Sueño (2005) User Reviews

Sweet, but needed better script ; Leguizamos tops/music great

[slkulick · 4/10 · 13 October 2007]

The movie was very sweet, but the script was out of the 1930s: Boy comes up from Mexico with music in his soul to make it here in the music world--meets up with obstacles--gets help along he way--falls in love--we get to hear some great music in the process--and, uh oh--he has to decide between fame on his own and what TRULY matters:his love for own music and sticking with his original band. Guess what? He makes the right choice..the band stays together..they win a big contest..he wins the hand of his sweetheart...guitars play in the background/the lead sings..and the movie gently ends.

Unfortunately, all this happens as we've seen it happen hundreds of times before. So, even though the actors were good (and oh so earnest), and the music was great--it wasn't new enough for an adult audience to stick with. I think young adults would like it a lot, though--they haven't seen the plot before so the actors and their music would certainly entice them.

John Leguizamo deserves a special mention. He stole the movie and was the reason that I watched it until the end--even though the plot was so banal.

The Impossible Dream Meets Over the Rainbow

[gradyharp · 3/10 · 19 January 2006]

When film credits don't include the writer/s names, problems can be expected. This little candy-coated attempt to explore how 'dreams really do come true' is more a music video than a full fledged film, a project where obviously the money was spent on the graphics of the opening credits and the staged musical numbers rather than on the script. This is not a bad movie: it is just predictably trite and places lines in the mouths of some very fine actors that must have been an embarrassment to speak.

Antonio (John Leguizamo, with lots of hair and none of his expected comedic edge) is a Mexican immigrant who lands in Los Angeles with his grandfather's philosophy to follow that dream ('Sueño') and believes he will find his major career in his music. Reality sets in immediately as he is forced to work in his uncle's Taco Stand and play his guitar and sing in sleazy deadbeat nightclubs. He meets a customer Nina (Ana Claudia Talancón) who dreams of becoming a veterinarian but is committed to caring for her ailing papa (Winston J. Rocha). Despite sweet Antonio's attempts to woo her, she remains adamant that she must devote her life to caring for papa. Next door to Anthony the apartment is occupied by Mirabella (Elizabeth Peña), a newly divorced, middle-aged pudgy ex-singer who does housekeeping and laundry to support her children while she dreams of once again becoming a star vocalist: again the heart of gold Antonio befriends her, hears her sing and insists she has great talent.

Antonio is encouraged by a good-hearted 'manager' Rafael (Jsu Garcia) and is paired with three other musicians to form a group El Gran Colectivo with the hesitant Mirabella as vocalist. There is the requisite Music Group Competition where against all odds the group competes out of faith and devotion to each other and the old type of music. That everyone's dream comes true is no surprise at all: the plot is so thin that the audience knows from the start how everything will resolve 'in a land where troubles melt like lemon drops...'.

The idea is sweet, the message is wholesome, and the strong cast does everything it can with the treacle of a script hampering them. But unless you have an appetite for candy and can wait for the occasional surrealism of the dream sequences, this venture may just put you in sugar overload. Grady Harp

Cute Hispanic rom-com, but nothing special.

[TxMike · 1 May 2006]

John Leguizamo is Antonio, a Mexican, who lost his mother and moves to S. California to follow his dreams. He has an uncle there who he believes owns restaurants, but in reality is only a cook at one. But he is able to get Antonio a job.

But Antonio really wants to be an entertainer. He plays guitar, composes songs, and sings (passably, but not well) and somehow hopes for his big break. Then he gets wind of a competition, and he happens upon 3 brothers who play guitar and sing, and they form a group. But they really need a female singer and Antonio recruits neighbor Mirabella (Elizabeth Peña, who really does sing well). But Mirabella is confused, even though she is much older than Antonio, she is flattered by what she thinks is a romantic interest in her.

But he is really smitten by young and pretty Nina (Ana Claudia Talancón) who has a sick dad and spends much of her free time with him. So the movie is about Antonio's attempts to fulfill his dreams of entertaining and finding true love. It is a cute movie, with lots of energy in places, but rather bland dialog and the story follows a very predictable path.

SPOILERS. When Mirabella realizes that Antonio is really courting Nina, at the same time she also finds out that the band's manager, a very nice Hispanic man, is in love with her. All ends well as the band wins the competition and both men get the women they wanted.

Yikes!!

[kbailey555 · 1/10 · 22 March 2006]

Oh, dear. This movie is unintentionally one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. If it weren't so serious about itself, I'd put it in Christopher Guest territory. But unfortunately, this movie takes itself SO seriously that it can't see how flawed it is, both cinematically and practically.

The one scene that had my boyfriend and I rolling on the floor was the band practice with Antonio's first band. One minute the boys backing him up are in their own band, "on the way up." The next thing you know, they've let this Antonio kid come in and take over. In what we must assume is their FIRST practice, sweet, sincere Antonio turns into a complete asshole, actually SHOVING his brand new guitar player because he doesn't like the way the guy plays! Egos fly, it nearly comes to fisticuffs, but the "manager" steps in with a Brady Bunch speech and Antonio and his new guitar player shake and make up. None of this would EVER happen in a band. Never. Unless, of course, the band is comprised of retarded monkeys in heat. Then, it might happen.

This is just one of about a million cookie cutter clichés in the movie. Each and every scene in this movie is a "Ye Olde Shoppe" version of reality: of Mexican culture, of young love, of fear and uncertainty, of the desire to put something meaningful into the world, and all the other "human conditions." It's completely unbelievable, and what little charm it might have had is completely destroyed by the extremely limiting script, which tries to tell too many stories without an ounce of continuity or building of relationships.

