La Mission (2009)

La Mission is a movie starring Benjamin Bratt, Alex Hernandez, and Christopher Borgzinner. A single-parent ex-con in a tough, minority neighborhood finds his personal values challenged when he discovers his son is gay.

Director:

Peter Bratt

Writer:

Peter Bratt

Stars:

Benjamin Bratt, Alex Hernandez, Christopher Borgzinner

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Benjamin Bratt	...	Che Rivera
Alex Hernandez	...	Smoke
Christopher Borgzinner	...	Nacho (as Chris Borgzinner)
Jeremy Ray Valdez	...	Jes Rivera
Cesar Gomez	...	Gummy Bear
Neo Veavea	...	Kenny
Cathleen Riddley	...	Shell
Martin Cantu	...	Store Owner
Xochiti Guzman	...	Fine Mission Mamacita
Marco Serralta	...	Chuy (as Marcos Serralta)
Talisa Soto	...	Ana (as Talisa Soto Bratt)
Jesse Borrego	...	Rene
Max Rosenak	...	Jordan
Ramon Ovando	...	Little Man
Tatiana Maricely	...	Nadine (as Tatiana Rivas)

Storyline

Growing up in the Mission district of San Francisco, Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt) has always had to be tough to survive. He's a powerful man respected throughout the Mission barrio for his masculinity and his strength, as well as for his hobby building beautiful lowrider cars. A reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic, Che has worked hard to redeem his life and do right by his pride and joy: his only son, Jes, whom he has raised on his own after the death of his wife. Che's path to redemption is tested, however, when he discovers Jes is gay. To survive his neighborhood, Che has always lived with his fists. To survive as a complete man, he'll have to embrace a side of himself he's never shown.

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Plot Keywords:

ex convict | gay | recovering alcoholic | lowrider | blowing a conch shell | 

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Taglines:

...from the thorn emerges the flower

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violence and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish French

Release Date:

19 January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mission Street Rhapsody

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$49,046, 11 April 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,040,000, 1 August 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

5 Stick Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Would be Talisa Soto's first acting role in 7 years since her role in Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002). It would also be her last current acting role in her career (not counting an uncredited cameo in Elysium (2013) as Tisha).

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Goofs

In the opening scene, Che is shown putting the poles of a trolleybus onto electric wires above. When the bus pulls up to the bus stop, Che is driving one of Muni's Hybrid/electric buses, which runs on its own power and does not have trolley poles.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Rene: Hey, yo! Can we dance with yo dates?

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Connections

References The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

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Soundtracks

Machete
performed by Santero & Orlando Torriente
Music courtesy of Round World Music

User Reviews

La Mission

This is a fantastic film.

Benjamin Bratt gives his heart and soul in this performance as Che Riveria and Erika Alexander is stunning as Lena.

This film is rich with the colors, energy and music of the Mission district of San Francisco.

Writer/director Peter Bratt lets us into the world of a man defined by his culture. A culture that gives him a second chance at life and rewards masculinity and strength will also prove to be his downfall.

This father/son story is heartfelt. Che Riveria is a tough man but will need to dig deep to find the courage needed to prove he is worthy in the eyes of his son.