A Day Without a Mexican
A Day Without a Mexican is a 2004 film directed by Sergio Arau.[1]
A Day Without a Mexican | |
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Theatrical poster | |
Directed by | Sergio Arau |
Produced by | Isaac Artenstein |
Written by | Sergio Arau Yareli Arizmendi Sergio Guerrero |
Starring | Yareli Arizmendi John Getz Maureen Flannigan |
Music by | Juan Colomer Molotov |
Cinematography | Alan Caudillo |
Edited by | Daniel Fort Shaula Vega (uncredited) |
Distributed by | Altavista Films Televisa Cine |
Release date | May 14, 2004 |
Running time | 100 minutes |
Country | United States Mexico Spain |
Language | English Spanish |
It offers a satirical look at the consequences of all the Mexicans in the state of California suddenly disappearing (with a mysterious "pink fog" surrounding the state preventing any communication or movement with the outside world). A series of characters shows the apparent statistical impact of Mexicans on California's economy, law enforcement, and education systems and the resulting social unrest. It was Eduardo Palomo's last film.
Release
The film opened on May 14, 2004, in limited release throughout Southern California and on September 17 in theaters in Chicago, Texas, Florida, and New York City as well as San Jose.
Cast
- Yareli Arizmendi as TV reporter Lila Rodriguez
- León Singer as Lila's father
- Caroline Aaron as Aunt Gigi
- Elpidia Carrillo as Cata
- Yeniffer Behrens as Suzy
- Gwendoline Yeo as a TV newscaster
- Larry Carroll as a TV newscaster
- John Getz as U.S. Senator Steven Abercombie III
- Melinda Allen as his wife, Ellen Abercrombie
- Suzanne Friedline as Vicki Martin
- Maureen Flannigan as Mary Jo Quintana
- Salli Saffioti as Mary Jo's neighbor
- Frankie J. Allison as Officer Carr
- Fernando Arau as Undocumented 1
- Muse Watson as Louis McClaire
- Carlos Gómez as Jose Velasquez Diaz
- Bru Muller as George McClaire
- Tony Abatemarco as a television talk show host
- Eduardo Palomo as Roberto Quintana
Reception
The film was number one at the box office in its opening weekend in Mexico, although it was only a moderate box-office success in the United States, grossing an estimated $4.1 million.[2]
The film's 2004 awards include best screenplay at the Cartagena Film Festival and a nomination for best film, a special jury award at the Gramado Film Festival, and an award for best editing at the Guadalajara Film Festival.
On Rotten Tomatoes it has a score of 27% based on reviews from 22 critics.[3] Ella Taylor of the LA Weekly describes it as, "A terrific premise is mangled to a pulp, then beaten to death in this forced mockumentary." E! was less kind, stating, "This Day not only lacks Mexicans but also good acting, sharp storytelling, and humor."[4]
See also
References
- "A Day Without a Mexican". The New York Times.
- "A Day Without a Mexican (2004) - Box Office Mojo". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- "A Day Without a Mexican". Rotten Tomatoes.
- "A Day Without a Mexican". E!. May 14, 2004.
External links
- Official website
- A Day Without a Mexican at IMDb
- A Day Without a Mexican at Box Office Mojo
- A Day Without a Mexican at AllMovie