In the little more than a week since the Cesar Chavez movie came out, there have been as many complaints as kudos about the handling of the complex story about the Mexican-American union organizer and civil rights leader. Some pointed out that Filipinos were left out of the story, others mentioned Chavez's views about undocumented immigrants went unsaid and still others noted the role of women in the movement was downplayed.
Another concern that was aired had to do with the background of the film's director, Diego Luna. He is of Mexican, not Mexican-American, origin. Chavez's youngest son Paul Chavez told NPR that the family was initially concerned about "a Mexicano telling a story that is really about a Mexican-American Chicano in the United States," but that they were eventually won over by Luna's passionate commitment to the story and willingness to learn.
Luna was able to push through a project that had circulated around Hollywood without success for decades because he is considered "bankable." And "bankability" is the most elusive and valuable currency in the notoriously risk-averse industry (Fast & Furious 7, anyone?).
A quick scan of other "Latino" members of the Tinsel Town A-list quickly reveals that most immigrated from Latin America or Spain: Luna and his compadre Gael Garca Bernal, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, the so-called "Three Amigos" directors Alejandro Gonzalez-Iarritu, Guillermo del Toro and Oscar-winner Alfonso Cuarn, Penelope Lopez and Javier Bardem, Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Lopez, Robert Rodriguez, George Lopez. Only the last three individuals on that list were born in the U.S. The rest migrated to the U.S. after making a name for themselves in their home countries.
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