accessAtlanta

'Quinceañera' is stuck in familiar Hollywood formulas
by Steve Murray

At the start of "Quinceañera," 14-year-old Magdalena's (Emily Rios) big problem is having to wear her wealthier cousin's hand-me-down dress at her traditional coming-of-age 15th birthday celebration (the Spanish-language name for it gives the film its title). Soon, there's something muy bigger: She's pregnant. And still a virgin (it's complicated). Read the full review

TO SUM UP
Magdalena is the daughter of a Mexican-American family who runs a storefront church in Los Angeles. With her 15th birthday approaching, all she can think about is her boyfriend, her Quinceañera dress, and the Hummer limousine she hopes will carry her on her special day. But a few months before the celebration, Magdalena learns she is pregnant.

FILM FACTS ...

Sony Pictures Classics

'Quinceañera'

Directors: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland
Starring: Emily Rios, Chalo González, David W. Ross, Araceli Guzman-Rico, Jesus Castanos-Chima
Run time: 90 minutes
Release date: August 4, 2006
Rating: R for language, some sexual content and drug use.
See showtimes

On the web
Official movie site
View the trailer
Trailers require Quicktime

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READ THE REVIEW

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: C+
"... while "Quinceañera" clearly wants to make bigger statements — about the nature of family, and the culture clash caused by white/gay gentrification in poorer Hispanic neighborhoods — it never quite manages to do so."

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Austin American-Statesman: 3 of 5 stars
"... contains its share of melodrama but doesn't wallow in it."

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The Palm Beach Post: B+
"... comes dangerously close to soap opera, but is saved by the very human script."

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Associated Press: B-
"... a love song to the diversity of America and the importance of maintaining tradition, even if those traditions have to bend a bit to accommodate changing times."