Just like we never get to see Superman actually transform, we never get to see any of these characters develop, or fall in love. They simply state their "suenos" to the camera, step into a phone booth, and emerge transformed. Example: the big contest is three days away. In three days, Antonio finds a band, the band fires him, he finds another band, convinces his reluctant neighbor (a single mom with two kids) to join up, learns some original material, and then shows up at the audition just as they're supposed to go on, and then they get up their and play like they've been together seven years and have just emerged from having a nice quiet beer in the green room. Never happen.

A lot of the music was really great, though. But a lot of it was, again, stereotypes of music genres sung by Latinos, seemingly to prove to the world that Mexicans can be hip to rap, garage rock, cock rock, funk, and math rock. The overstating of it through clichés made it feel like a propaganda poster, and slightly offended my boyfriend, a rockabilly band front-man who also happens to be Mexican. He didn't know he had anything to prove.

review

[StardustElixer · 7/10 · 26 March 2006]

I just saw the film. I rented it on Netflix. John Leguizamo has never looked better. Or younger. He's always amazing, no matter what he does, whether it's his own stand-up comedy or Shakespeare. It was nice to see him branch out even further into the realm of music playing a Mexican musician who moves to LA to fulfill his dream. Overall, I thought the film was an excellent first effort by writer/director Renee Chabria. She did the Latin music industry a great service by exposing all those wonderful musicians. The film is ultimately about music and one's devotion to that gift, so I appreciated the impressive diversity of the musicians featured (Zoe, Ely Guerra, Jumbo, Jose Jose). Once you realize it's all about the music, you forgive that the convenient love-story falls short of compelling. Elizabeth Pena is refreshing as Mirabela, and I hope to see Ana Claudia Talancon in future roles. There should really be a soundtrack for this film.

Sweet low budget film

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 7 June 2007]

I like John Leguizamo (Executive Decision, Moulin Rouge!,Land of the Dead), and he is really believable in this film. He seems to really take on the character of a young Mexican immigrant who just wants to play music.

Elizabeth Pena (Lone Star, Rush Hour, Transamerica) was also very good as the singer who no longer believes in herself. Pena and Leguizamo support each other to the top.

Having said that, this was more of a music video than a movie. Sure, there was the attraction between Leguizamo and Ana Claudia Talancón, and the fantasy dance they did was so hot I wanted a cigarette after watching it, but it was just a minor part of the film, which was 95% music.

Nestor Serrano (Girls in Prison, City by the Sea) was also very good as the band's manager. And, I sure want to see more of Erica Munoz.

Entertaining and wonderfully sweet!

[yossarian100 · 8/10 · 22 January 2006]

You know, if you put your heart into something, it usually turns out pretty well, and SUENO turns out pretty well. Very entertaining, with warm wonderfully sweet characters, lots of interesting music, and some pretty damn good fantasy dance numbers, especially for a low budget film. I enjoyed the freshness, the innocence, and the overall cheerfulness of this film, so much so I could easily overlook all the little mistakes that travel with not having enough money to work with. Anyway, movies like this are not about being technically correct. They're about telling a story and having a good time. Unless you're a serious Grinch, you'll have a good time. So, if you're seeking a 'feel good' movie and looking for entertainment, give SUENO a try. It's a toe tapper!

Delight movie about love, music, and Mexican culture

[DragonflyS6 · 8/10 · 22 February 2006]

This film fits under the genre of whimsy. What makes it good is its appeal to the senses through Mexican culture. John Leguizamo excels in the part of Antonio: a struggling musician with an irrepressible spirit. Generally it is a well cast film. The music is good overall: some songs are truly excellent making up for one or two exceptions. Unexpected humor at times makes this an uplifting little romance and the charm of the film overcomes any moments that may seem a bit contrived. Visually it succeeds in capturing Mexican art and culture and explores a gentler, more optimistic side of Mexican culture that has not been brought out in other films. This is an enjoyable film well suited to uplifting a dreary afternoon. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys music or Hispanic culture.

Understated and elegant

[hubiestubert · 8/10 · 2 February 2007]

This is a film that is understated and while it's billed as a comedy, it ain't. It's about music, it's about people, and how music brings folks together.

For fans of John Leguizamo's past films, this is going to be a surprise. It's not laugh out loud funny. It's a tale about a musician who comes from Mexico to LA, and the star in this film isn't John, it's not Elizabeth Pena, or any of the other very capable actors who lent their time to the film, but the music. And their passion for the music.

And the nice thing is the stars in the film take a back seat to the music, they deliver a vehicle to let the sounds of the LA Latin music scene come forward.

It's not a film for everyone. Some folks demand a plot that is a bit more driven, but this film slopes toward its conclusion, not with any haste, and gently. The characters are a framework to deliver the sounds of the scene, and that sort of structure is anathema to some film goers, but very familiar to folks who loved the classics, and this is a film that loves the classics as well as the new voices. It's a great homage to the great old vehicles that let bands and artists get notice, that championed their music.

If you're looking for The Pest or something akin to Leguizamo's fantastic monologues, you might want to pass on it. This ain't them. But if you're looking for a film that is full of music, for just a sweet story, this might be the ticket.

Fantastico!

[midnightbookworm · 10/10 · 30 August 2007]

This is my all-time favorite movie about music/dancing. Well, it wasn't about dancing, but it's hard to separate the two into different genres.

My previous favorite was Dirty Dancing, and the music in that one was, of course, superb. But this movie, "Sueno" ... Do we not all have dreams? The tragedy of not pursuing one's dream cannot be calculated. I carried away a great message from this film. I rented this movie from Netflix, liked it so much I then bought it from Netflix.

The entire cast was superb, starting with John Leguizamo who gave an Academy Award caliber performance. He was Absolutely fantastic, as was Ana Claudia Talancon, who may be the most beautiful woman in the world.