Product Details

• Actors: Luis Accinelli, René Alvarado, David Berón, Steve Callahan, Michael Cassady
• Directors: Carlos Portugal
• Format: NTSC, Color, Dolby, Closed-captioned
• Language: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Wolfe Video
• DVD Release Date: December 4, 2007
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000WDVNMO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,074 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "East Side Story" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Called a "feel good movie" by its fans, this appealing debut film of director Carlos Portugal suffers from no freshman errors, as Portugal confidently tells the story of Diego (played by the wonderful and charming René Alvarado), a young, closeted Latino, who helps his grand-mother (standout Irene DeBarri) run the family restaurant while carrying on a clandestine relationship with equally closeted Pablo (the delightful David Beron).

Diego has long felt trapped by the conservative culture of East LA and plans to move away and open an upscale restaurant, hopefully with his lover. But Pablo views their situation very differently - a point driven home when he begins dating Diego's spirited Aunt Bianca (hilarious sexpot Gladise Jimenez). At the same time, white gay men like Jonathan and Wesley are moving in, gentrifying the neighborhood. The attraction between Wesley and Diego is immediate and electric, forcing both men to reexamine their state of affairs in this entertaining comedic drama.

A "coming out" story that avoids all the tired cliches and stays committed to telling the stories of these characters, East Side Story examines bias of all kinds and features stirring performances by incredibly attractive actors. This story sweetly appeals to the romantic impulses of us all, gay and straight.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable film, November 4, 2007

By 

MattW "Matt" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: East Side Story (DVD)

Well done gay film that touches upon such universal themes as homophobia, racism, family, and of course, love. Well directed and acted, the film follows a Latino's crash course in love in the gay world. A slight of hand drama heavily punctuated with humour, I found this to be a very enjoyable, and for the most part, realistic portrayal of life, love, and gay culture. Recommended.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Classy New Coming Out Film with Emphasis on the East LA Community, December 13, 2007

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: East Side Story (DVD)

Fresh young talent and a healthy dollop of enthusiasm serve as the springboard of this well written (Carlos Portugal and Charo Toledo), well directed (Carlos Portugal) and well acted exuberant story of those once perceived tightly closet doors of the East Los Angeles Hispanic community. Not that this is the first film to engage the topic of being gay in East LA - QUINCEAÑERA is another superb film on the subject - but it addresses so many other aspects of family and social life happening now that it deserves a wide audience. With a cast of newcomers coupled with some very fine veterans of the screen EAST SIDE STORY comes to life in a highly entertaining fashion.

Closeted schooled chef Diego Campos (a fine debut by René Alvarado) works as a waiter in his grandmother Sara's (elegant Irene DeBari) little Mexican restaurant where grumpy homophobic chef Don Rogelio (Luis Accinelli) presides in the kitchen. Diego dreams of opening his own restaurant but family ties keep him grounded. Diego's campy Aunt Bianca (Gladise Jimenez) returns from Monaco on one of her many expensive sojourns to find a man and changes begin to happen. Diego's equally closeted boyfriend Pablo Morales (David Berón) has been refusing to settle down in a relationship with Diego, claiming that the union is a 'passing fancy'. When Bianca enters, Pablo's attentions turn to the sexy lady and Diego is brokenhearted.

Into this mélange enters a white gay couple who buy a 'flip' house across the street, a signal to the neighborhood that gentrification is just around the corner. The couple - Wesley (Steve Callahan) and Jonathan (Cory Schneider) - meet the morose Diego and a match strikes between Diego and Wesley. Jonathan is assigned all the lines having to do with prejudice and is the one who wants out of the neighborhood as soon as their house is enhanced and their gay friends begin to visit. The white couple move apart and Wesley and Diego begin a courtship dance that is encouraged by Diego's family. How Diego handles his loss of Pablo to his Aunt Bianca and copes with the possibility of being open with Wesley forms the story line. It is all the hilarious and not so hilarious sidebars that share the space of the 'outing' that make the film so personal and successful.

Carlos Portugal is clearly a talent to watch, as are his attractive and talented cast members. EAST SIDE STORY is a fine companion piece to QUINCEAÑERA and should enjoy the same degree of popularity for all the same reasons! Grady Harp, December 07

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romantic and funny!, November 8, 2007

By 

Robert Nunez "coolrobert" (WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: East Side Story (DVD)

I just saw this last night with an audience and everyone loved it. There was a lot of laughter as well as involvement with the fun cast of characters. This film is a lot of fun and avoids so many cliches seen in gay movies, Latino movies and romantic comedies. The cast is flawless and really knows how to deliver the humor without making it seem "jokey." I had a great time seeing this film.