A Day Without a Mexican

It's quite funny, IMO, even if it's only a long joke with lots of stereotypes.

I do believe, though, that us Mexicans liked it a lot more than Americans did.

What's the movie about?

Tell me please.

A strange pink cloud covers California. Suddenly, all the Mexicans dissappear. Waiters, gardeners, nannys, fruit pickers, the TV weatherman, the husband, even some INS agents... what will the gringos do?

Hey, that sounds kind of good. Thanks, fbaezer.

Can I call you zer for short?

Sure, gus.

Thanks, zer. I feel like we're becoming brothers.

I recommend the movie....I enjoyed it alot and I am not Mexican, although I am living in Mexico so I can identify with the movie to a certain degree, but I did enjoy the movie and I would watch it again....It is a funny informational movie, a funny feel with a serious message....uplifting and so on...the furiousflee gives it two thums up....

Not worth it.
I'm not actually from here, but have lived in Mexico City since I was two years old, so I consider myself to be a bit of an adopted Mexican.

The movie is pretty bad. The whole thing is extremely one-note - a clever premise that doesn't go anywhere, and the script badly needed an overhaul. The filmmaker behind it is not even well-known down here, I think this may be his first feature. There were literally three or four funny gags, surrounded by bland, run of the mill humor. Some of the dramatic bits towards the end of the film are just tedious.

Mexican audiences, however, seem to have enjoyed it in general....but that's because the movie deals with a highly sensitive national issue people are very subjective about. Americans won't get the "joke" in the same way because they're not culturally inclined to do so....and because for us, the joke is basically "those damn Americans get their just desserts!". If you think I'm offended because I am an American, that's not the point - I consider myself to be Latin and share all those Mexican sensibilties....the movie is just lousy as a comedy.

Basically, all the Mexicans living in the US disappear for an entire day, wreaking havoc on the lives of Americans and the whole United States. Hilarity supposedly ensues, but the joke of the entire movie - which gets old very quickly - is the irony of, "See? Americans bitch and moan about our illegal immigrants, but see how unhappy they are now!! Hah, they have no one to do their dishes, no one to babysit their children, no one to do all the tough work, they sure are screwed now. Look at the stereotypical WASP senator who was anti-Mexican in terms of legislation miss his setereotypical Mexican maid!! etc etc".

Here people laughed in the theaters because it goes to the heart of something that deeply offends Mexicans and is a huge issue in the national agenda. Basically, as part of our love-hate relationship with Americans and the US, Mexicans feel really offended at the way illegal immigrants are often mistreated, not given basic services, beaten by the border patrol, and so on. Naturally this is tied into many other controversial bilateral issues I'm not going to get into....the point is there's a feeling of "pinches gringos", in the sense that Mexicans believe Americans feel superior to them, preach about human rights while often violating those of Mexicans who cross over illegally, have double standards in the sense that they benefit from the minimum wage work of Mexicans yet scorn them, etc etc.

So the joke for Mexicans is not that the movie is funny in itself, but rather that it's a cathartic experience for them because they see the Americans get their comeuppance. It's a cultural thing. Also, the production values are pretty low.

To sum up: not worth it. If you want to see an interesting - and funny - Mexican movie that has something to say about the Mexican mentality, you'd be much better off getting "La Ley de Herodes" (Herod's Law)....clever,very amusing, and has something to say about our political system.

Cheers,
J.

bienvenido and great insight in your review