Product Details

• Actors: Manny Perez, Jennifer Peña, Carmine Famiglietti, Raúl Castillo
• Directors: Matthew Bonifacio
• Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Maya Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: January 13, 2009
• Run Time: 84 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001ICDR1S
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,516 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Features include:

•MPAA Rating: PG-13
•Format: DVD
•Runtime: 84 minutes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amexicano, May 22, 2010

By 

MALUGO "Malu" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Amexicano (DVD)

excellent movie about what truly happens to day labors and other immigrants who come here to work and not be a burden to our country, I know personally about immigrants as I work in this field and to see a movie so realistic..finally..was awesome as were the actors, Jennifer Peña btw is an awesome singer, check her music out...thanks!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From Queens to the Mexican Border, January 15, 2009

By 

D. Hupp "Hup234" (Woodbridge, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Amexicano (DVD)

AMEXICANO is not a formulaic film about day laborers & illegal immigration. Rather it is a story about an unlikely friendship that emerges not only during a number of day-labor projects in Queens but also through a series of events that occur off the job.

Not knowing what to expect from this virtually unpublicized Independent production, I enjoyed watching the gradual development of the story from its quirky beginning about the ill fortunes of a seemingly lazy "gordito" into one of abiding friendship. Bruno, the Italian-American "gringo boss" from Queens (played by Carmine Famiglietti), plays a hunch that Ignacio, a rather reserved-looking illegal Mexican day laborer (played by Raul Castillo), might be just the kind of worker that he needs to help him turn his luck around and pay off his mounting debts.

At first we see 2 men from very different backgrounds who can barely communicate with each other. Gradually they develop a work ethic that enables them to know each other better and leads them to better paying projects.

Suddenly, through an unfortunate incident, Bruno and Ignacio find themselves in a similar predicament -- having to hustle again to get regular work and re-establish themselves as a capable pair of workers. When Ignacio stands up for Bruno with the other Latino day laborers (mostly Mexican), their relationship evolves into a story with heart and some funny and touching moments.

The acting in AMEXICANO is quite good. All of the main characters (Famiglietti, Castillo, Jennifer Pena, and Manny Perez) play their roles convincingly. Each adds fresh dimensions to the story to give it a special charm that most Independent films hope to achieve.

There are a number of other enjoyable developments in the film to give it more breadth and depth, such as an ill-fated love triangle, which I mention here primarily to whet your appetite for this DVD without spoiling the story for you.

My only caution about AMEXICANO is that some viewers might want to politicize the film. It's very clear to me, especially from viewing the SPECIAL FEATURE interviews of the principal cast members (Pena, Perez & Castillo), the director (Matthew Bonifacio), and screenwriter-actor(Famiglietti), that this is a human story, not a political "piece". Those who wish to politicize the film will, but I assert that they will miss the charm of this film.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart warming moments as well as the grim reality for illegal immigrants, June 8, 2011

By 

Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Amexicano (DVD)

The setting is Queens, New York. The film is a 2009 independent venture which opened at the Tribecca Film Festival in 2007 which I watched on Netflix last night. It feels real and authentic. with a fine script by Carmine Famiglieietti, who also plays the lead character.

Bruno, a shy, overweight Italian American who lives in a basement apartment has just lost his job and has trouble paying his rent. His landlord suggests that he can earn money doing day work installing fences, fixing bathrooms and other home improvement jobs. When he protests that he doesn't know anything about this kind of work, the landlord tells him to go to a certain street corner where illegal immigrants hang out waiting for day work and pick a worker who will do all that stuff. This seems like a good idea but the first worker he hires is pushy brash bully who speaks English. The next day he recruits a different immigrant, Ignacio, (played by Raul Castillo), who is young, hard working and good at all the tasks that must be done. Soon he and Ignacio are doing jobs together and a camaraderie develops between the two of them. Bruno even starts to learn Spanish so he can communicate better with Ignacio and his wife. Things are going along very well and the friendship is a pleasure to see.

However, an act of violence against Ignacio by the bully changes everything and soon all are entangled in the very real world of the illegal immigrant, including an horrific scene of crossing the border. This is in contrast to the many heart-warming moments in the film as grim reality poses its ugly head.

The film left me with a deeper understanding of the plight of an illegal immigrant. It also left me with a glimpse of the positive relationships that are possible between people with different backgrounds.