Real Women Have Curves

The movie Real Women Have Curves is a 2002 comedy directed by Patricia Cardoso. Ana (America Ferrera) is a young and smart girl from a Mexican immigrant family, who graduates from the famous Beverly High School of California, and gets accepted in Columbia University with a full scholarship. Controlled by her mother Mrs. Carmen (Lupe Ontiveros), who strongly believes that a girl's fate is to learn to work hard and learn to take care of her future husband. Raul Garcia (Jorge Cervera Jr.) Ana's father and Mr. Guzman (George Lopez) Ana's English teacher play wonderful mediators and defend Ana to go to college.

This is a movie for everyone to see. Children can confront parents in laughter, while enjoying this together. It reveals the constant battle between mother and daughter, but most of all; it shows how challenging it is for smart children from uneducated families to pursue a higher education.

Although the comedian George Lopez, from the George Lopez show, is not an actor, he gives a high performance in this movie playing the role of the teacher who tries by all means to see one of his smartest students succeeding in what she deserves, despite the character hostile of Lupe Ontiveros, who sees her daughter going against the value of their traditions.

This movie makes me think of the Cider House Rules, in which Dr. Larch (Michael Caine) always reminds Homer Well (Toby McGuire), his traditions and what he comes to accomplish in life. Like America Ferrera, it is hard for Toby McGuire to break the rules, and leave the orphanage to discover what is out there for him.

Patricia Cardoso increases the suspense in this movie with the motif "red color," which appears every time America Ferrera's future is being discussed. She makes this screenplay so funny and devoid of bad scenes or language. This is what Robert Ebert from the Chicago Tribune calls "enormously entertaining for moviegoers of any age."