tieman64 "We asked for workers. We got people instead." ― Max Frisch Perhaps loosely inspired by Vittorio De Sica's "Bicycle Thieves", "A Better Life" is a weak film by director Chris Weitz. The plot? Demian Bichir plays Carlos Galindo, a Mexican gardener working in California. Much of the film watches as Galindo's son voices resentment toward his dad and mingles with low level gangsters, to his father's disapproval. The film ends with Galindo's gardening tools and truck being stolen. Like De Sica's classic, father and son then bond over their hunt for the missing gear."A Better Life" means well, and captures certain class and race based anxieties, but it's a thin, obvious and overly sentimental film, with many segments plagued by poor acting. The film's covert message – that immigrant sons should respect the sacrifices of their fathers, sacrifices which lay the foundations for the successes of future generations – gives the economic system these characters operate in, a free pass; capitalism always requires roughly 12-20 percent unemployment and whole swathes of immigrant labour. For similar, better films, see Ken Loach's "Bread and Roses", "El Norte", Kelly Reichardt's "Wendy and Lucy", and the documentaries "Not In Our Town: Light in the Darkness", "Made in L.A", "9500 Liberty", "The 800 Mile Wall" and 2008's "American Harvest".5/10 – Worth one viewing.

adamray101 First off I liked the film. It did bring the Latino culture to the picture okay, but it wasn't great. The whole father and son attempt was really not as convincing, and although it touched on some realistic points I really think it played so well. Now I think that Demian Bichir was fantastic, keeping his character very internal. But the son was not convincing at all and the entire time I felt that he wasn't himself. That kid speaking really made me cringe and his baby face really didn't make me think I was looking at a brat but an actor who was not prepared for his role. His constant nagging and the dialogue they gave him was really "whack" - it was poorly presented. To top it off, they really messed up with the gangster elements and the son's friends.All in all, if I were to watch it again, I would only watch it for Bichir. One thing I would've liked to see was the entire film in Spanish. And if you're wondering I don't know how to speak Spanish.

bdgill12 Carlos Galindo (Demian Bichir) wants nothing more than to provide his son, Luis (Jose Julian), with the life he himself never had. An illegal alien who has lived in the US for many years, Carlos works as a gardener and keeps his head down, always mindful of what deportation would mean for his son. Luis, meanwhile, is a typically rebellious teenager who doesn't understand or appreciate his father's sacrifices and who is on the brink of joining the local gang. When Carlos' boss planning to leave the gardening business and head home, he offers to sell his truck and equipment to his loyal employee. Desperate to make something happen for himself, Carlos accepts the offer and goes into business for himself, a risk he normally would not take. But when the truck is stolen by a day laborer, Carlos and Luis go on a journey to recover their property and in the process, rebuild the relationship that they've both sorely missed.I think it was a surprise to many to find Demian Bichir's name among those nominated for Best Actor at this year's Academy Awards. On a list that includes Gary Oldman, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and eventual winner Jean Dujardin, Bichir seemed a bit out of place, especially considering some of the great work done by accomplished actors who were not recognized by the academy (Ryan Gosling, Michael Shannon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, etc.). This is one of those situations, however, that demands a viewing before judgment because, having now seen A Better Life, I can certainly understand the Academy's decision. Simply put, this is a heartfelt, power house performance by an actor that perfectly embodies his role. Carlos encapsulates elements of heartbreak and hope, misfortune and motivation and in doing so creates a deeply layered and personal portrayal. Bichir plays Carlos with subtlety, acting as much with his eyes as with his words, giving notice of the internal conflict waging within the man throughout his various struggles. It is truly an outstanding performance and one that carries significant weight.The rest of A Better Life, though, doesn't quite measure up to the brilliance of the lead performer. Many of the early scenes come off as manufactured rather than organic, a polar opposite to the path that Bichir takes with his character. It is too earnest at times and that could cause cynical jerks like me to bail on the film before it ever really gets going. To be fair, A Better Life gets better as it goes and eventually leaves the safety of borderline-manipulative Oscar bait behind in favor of a more genuine tone but in some ways that makes the first act even more frustrating. There are also a handful of scenes that could have been edited out or restructured more purposefully and many of Bichir's colleagues fail to deliver at a compatible level with the film's star. Julian shows flashes of excellence but overall I found his performance to be spotty and less-than believable. I can't say whether the blame for this rests on Julian or the film's director, Chris Weitz, but the dynamic between father and son didn't always deliver. It would have been interesting to see Bichir go toe-to-toe with a more challenging co-star, similar to the interactions between George Clooney and Shailene Woodley in The Descendants. What saves A Better Life from becoming yet another independent film that doesn't live up to the strength of its leading performer is the conclusion. Weitz saves his best work for last, creating a stirring, emotional scene in the very end in which Bichir delivers beautifully and which exhibits the very best of the relationship between Carlos and Luis. It is a hopeful, impactful finale that covers over the film's previous missteps and allowed me to leave with a higher opinion of the film than I might have had otherwise. The result is a good movie highlighted my one fantastic performance and brought home by one stirring scene.Please see my reviews at thesoapboxoffice.blogspot.com

Jackie Santizo (jsantizo_x) My professor showed this movie in my Chicano Studies class, I believe it was an excellent example of the struggle of a single parent. It's not very often when we see that the main character is a single male parent where machismo is not the biggest influence in the child's development. In this movie the father just wants a better life for his son and is willing to risk the law so that he proves to his son that working humbly will keep you from trouble. In Latino culture we see that the father is strict and an enforcer of rules but in this movie the father figured is portrayed as humble and fearful of all the obstacles that come with being an undocumented person. Overall the movie is an inspiration and heartbreaking story that most second generation children can relate to.