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Perez Family, The
Seville Pictures // R
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Videoflicks]
The Perez Family, no relation (snicker) to Gilberto Martínez Solares' 1948 film of the same name, was directed by Mira Nair and features an impressive cast headed by Marisa Tomei, Alfred Molina, and Anjelica Huston. Between the four of them are so many awards and nominations that a complete list would cause most readers without broadband connections to keel over and die. The Perez Family was released a scant nine days after Mi Familia, a film to which it bears more than a passing resemblance, while lacking its genuine Latino pedigree.
Based on the novel by Christine Bell, the story is a blend of character drama and romantic comedy, two genres for which I have little affection. Alfred Molina stars as Juan Raul Perez, a Cuban political prisoner leaving his homeland to reunite with his wife Carmela and daughter Teresa (Anjelica Huston and Trini Alvarado, respectively) after twenty years apart. He comes ashore with Dottie Perez (Marisa Tomei, who reportedly gained twenty pounds for the role), whose résumé is limited to toiling in the sugarcane fields and turning tricks for cash. Though the two aren't related, they are nonetheless mistaken for husband and wife, continuing the charade to dupe immigration authorities. As their "family" expands to include a grandfather and son, Juan's real wife remains hopeful for his return, shielded of his arrival by her overprotective brother Angel (Diego Wallraff). Yeah, that's about it, really.
No me gusta la pelicula. There's not an extensive amount of Hispanic blood between the three primary cast members, and perhaps it's because of that unfamiliarity that so many of the characters come off as cartoonish stereotypes. Marisa Tomei injects a little life into the movie with one of the least convincing tans ever captured on celluloid and a pint and a half of sensuality. Her presence is necessary, as Alfred Molina is so sullen as Juan that he sucks away every ounce of energy within a quarter mile radius. So much of what happens is hopelessly corny, and none of the various subplots (particularly the budding romance between Carmela and a federal agent played by Chazz Palminteri) were able to attract my attention to any great extent. Also, with a runtime falling just shy of two hours, The Perez Family severely overstays its welcome. Though relatively popular with critics as a whole, I found The Perez Family to be a lengthy, unengaging bore.
Video: The packaging claims that the disc offers a "16 X 9 Widescreen (1.85:1) Presentation". That would not seem to me to be exceptionally difficult or time consuming to verify. Whoever it is at Seville that is responsible for writing such copy apparently couldn't be bothered to do so, though. Regardless of what the box may state, The Perez Family is simply letterboxed to an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, lacking any anamorphic enhancement. Though the DVD would've benefited from having an additional 33% of resolution at its disposal, the presentation is decent enough. Colors are bold and vibrant, leaping several feet off the screen without any accompanying bleeding or blooming. The sharp, detailed image is largely free of any dust or assorted speckling. Aside from the mislabeling annoyance, there are no concerns of note. All in all, a fine job, but mistakes like that are absolutely unacceptable.
Audio: The Perez Family sports a Dolby stereo surround track that sounds fair enough. The rears nicely reinforce the musical contributions from four-time Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval and Alan Silvestri. Ambiance is more noticeable than is typically the norm for 2.0 surround soundtracks, particularly in the number of instances when the cast finds themselves surrounded by a great many people. I'm not left with much else to say, but The Perez Family sounds fine. A French dub is also present, and it may be worth a mention that there are no subtitles.
Supplements: This DVD includes a full-frame trailer, a by-the-numbers five minute promotional featurette that's a little too heavy on clips from the film, and cast/crew bios. The cover, incidentally, is reversible, with French text and graphics on the flip side.
Conclusion: The Perez Family is really not the sort of movie towards which I typically gravitate. It, at the present time, is not available in the United States on DVD. Even those who have seen and enjoyed the film may be better off waiting for a domestic release from MGM rather than importing this disc from our neighbors to the north.
Based on the novel by Christine Bell, the story is a blend of character drama and romantic comedy, two genres for which I have little affection. Alfred Molina stars as Juan Raul Perez, a Cuban political prisoner leaving his homeland to reunite with his wife Carmela and daughter Teresa (Anjelica Huston and Trini Alvarado, respectively) after twenty years apart. He comes ashore with Dottie Perez (Marisa Tomei, who reportedly gained twenty pounds for the role), whose résumé is limited to toiling in the sugarcane fields and turning tricks for cash. Though the two aren't related, they are nonetheless mistaken for husband and wife, continuing the charade to dupe immigration authorities. As their "family" expands to include a grandfather and son, Juan's real wife remains hopeful for his return, shielded of his arrival by her overprotective brother Angel (Diego Wallraff). Yeah, that's about it, really.
No me gusta la pelicula. There's not an extensive amount of Hispanic blood between the three primary cast members, and perhaps it's because of that unfamiliarity that so many of the characters come off as cartoonish stereotypes. Marisa Tomei injects a little life into the movie with one of the least convincing tans ever captured on celluloid and a pint and a half of sensuality. Her presence is necessary, as Alfred Molina is so sullen as Juan that he sucks away every ounce of energy within a quarter mile radius. So much of what happens is hopelessly corny, and none of the various subplots (particularly the budding romance between Carmela and a federal agent played by Chazz Palminteri) were able to attract my attention to any great extent. Also, with a runtime falling just shy of two hours, The Perez Family severely overstays its welcome. Though relatively popular with critics as a whole, I found The Perez Family to be a lengthy, unengaging bore.
Video: The packaging claims that the disc offers a "16 X 9 Widescreen (1.85:1) Presentation". That would not seem to me to be exceptionally difficult or time consuming to verify. Whoever it is at Seville that is responsible for writing such copy apparently couldn't be bothered to do so, though. Regardless of what the box may state, The Perez Family is simply letterboxed to an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, lacking any anamorphic enhancement. Though the DVD would've benefited from having an additional 33% of resolution at its disposal, the presentation is decent enough. Colors are bold and vibrant, leaping several feet off the screen without any accompanying bleeding or blooming. The sharp, detailed image is largely free of any dust or assorted speckling. Aside from the mislabeling annoyance, there are no concerns of note. All in all, a fine job, but mistakes like that are absolutely unacceptable.
Audio: The Perez Family sports a Dolby stereo surround track that sounds fair enough. The rears nicely reinforce the musical contributions from four-time Grammy winner Arturo Sandoval and Alan Silvestri. Ambiance is more noticeable than is typically the norm for 2.0 surround soundtracks, particularly in the number of instances when the cast finds themselves surrounded by a great many people. I'm not left with much else to say, but The Perez Family sounds fine. A French dub is also present, and it may be worth a mention that there are no subtitles.
Supplements: This DVD includes a full-frame trailer, a by-the-numbers five minute promotional featurette that's a little too heavy on clips from the film, and cast/crew bios. The cover, incidentally, is reversible, with French text and graphics on the flip side.
Conclusion: The Perez Family is really not the sort of movie towards which I typically gravitate. It, at the present time, is not available in the United States on DVD. Even those who have seen and enjoyed the film may be better off waiting for a domestic release from MGM rather than importing this disc from our neighbors to the north.
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