A Day Without a Mexican (2004)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Sergio Arau

Writers:

Sergio Arau (writer)
Yareli Arizmendi (writer)

Release Date:

6 August 2004 (Mexico)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery

Tagline:

On May 14 there will be no Mexicans in California.

Plot:

One day California wakes up and not a single Latino is left in the state. They have all inexplicably dissappeared, chaos, tragedy, and comedy quickly ensue.

Plot Keywords:

Mexican | Border | Musician | Senator | Scientist

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Caroline Aaron	...	Aunt Gigi
Tony Abatemarco	...	Talk Show Host
Melinda Allen	...	Ellen Abercombie (as Melinda R. Allen)
Frankie J. Allison	...	Oficer Carr (as Frankie Jay Allison)
Fernando Arau	...	Undocumented 1
Yareli Arizmendi	...	Lila Rodriguez
Todd Babcock	...	Nick
Maria Beck	...	Officer Sanchez
Yeniffer Behrens	...	Suzy
Arell Blanton	...	Chris
Cassidy Paige Bringas	...	Tracy Abercrombie
Brian Brophy	...	Barney Montana
Pilar Camporredondo	...	Lila's Mom (as Maria Camporredondo Neeley)
Elpidia Carrillo	...	Cata
Larry Carroll	...	Newscaster

Also Known As:

Un día sin méxicanos (Mexico)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

USA:100 min | Argentina:100 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

USA | Mexico | Spain

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:12 | Argentina:16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company:

Eye On The Ball Films

Trivia:

Director Cameo: ['Sergio Arau (I)']the guitar player of the band that is rehearsing in the garage. Arau was guitar player, lyricist and singer of the 1980s Mexican rock band "Botellita de Jerez".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Senator Abercombie is declaring a state of emergency and telling the reporters the military is conducting reconnaissance missions, the F-16 shown flying into the fog has Washington (state) Air National Guard markings on it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: The Christmas Show (#1.11)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Sin Decir Adios

An Hour and a Half of Interesting Footage

It's no Casablanca, or a Godfather 2 for that matter, but it's not that bad either. In that mockumentary taste that has been made popular by movies such as "Waiting for Guffman" and "A Mighty Wind", "A Day Without a Mexican" chronicles the state of California through a short period of time in which all Mexicans (Mexican Americans, Illegal Mexican Immigrants, etc) disappear. Actually, they're gone for more than one day, but hey who's picky about the name when the idea itself is pretty strange.

California comes to the realization that Mexicans are here to stay and that they are needed just as much as anyone else. The movie itself provides some interesting informational tidbits throughout, and plenty of lighthearted laughs, such as a scene where the Los Angeles Dodgers will be handicapped because of the number of Latino players they have missing, but the NBA says the Lakers will be fine. Lots of one-liners in this movie, and you don't have to be Hispanic or speak Spanish to laugh or appreciate this film.

This also marks the last project of the late Mexican Telenovela actor Eduardo Palomo, whom most recently was seen by an American audience played the role of Cpt. Lazareno in the television series "Kingpin".

Not an Oscar winner, but worth taking a look. Especially if you're in California and you want to see many different parts of our cities on the big screen.