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'The Perez Family' is by no means 'Mi Familia'

By David Aguilar

Two Latino-themed family oriented films were recently released at the box office: one, the brilliant portrayal of Chicano culture in the barrio, Mi Familia, and the other, The Perez Family, the story of two Cuban refugees who come to Miami during the 1980 Mariel boat lift.

First, I want to congratulate Francis Ford Coppola, Gregory Nava, Anna Thomas and the superb and without a doubt the finest all-Latino cast ever to grace the silver screen ­ My Familia, their triumphant epic film, was made about Latinos the way it should be done ­ predominantly by Latinos, for Latinos and about Latinos.

Next, I would like to add, after viewing such magnificent films like Mi Familia, as well as Like Water for Chocolate, Stand and Deliver and La Bamba, I am insulted that the Samuel Goldwyn Company undermined the struggles and sacrifices my people have made to become actors by casting four non-Latinos in the lead roles of The Perez Family.

It is painfully obvious that Goldwyn feels that Latino actors are not "economically viable" enough to cast in a film which feeds off the Latino experience. In the May 7 Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times, Patrick Goldstein reported, "Convinced the film needed marquee names to bolster its box-office potential, Goldwyn opted to cast non-Latinos in most of the major roles."

Then, to add salt to an open wound, the film's director Mira Nair was quoted as saying "I looked high and low, but you have to cast someone who is pleasing both to the eye and to the soul ... And in my terms of excellence, none of the Cuban actors could offer me what Marisa (Tomei) and Anjelica (Huston) do."

What exactly is Nair trying to say? Perhaps she wants to convey that actors with dark skin and authentic Spanish accents are repulsive to her. It could also mean that Nair does not think excellence of any kind could exist in the Latino culture. Well, whatever it means, it is in the Latino community's hands to make sure that The Perez Family fails at the box office. Nobody, and I mean nobody, no matter what race you are, should spend one hard-earned penny at the box office to see a film produced by the Samuel Goldwyn Company!

Latinos will soon be the largest minority group in the United States. We must use our economic clout as a vehicle for achieving an accurate and positive reflection of ourselves on screen. Together, we can accomplish this endeavor.

The 1993 film The House of the Spirits felt the wrath of our voices when we boycotted it for similar reasons. Not only did this particular film not cast Latinos for the roles of Latino characters, but one of the few Latino actors in the film, Maria Conchita Alonso, had the honor of playing the role of a whore. What messages are these films sending to the public about Latinos, especially to Latinas?

Contrary to the popular opinion that Tomei is a reserved, press-shy actress, she spoke very openly when commenting on what she felt was her character Dottie's most outstanding attribute. Again in the Los Angeles Times, Tomei was quoted as saying, "I thought a lot of the beauty of the role was Dottie's nice Cuban ass." Hmmm, I wonder about Tomei's impression of Latinas?

Look, it's up to us. We can either endure this abuse by these film companies, or we can take action. It is clear what certain "Hollywood" filmmakers think of Latinos: they think they can just throw any old image of us up on that screen and we will pay seven dollars to see it! They expect to use our experience to write a screenplay, not to pay Latino actors to be in the film and then they expect the Latino community to contribute to their cause!

Well, enough is enough! I urge everyone to BOYCOTT The Perez Family starting today when it is released to general audiences. Instead of seeing this film, I recommend instead seeing the glorious, intelligent epic of Mi Familia, a film produced and performed with the heart of a giant.

This said, if you're Latino or if you're just interested in learning about the Latino culture, spend your seven dollars to see a film that will support quality Latino filmmakers who know how to make a film about Latinos. By doing this, we can all send a strong, powerful message to those who feel Latino actors are not "economically viable."

Remember, The Perez Family is not My Family!

Aguilar is an undeclared sophomore.

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