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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
i totally disagree with the majority of what's being said here, 18 November 2005
9/10
Author: myrealmyspace from United States

I normally don't write reviews but after reading some of the negative things about HOW THE GARCIA GIRLS SPENT THEIR SUMMER I felt inclined to say something. I've seen this film twice now. Once at Sundance and then more recently at the Latino Internation Film Festival. Both times I can't help but get caught up in the sheer scope of the film. Normally scope is applied to a movie that covers a ton of different locations and makes the audience think that they've wandered the globe. That's not what this scope is. The scope here (and maybe that's the wrong word) is that the audience feels like we're part of this small town. We feel it's inner workings, we feel what life is like there, like we live there (not unlike what LONESTAR felt like.) It's fully imagined and is a total compliment to Riedel's strength as a director. Yes, the film isn't conventional as in it doesn't lay out everything in a tight, conventional structure...but I don't think that it's meant to. I think it was meant to again, let the audience get a taste of this small town, let us see what it feels like so when the characters in this film start to experience love, we feel how much it means to them because we live there too. Because it's the little things in life that make us happy, change us...and that's what this film is about and does so well. It shows us all this, but in a realistic way. In a way that US audiences aren't used to being shown. It's a strong vision with good writing, good acting, and a lot of heart. That's not say that it's an art movie either that's going to bore you. Because it doesn't. What it does is transport you to a definite time and place and does so in an entertaining way. Seriously. The humour here is great and again, dealt with in a realistic way, so that when things happen, we can relate. At least I could. And so could the two audiences I saw it with. People complain about not having any real movies, movies that aren't cookie cutter, and that are different. This is all of the above and something that I think most people would enjoy if they just give it a shot.

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11 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Good, but not great, 26 January 2005
4/10
Author: ArizWldcat from Ogden UT

We saw this film at Sundance, and looked forward to seeing it as it was filmed in our favorite state! The idea of the story is a good one, and there were many scenes that worked well. However, some editing is needed here. The movie is much too long (over 2 hours) and parts of it just dragged by. The filmmaker had lots to say, but much of what was said in the movie could have easily been shown in a much shorter version. Many scenes went on and on when we got the idea in the first few seconds. The dialog was stilted and unnatural in several scenes, which was distracting. There were some side stories that were completely unnecessary to the main idea of the film. However, the performances by the 3 lead actresses were wonderful, and the three of them make this movie worth watching.

*note* I see that I am in the "hated it" category for reviews. I didn't hate the movie, I just thought it was a bit flawed.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
For the Directors First Feature Give Credit Where Credit is due..., 27 July 2005
7/10
Author: theoneandonlysav from United States

First off, after speaking to the director at the night of the Latin Film Festival here in New York, I would like to again commend her for a job well done. I am also a first time director so I definitely correlated to a lot of the jerky camera movements and experimental camera shots that were probably theorized but never executed to their fullest extent. There were also some doubtful moments with audio at times; however, having discussed these decisions with her personally I came to an understanding as to why they were done. This of course does not take away from the obvious, the film did drag, and it definitely needs some severe editing adjustments. The three raunchy sex scenes were left on screen for a reason, not only to try something new, but to give the audience a feel for a real life situation that women face in an every day environment. The scenes can be shortened however and still give the audience the same feel. The length they are at now makes the scenes disturbing and deteriorates from the comedic undertone that was originally intended by the director. There are many other comedic ploys executed that trick the audience into thinking something evident is about to happen, when it really doesn't. These techniques keep the audience in a(n) intriguing suspense, but you can only have our attention for so long.

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3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent directorial debut, that shows Life full of conflicts of catholic Mexican heritage women in American small town today., 14 November 2005
9/10
Author: carloFO from United States

An amazingly intriguing piece of 3 different generations of Mexican/ American women in small town America driven by their search for love and honesty. The young director shows in depth the oddity and boredom that come with the life given to her 3 amazingly performed lead characters. The most wonderful casting of real people faces lets you be in their world and experience their love/pain, while underlining this with beautiful artistic images that seem like modern paintings at times. The choice of 35mm anamorphic also emphasizes the emptiness and overwhelmingly loneliness felt for this desert town. The 3 beautiful, funny and different story lines leave you with loaded emotional questions about love and following your heard. This is a must see independent movie!

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The Garcia Girls Heat Up Summer, 22 September 2008
7/10
Author: Moviecaine from Las Vegas, Nevada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

How The Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer is a film about three generations of Mexican-American women who live in a small Arizona border town. It is the summer between her junior and senor year of high school for the youngest, played by America Ferrera. Elzabeth Pena plays her mother, a butcher shop owner on main street, and Lucy Gallardo plays Pena's mother, a woman who wonders if life is slowly slipping away. Pena has always lived her life doing the right things her mother instilled in her as a girl and which she has instilled in her daughter Ferrera. Now she's at a crossroads, as her mother (Gallardo) becomes involved with a gardener. The film weaves the stories of the three women around each other and builds slowly as each discovers what's right and wrong about life and romance for herself. Some viewers noted how the film portrays what some women actually have to face in real life. While this viewer acknowledges that also, the women in the film also lack prudent choice-making when it comes to romance. Perhaps the director is making a statement about the lack of available, worthwhile choices in small towns regarding romance. This might be especially true for non-white women of age, limited means, and education as the film illustrates. However, educated men are faced with some of the same issues and risks. Yet we see women like Pena, a responsible businesswoman on the surface, allow herself to be taken in by a lothario like Victor Reyes, played by Steven Bauer. Ferrera is also taken in by another jerk, while avoiding the simpleton who cares for her. Only the aging Gallardo seems to have made a responsible choice. It's likely that Gallardo has made many bad choices also in her younger days. It's disappointing that the director seems to be saying that women have to live a lifetime before making good choices. The sex scenes are all realistic and trump the unreal, idealistic notions people have about first encounters. Most of them probably are as disappointing and unfulfilling as the scenes in this film. The three female leads are all equally good, and they carry this film. By the end, each character reaches a stage in life where the choice she makes is best for her. The film may seem slow and tedious to some viewers, but it does have a quality that grabs and rewards the patient viewer. *** of 4 stars.

