arfdawg-1 Let's be honest. The ONLY reason this horrible movie got decent reviews is because of the gay theme.It's a cheaply made film that is poorly acted.It doesn't keep your attention unless you have an agenda.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.

thesar-2 I get it: I don't live in or around San Francisco and I know it's only stereotyped as the "Gayest Town on the Planet," but it was hard for me to find homophobia this deep in the glorified afterschool special, La Mission.I'm sure it exists as I'm sure there are Gambler Anonymous meetings near Las Vegas Blvd, and perhaps it would've been even more cliché to set this movie about a father coming to terms with his son's homosexuality in Laramie, WY. For me, that was as tough a pill to swallow as tough-guy Che (Bratt) displayed.Okay, so we have Che & son, Jesse, (Valdez) who live in the Mission district of San Francisco. They like slow moving cars and enjoy sobriety. Well, Jesse's tastes are changing, literally. From the disinterest in cars, to the newly discovered beer and most importantly: men. Ex-con and macho-man-of-the-year daddy won't have any of that.Might I mention that part of his phobia stems from his devote Catholic and Hispanic heritage? Probably more from the religious side, because some of the other Hispanic neighbors don't seem to care as much.Throw in the ever smart and tree-hugging Lena (Erika Alexander) as the neighbor of reason and affection from Che, some hate crimes and a back-drop of Alcoholics Anonymous brings you to a practically harmless afterschool special. Heck, they even had the obligatory hospital scene.It's much too long to hold too many people's interest and Che's anger barely calms throughout, in fact it grows more and more until the finale. I almost expected a "To Be Continued" to show up because it was taking far too long to get to the inevitable "acceptance" message.And that, his anger, though integral to the story line, was a bit harsh to consume. Barely a consequence was shown, hardly a realization to be had. I'm sure this type of extreme rebellion exists, but I think the kid, Jesse, who could've been anyone's kid as he showed zero resemblance inside or out to Che, should've left the scene long before due to the mad man he calls Dad.Despite the soundtrack I hated terribly, the movie's beautifully shot and the acting's surprisingly above par. That said, I'd recommend other coming-of-terms films as this brings little to the table in originality or surprises.

gradyharp Writer/director Peter Bratt had the choice in LA MISSION to make a film about the Hispanic culture in San Francisco's Mission district to create a predictable imitation of life or a sensitive study of a culture with all of its beauty and with all of its problems: gratefully he took the latter. This is a film bursting with fantastic color from the inimitable clash of pigments used for the interiors of the homes of this culture to the fantasyland carefully restored old cars painted with religious and emotional scenes - the proud mark of the Low Riders - and the street celebrations full of lust and glamour and the intoxicating foods and dance. But it is also an internal film dealing with such realities as alcoholism, prison time, single parenting problems, pride in a child's educational and athletic achievements - and the delicate issue of responding to the presence of same sex relationships. It is a banquet of delights and problems that Bratt handles magnificently well. Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt in a role that defines his fine acting abilities) has served time in prison, is an Alcoholics Anonymous member, and since his wife's death early in their marriage is the loving father of his well-educated and well-loved son Jesse (Jeremy Ray Valdez, in a role that should mark him for an important career). Che works hard as a bus driver, spends his free time restoring old cars to ride every Friday evening - 'slow, low riding through the streets of San Francisco's Mission neighborhood'. His family includes Rene (Jesse Borrego) and Ana (Talisa Soto) who share as much pride in Jess as Che: their only son was born with a cardiac defect that has made them more sensitive to the differences in children. Che has only one problem: Jesse is gay and has a boyfriend Jordan (Max Rosenak) and the discovery of Jesse secret life destroys Che image of his family and of himself. A neighbor Lena (Erika Alexander) befriends Jesse and eventually Che and Lena are draw together over a tragedy that occurs: Jesse is shot by a homophobic fellow student, forcing Che to face his own demons and begin to understand his son more fully. The excellent way in which Bratt handles these major crossroad confrontations is written and directed and acted with such sensitivity - nothing occurs as expected and everyone maintains dignity - a very difficult range of emotions to handle. The entire cast is excellent, the dialogue is spicy, the characters are well conceived, the particular gifts of Erika Alexander as a woman with a history of abuse who is devoting her life to working in a women's shelter who allows her physical needs to be met while maintaining her ownership of a wise woman of experience are extremely well utilized, and this film offers a platform deserving of the talent of Benjamin Bratt and Jeremy Ray Valdez. It is a tough story told with great sensitivity and truth. Hiro Narita's cinematography and Mark Kilian's musical score round out this very fine achievement in cinematic art. Grady Harp

K EK Caught this flick with a choice of almost any seat. Weird because the theater is known for showing real life, low budget, "art" and eclectic films so I expected it to be well attended at the 2:10 showing. Someone judged that the religious elements in the movie were a distraction. I don't get the same read. They seemed to fit in culturally quite well. In fact I judge there was an intent to show a paradox between passion for worship / faith reverence and passionate violence. The central theme is the breakdown between single parent father and gay son. It left room for some play around other compelling life issues. If you are shy about the subject of gay men, go see Oceans. Two hours is too long for this movie (requisite love scene was useless), but the length did not detract from the story. The ending ... go see the movie.