tvelasco-2 I just recently watched the latest attempt from Hollywood to ease their minds about Latino issues. "Walkout" is an HBO movie that takes a historic moment in the struggle for equality and makes an "after school" special out of it. On the other hand "Bread & Roses" delivers in every front, a good story with candid acting and a solid structure. The back drop is similar. Minorities confronted with discrimination and racism must come together to force change. A basic rule of good writing calls for a story of universal value and this one resonates beyond it's outline, because the story of the immigrant in this country is everybody's story. "Bread & Roses" doesn't preach and it doesn't dumb down the intricate subtext of the story, most of all it takes the characters seriously and never uses them as just background to carry on. HBO must remember that it takes more than a Latino surname in the credits to make a Latino story resonate. "Bread & Roses" relays on the elements that are true to good film making without having to label it. Always respect your story.

noralee "Bread and Roses" was less agitprop than I expected, though I just tuned out on the more didactic speeches (so maybe I missed how the Pyrrhic labor victory was actually negotiated). More docudrama in feel, per director Ken Loach's improv style, than "Norma Rae," the movie is made poignant by the two counter-pointing women leads. As sisters both trying to improve their lot in life, from brutal immigration to the search for respectability and a modicum of comfort through hard work, the actress's chemical reaction of their relationship keeps the movie real. The romantic side story is thankfully just a blip, as it doesn't work that well.While I got a kick out of the cameo appearances of Hollywood SAG-member actors at their lawyers' party while the lawyers are accused of owning the buildings that employ the chintzy janitors' contractors, a little more on that legal side would have made the contractors' less stereotypically evil. I was reminded of a conversation I had with my grandfather, who lived to be over 100, when he overheard some trial being called "The Trial of the Century" -- he launched on in detail about how the owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory had gotten off thanks to the silver tongues of their lawyers, whose names were etched in his memory.The laudatory gimmick of providing bi-lingual sub-titles as the characters slip between English and Spanish is lost when (once again!) the subtitles are white on white -- what, does yellow cost that much more? Maybe movie patrons need to organize!(originally written 6/3/2001)

dahfu This film gets less attention than it should because it's so explicitly political. That's one of its strengths, but if you think it will bother you, see it for the great story and the wonderful acting. Bread and Roses is one of the most intensely realistic films I've ever seen, but at the same time it's one of the most dramatic, and also one of the most moving. If you can watch the confrontation between Rosa and Maya, or the last few scenes of the movie, without crying, you need to check your pulse.

elpenguin1 The idea was good; the injustice of the plight of illegal Mexican workers is well- felt (especially from the p.o.v. of a woman, for once). However, there are various scenes in the movie where "corny" is the only adjective I would use to describe the intensity and feeling. In a sense, by watching Bread and Roses, we understand what "role" each character is supposed to "play" in the layout of the story. George Lopez's character (Perez) is the "dick" boss; his non-stop cursing and unnecessary shouting at old ladies gives him away-- unbelievable, un- authentic. The first meeting the Angel workers hold is reminiscent of something the Bayside crew would have done on Saved By the Bell-- again, the viewer knows what's supposed to be going on.. but it's of the utmost cheese. Thirdly, Sam's argument with his boss is again another "typified" scene.. In fact, the only truly believable scene is Rosa's breakdown during which Maya's "Yo no sabìa"'s are felt loud and clear. Just because this movie treats a "taboo" subject, it raises no questions; it conjures no thought-- why not get into Perez's character a little, and get into his role as a recent immigrant? How about the smugglers? How about Maya's (and other workers') status as, "illegal" aliens in the first place-- can they demonstrate against a corporation when they themselves don't pay taxes to contribute to the making of laws, etc. that are supposed to protect them? The husband's diabetes? Who pays for the "health care" that these workers desperately deserve? TAXED workers do, that's who! None of these questions were raised.. this film is mediocre, at best.