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2 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
An Outstanding First Film!, 9 May 2005
10/10
Author: drmike123_2000 from United States

I saw "How The Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer" at its Arizona premier in Yuma. (The director is from a wide spot in the road about 25 miles down the road, not too far from the Mexican border.) It's a quiet film and I think that your average action film chuckle-head won't get it. The film is a deft study of three generations of Latina women (abuela, mama, y hija) who wind up seeking love during a single summer in a small border town in Arizona. Obviously, there's a fair amount of family biographical material that the director has drawn upon.

A few picks: This is a low budget piece, and sometimes, the seams show. For example, the crew could have used a better focus-puller. Some of the transitions are awkward. They skimped some on the music, which seems to cover the latter two-thirds of the effort.

Again, the is a quiet film. If you like razzle, go back to the basement, play some video games on your computer, and come up when your Mom calls you up for lunch. Otherwise, if you like quiet, well-acted films, that cover topics and populations not usually depicted in the cinema, go ahead and enjoy. I gave it a "10" for a first effort. Kick out the first effort part and it's still an "8".

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8 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Tell a friend! Tell your Mom! Tell your Grandma!, 23 April 2005
10/10
Author: Kaypri from United States

This is a wonderful film! I just saw it last night at the Riverrun Film Festival in Winston-Salem, NC last night with a packed house that was was beyond satisfied! Aside from the wonderful performances (especially Elizabeth Pena), the writing is insightful, especially knowing how young the filmmaker is. It is funny, touching, and REAL. The non-verbal scenes are especially strong and show a side of women we rarely see. We need more films like this that at fully explore the dynamics of being a woman is today's society. The characters are realistic and the story is compelling. The "Greek Chorus" of older Latino men that are seen throughout the film could be a film unto themselves. Most importantly, this film exposes us to a culture we don't know enough about. Most men won't appreciate this film, (a lot of the references will fly over their heads) but the First Wives Club audience will flock to it, as will senior citizens groups who will sing it's praises! If you enjoyed Real Women Have Curves you will LOVE this one! (same lead actress too!) This is a "chick flick" film with whole lot of heart.

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0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Complete Capital "B" for BORING, 16 August 2008
3/10
Author: ALopez3441 (ALopez3441@aol.com) from Whittier,Ca

When you watch this yawner, first you'll feel offended nobody asked you to be in the movie. No one can act accept Ms Pena, the extras were throw ins from I guess Calexico, the streets were empty all the time no cars ever passed by in all scenes and no people were present. It must of been filmed at a ghost town. This film looked like it was made for a high school project, if you don't believe me please rent it and I dare you to differ unless your related to any of the film crew. Feel free to watch half of it because the second half doesn't get any better believe me. I've always liked Elizabeth Pena especially in La Bamba but this was way out of line...wow.

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5 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Way too long film about three generations of horny women, 23 April 2005
2/10
Author: Uaz_alum from United States

I had a chance to catch this much over-hyped film at the Arizona International Film Festival and I have to say it really left me wanting, that is wanting less.

On the positive side, the performances are fantastic. Pena delivers a great performance, America is a real force and the grandmother stole the show.

On the negative side, the the languid pacing became too much and makes the film way too long at over two hours. I found myself checking my watch way too many times. The cinematographer must have had little direction as some of cinematography was very nice, but most of it felt as though he really wanted people to take notice of his work. I took notice, many times when I shouldn't. Many times the characters occupied the edge of the screen, even cut off the edge. This cinematographer really wanted to say something and what it said to me was "I make home movies". Many people seem to blame the editor for the length whereas I point to the Director. She is supposed to have the vision and she's ultimately responsible for the editing. Overly-long, silent sex scenes, dialog so stiff that even the actors couldn't make it work and a good half-hour of excess peripheral story really make this film drag.

The sad thing is this movie could be a really nice film with above average performances and some genuinely funny moments, but poor decisions made by the filmmaker drag this film down into the muck of overly self-important art-house schlock.

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3 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Film, 15 April 2005
8/10
Author: from Tucson, AZ

I am currently a Media Arts student at the University of Arizona and we, as part of the Arizona International Film Festival, were lucky enough to have the soul of the creative team of this film down for a workshop today. Since three of the four, Georgina Riedel (director), Sean Olson (editor) and Lisa Fowle (sound editor), attended the U of A it was an even more exciting experience (Tobias Datum the DP was also present!). Not only are these some of the nicest people I've ever met they also have quite a film on their hands! It is fabulously shot, with some of the most creative, beautiful and just plain different shots I've seen in a film. The storyline is an interesting one that almost forces you to care about each of the characters. And the actors have given some fabulous performances! The script is realistic without being cheesy or forced. It took a serious subject and made a serious commentary on it while still being laugh-out-loud funny consistently! Overall, this film was simply amazing! I was honored to be able to watch it in the presence of the makers and to be able to meet them and talk to them. They really deserve the success they have attained and that they still have coming to them! Best of luck to this film!

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