Famous Hispanic Americans

Gr 7 Up—This film offers a dizzying number of biographical sketches of Hispanic Americans who have distinguished themselves in politics, art, entertainment, and other fields. Oddly, there is an emphasis on Hollywood and TV actors who became famous in the 1990s. The film begins with a too-brief history lesson about the Alamo, and fast-forwards to Sonia Sotomayor's 2009 Supreme Court swearing-in. Throughout the rest of the film, a voice-over narrator offers one-sentence biographies of various subjects as we watch film clips and photo montages. The script is terrible ("At 6'4'', Rebecca Lobo is no stranger to tall expectations"). Photos have been stretched or compressed to fit the screen, making the people look grotesque. The biographies provide little or no insight into the individual's life. The only true organizing principle of the film is that all of these people are Hispanic American. There is some attempt to group them by career; however, actors and models keep popping up again and again (J.Lo is mentioned twice). The ways in which opportunities for Hispanic Americans have changed over time is not explored. The non-critical focus on popular culture makes this production inappropriate for school audiences—especially considering the Calvin Klein underwear models towards the end of the film.—Jess deCourcy Hinds, Bard High School Early College Queens, Long Island City, NY