only given on weekdays.

Quotes:

Carlos: Nobody believes you, huh?
Magdalena: About what?
Carlos: "About what?", come on!
Magdalena: [pauses] No.
Carlos: Yeah, nobody believed me about anything all my life.
Magdalena: That's because you're a liar, and a thief, and a pothead. And a gay.
Carlos: [Makes face] So?

Movie Connections:

References "America's Next Top Model" (2003)

Soundtrack:

Pica Pica

A great film with no sex and no violence - so why the R rating?

When I went to see this film, I had no idea what it was about, other than that it had something to do with the 15th birthday of a latino girl. It was a preview and the ticket was free. I was very pleasantly surprised. This is a either a little gem of a movie or a gem of a little movie. It shows a little slice of life - centering around the (major) problems of members of a latino extended family in Los Angeles (mostly the younger members). I'm not latino, and I live in northern California - so I have no idea how accurate a picture it is, but the picture is nevertheless true to life. All the characters are very believable - a rather rare description of an American film these days. I have never heard of any of the actors, yet without exception the acting was superb. Every character seemed very real, like people I have known. Halfway through the film, I did not know where it would end - the story could still have turned in several different directions. With the exception of an anglo gay couple, all the characters spoke in both English and Spanish, as many Mexican-Americans do in California.

For some bizarre reason, one of the major characters - Herman (played by an actor named J.R. Cruz, is not listed in the credits in IMDb.