Cesar Chavez (2014)

Better Late Then Never

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

I finally got around to watching this biopic off Netflix of UFW (United Food Workers) organizer, Cesar Chavez. I was thinking there had to have already been one made about him, but nope; this is the first dramatic film- only documentaries so far. Michael Pena is decent enough in the role. I found it interesting, reading at Wikipedia, that prior to taking the part, he knew very little about Chavez, in spite of the fact like his grandparents had been field workersI see so many biopics, and a lot of them are real schnooze-fests. But this one managed to keep my attention the whole way through. It goes through his battles with the big grocery store and vegetable/fruit chains, and eventually taking him all the way to Europe to organize.John Malkovich (who also produced) plays the owner of one of the big corps he is fighting. I found it interesting Malkovich produced this movie- since he is a known conservative I think-?? I believe he championed the cause since- out of his mouth- it was "the right thing to do"-?? Well, good for him. And, as for the film, I would recommend to those with an interest in the subject, otherwise go catch one of the thousand other biopics. I do think, however, down the road maybe a more complete biopic of this personal hero of mine will have to get made. Rosario Dawson and America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty") co-star.

For some reason, I find the biographical or historical films increasingly less palatable. Most of the times, I think it would have been more interesting to watch a documentary about the subject, instead of a dramatization necessarily altered in order to be adjusted to the rigid rules of commercial cinema. This doesn't mean that all the biographical or historical films are bad; on the opposite, there are various films which deserve to be appreciated due to their detailed manufacture and honest feelings... but for every Philomena or Dallas Buyers Club, there are too many mediocre films, whose good intentions aren't enough to compensate the absence of that indescribable narrative magic which would make them superior to a simple History lesson. Unfortunately, I think the film Cesar Chavez fits into that category: it's well acted, competently produced and it offers a relevant subject which deserves to be known... and however, it lacks of the necessary energy and conviction to make it transcend its artificiality. Anyway, I think Michael Peña brings a solid and charismatic performance in the leading role, and the cinematography and the setting efficiently transport us to the time in which the story happened; however, Diego Luna's direction feels insipid, and the screenplay has too many repetitive scenes which end up tiring a bit. Regarding the historical veracity, Cesar Chavez occasionally suffers from "blind love" for its main character, making him too perfect and losing some humanity in the process. Besides, the omission of certain details seem very convenient, such as Chávez's rejection for Mexican immigrants and the campaigns he made against "the wet ones". That might have been the dramatic challenge this film would have needed in order to be memorable: portray practices we would consider politically incorrect nowadays, and then explain us why they were logical and even beneficial for Chávez's cause. In conclusion, I think I can give a slight recommendation to Cesar Chavez, because it managed to keep me moderately interested. However, it didn't leave me very satisfied, and I would have preferred to watch a good documentary about this hero.

This movie covers so much really intense stuff, so quickly, it's almost hard to sink your teeth into. It's a great way to get a quick and easy understanding of the real events that happened in California and how Cesar came to play such an important role. I wish the film had actually been longer, with more time to develop the depth of characters and the layers of issues. But just like Chavez was in life -- a humble man who didn't want all the attention on himself -- this movie is also like that. It's a humble movie with no big stars, and it doesn't try to be big and glamorous or spectacular. It just tries to tell what happened. And the facts are more interesting than anything Hollywood could add. So some have criticized it for feeling too much like a documentary, but that's what I really liked about it. It felt like it was just what happened, and not some big Hollywood version of it. I would have just liked to have lingered in the smallness of it longer. And I wish they went on to tell about the rest of the life of this amazing, unlikely, understated hero. I hope for a sequel, or another go at it that captures more of the spirit of the man and the movement, as well as the events. But definitely see this one!

Having just seen the movie and having met the man many years ago,I can say that the film was better than most of the reviews I have read. This was a very humble man that saw an injustice and corrected it. He didn't line his own pockets like most Union Leaders have. I would have preferred to see more of his upbringing so that we know who influenced him the most. Nonetheless, this film (docudrama) should be required viewing in public schools throughout California and other states where farm workers supply our nation and the world with much of our produce. A must see movie if you want to understand what the migrant workers were up against in the 60's and 70's.