Gringa movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Gringa

This comedy drama movie is now available to stream online.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 42 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

A troubled teenage girl runs away to Mexico to find the father she has never known. Together, they learn that a family can be put back together, even if all they have are the missing pieces.

The film was directed by Marny Eng and E.J. Foerster. The story was written by Patrick Hasburgh. The movie has already been nominated for multiple awards at various film festivals and won!

When I was a teenager, I was an exchange student in Mexico. Yep, I was a gringa, so this movie definitely spoke to me. Mexico has a beautiful culture with warm people. Mexico will always have a special place in my heart.

THINGS I LIKED:

The young starlet is played by Jess Gabor. I didn’t remember ever seeing her in anything before, although she’s been in Shameless (2011), Her Story (2018), and Confessional (2019). She did a great job.
I always get a kick out of the ever-endearing Steve Zahn. He’s such a delight to watch in everything he does.
The film also stars Judy Greer, Jorge A. Jimenez, Nico Bracewell, and Roselyn Sanchez.
The film blends a lot of drama with humor.
If you enjoy Mexican football, you’ll get a kick out of this flick. If you enjoy father/daughter movies, you’ll enjoy it even more.
There are a lot of entertaining conversations and noteworthy lines.
I love that both the father and daughter experience coming-of-age insights.
The lovely musical score gets you in the mood to feel the Mexican spirit.
You’re going to want to eat some good Mexican food after watching this. 😊
I love the quinceanera tradition in Mexico. It’s kind of a coming-out party to celebrate a girl’s young womanhood. The part where the mother washes the girl’s feet is especially touching.
There is some action, romance, comedy, humor, and a lot of heart.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

There are a lot of cliches that make the plot extremely predictable.
It’s weird to me that someone can live in a foreign country for so many years and still not learn the language. That’s always seemed disrespectful to me.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Lots of profanity, including F-bombs, although a Catholic priest tries to help a man overcome his potty mouth.
Lots of talk about sex and loss of virginity.
An unmarried woman sleeps with a lot of men and talks to her daughter about it.
We see a car crash and a funeral.
Spanish is spoken with subtitles.
A man drinks a lot of alcohol and gets drunk all of the time.
A teenage girl binge eats and throws up.
Underage girls drink alcohol.
The danger of Illegal crossing at the USA/Mexico border is represented.

THEMES:

Family
Father/daughter relationships
Bulimia
Death
Parenting
Trust
Second chances

FUNNY LINES:

“Marge died? How?” – Jackson (Steve Zahn) “The hard way.” – Marge (Jess Gabor)
“Are you going surfing?” – Marge (Jess Gabor) “You’re going to get to the point where you don’t have to ask that.” – Jackson (Steve Zahn)
“I speak English like Harry Potter.” – Chilo (Nico Bracewell)
“Don’t spoil me, Patrick. You know I don’t handle it well.” – Jackson (Steve Zahn)

INTERESTING LINES:

“The person you see is not who you are.” – Mini Marge (Judy Greer)
“Your blood is in her heart, Jackson.” – Elsa (Roselyn Sanchez)
“Nobody surfs the first day.” – Jackson (Steve Zahn)
“Does this make me look fat?” – Marge (Jess Gabor) “Proud.” – Jackson (Steve Zahn)
“You need to take better care of yourself.” – Marge (Jess Gabor) “You first.” – Jackson (Steve Zahn)