Real Women Have Curves (2002)

Omigosh this is a wonderful movie! It's a captivating study of Latina womenhood -- sort of a Latin version of Moonstruck or a less-in-your-face, more-passive-aggressive My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Every scene conveys Latin culture in L.A. with great visual and clarion quality, esp. the dynamics of Latina women of various ages between themselves and in their families. It's as beautiful, accurate, and sympathetic as Maria Full of Grace yet as sincere as The Full Monty or as virginal as My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It's not a comedy but it's a genuine slice-of-life story that cuts across age groups, where everyone (esp. the charming America Ferrera but not her drama-coach mother Lupe Ontiveros) accepts themselves as they are. America (she of the alluring eyebrows, here in her debut role but most recently the star of Ugly Betty) is fine with her weight because she is a "real" woman who refuses to follow her mother's dictates to lose weight, attract a man, get married, and care for her husband and children. She wants to do that -- but not only that, not just yet, and not just because it's what her mother wants! (Her mother has only recently given up on her older daughter, who runs the family business that provides all the women with sweatshop wages, but wages all the same.) The dynamics of the mother-daughter relationship are captivating and I won't divulge any maternal contradictions here. Be sure to view the additional year-later scene though -- it helped resolve the story and pushed me over from joy to nary-a-dry-eye. Down with starving-waif supermodels! Up with real (esp. Latina) women -- of every shape and curve! Five stars.