My Family/Mi familia

Original title: My Family

1995
R
2h 8m

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

4.6K

YOUR RATING

Edward James Olmos, Jimmy Smits, and Esai Morales in My Family/Mi familia (1995)

Play trailer2:07

1 Video

22 Photos

Drama

A man makes his way from Mexico to Los Angeles in the 1920s and gets married and raises a big family there. The movie follows the children until they get married and start their families in ... Read allA man makes his way from Mexico to Los Angeles in the 1920s and gets married and raises a big family there. The movie follows the children until they get married and start their families in the 1960s.A man makes his way from Mexico to Los Angeles in the 1920s and gets married and raises a big family there. The movie follows the children until they get married and start their families in the 1960s.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

4.6K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 5 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:07

My Family

Photos22

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Second Chances

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The final scene is duplicated shot-for-shot from the final scene of The World of Apu (1959).

Goofs
When Isabella is at the Sanchez home, we see a medium shot of Paco with a bowl of popcorn, and Memo. In front of them is a tray of taquitos. But a minute or two later, Irene brings out the same tray and sets it down on the coffee table in front of them.

Quotes
Paco: Everyone said the police had killed Chucho, but my mother never believed it. She knew that he was meant to die at the river. Chucho's life had been on borrowed time, but you cannot cheat fate forever. The spirit of the river had returned to claim what was rightfuly his.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Boys on the Side/Highlander: The Final Dimension/In the Mouth of Madness/The Secret of Roan Inish (1995)

Soundtracks
Konex Konex
Arranged by Pepe Ávila (as Jose Avila)
Performed by The Folkloristas (as Los Folkloristas)
Published by Jose Avila Music
Courtesy of Discos Pueblo

User reviews25

Review

Featured review

8/10

'My Family'

'My Family' is a compelling tale spanning three generations about a family of Mexican origin living in Los Angeles. It starts with the father of the family, Jose Sanchez (terrifically played by Jacob Vargas), making a one year journey on foot from Mexico to Los Angeles. Once there, he meets and marries the love of his life, Maria (Jennifer Lopez, in an interesting performance). After, Maria survives a tragic separation from her husband, they both settle down in Los Angeles and raise a family of six.

There is a tremendous amount of expectation here, namely because Francis Ford Coppola, who crafted arguably the most exhilarating family saga in the Godfather pictures, is an executive producer. But, My Family is nowhere near in the same league as films like 'The Godfather'. Rather, 'My Family' turns out to be a great film that could have been better. One glaring flaw is in the script written by Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas. Too often, the script relies on tragedies to stir our emotions. Consequently, the emotion presented in the film feels fake at times. Particularly, in the scenes involving Jimmy attempting to bond with his only son, Carlitos.

Despite the missteps in the film, there are many positives to draw upon. The strong performances of the cast. Jimmy Smits, in particular, dominates the film with an intense and yet affecting performance. The film hardly ever succumbs to being a standard tear-jerker or phony. Instead, the film succeeds at creating a touching and provocative portrait of a family's struggles and tribulations in a world that hardly seems just.

Rating: (8/10)