This is good movie for a lot reasons. It has great acting, first of all. You don't get to say that about too many films. And to that you get to add that it shows you a slice of L.A. that is not usually represented in films. We have a father and son, played by Damian Bichir and Jose Julian, who live on the dad's salary as a gardener. He works under the table, paycheck to paycheck, and they get by. His son was born in the US, and dad has been here for almost 20 years, so the U.S. is home. Nevertheless, they are well aware that dad could be deported if he is in any way noticed by the authorities. Say for a traffic stop. So he doesn't have a car. He tries to get legal papers, but the money spent on that attorney is long gone. His son attends his neighborhood high school, which is remarkably similar to a prison. None of this is portrayed in a dramatic or particularly sympathetic manner, it put forward factually. This is how they live.
One day dad has a chance to buy a truck and thereby change his life dramatically. With the additional money he could move to a better neighborhood and get his kid in a better school. He buys the truck. Here the movie enters a Bicycle Thief plot line for a while, which is fine, but it did distract me. I suppose there is nothing really original left in film, but I would have liked a different path to this ending. The story does move back to a more original plot line, and it never disappoints again.
Bichir is nominated for an Oscar for his performance. If he won it would be great, far better than George Clooney or Brad Pitt winning. I still would like to see Gary O win, but Dujardin will probably take it if George Clooney doesn't. Dujardin is my second choice.
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