Product Details

• Actors: Marisa Tomei, Anjelica Huston, Alfred Molina, Chazz Palminteri, Trini Alvarado
• Directors: Mira Nair
• Writers: Robin Swicord, Christine Bell
• Producers: Dinaz Stafford, Julia Chasman, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Michael Nozik, Robin Swicord
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Digital Video Transfer, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Orion
• VHS Release Date: August 18, 1998
• Run Time: 113 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0792899318
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,255 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Marisa Tomei releases her inner spitfire in The Perez Family. Dottie Perez (Tomei) comes to the U.S. from Cuba, along with a mixed lot of criminals, lunatics, and political prisoners--including Juan Perez (Alfred Molina), who hopes to be reunited with his wife after 20 years. To work around the bureaucratic politics of the refugee camps, Dottie persuades Juan to pretend that they're married, and drafts a few other Perezes to create a family. Meanwhile, Juan's wife Carmella believes that Juan never arrived and is finally letting go of his memory, helped by the attentions of a Miami police detective (Chazz Palmintieri). Tomei's sexy passion sometimes spills over into silliness and the story unfolds erratically, but the examination of how love grows and how love fades is sincere and affecting. The actors are charismatic, the music's fantastic, and Tomei wears many skimpy outfits. Directed by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding). --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Movie By Mira Nair!, January 9, 2003

By 

BookMania (Stafford, TX, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perez Family [VHS] (VHS Tape)

It's a shame this movie never did very well at the box office, because it's a movie with great performances by Marisa Tomei and Alfred Molina. It's also directed by one of the least recognized and gifted directors of our time, Mira Nair.

Nair is best known for movies dealing with Indian culture like "Mississippi Masala" and last year's "Monsoon Wedding," but here she strays from her normal interests and makes a movie about Cubans who come to the United States seeking political asylum. Specifically, the movie centers around Dottie Perez (Tomei) and Juan Raul Perez (Molina), who are of no relation to each other except for the fact that they come to the United States with a heart full of dreams which are quickly shattered. Dottie is smitten by John Wayne and comes with the hopes of someday sleeping with him. Juan was incarcerated in a Cuban prison for 20 years and comes hoping to find the wife and daughter he has not seen in that time. They both come to Miami on the same boat, and circumstances force them to act as if they were a "family". This arrangement soon becomes more than just a strategic plan, as they quickly develop romantic feelings for each other.

The acting in this movie is surprisingly good. I had gotten so used to seeing Marisa Tomei doing her New York accent in "My Cousin Vinny" that I didn't think she'd be able to be convincing as a Cuban refugee. I was pleasantly surprised. Alfred Molina was also very good, and so was Anjelica Huston who played his estranged wife. I also thought the movie had a great musical score.

I would have given this movie five stars if it wasn't for the fact that I wasn't really satisfied with the way the movie ended. Though I won't give away the ending, I'll say that it was entirely too simplistic. Though, that's just a minor flaw. This movie is definitely worth watching.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sexy, energetic, lighthearted, romantic comedy. Loved it!, November 2, 2003

By 

HM (NJ, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perez Family (DVD)

Dottie Perez (Marisa Tomei) shines in this highly entertaining film. Both Juan Perez (Alfred Molina) and Dottie (strangers to one another) leave Cuba in a boatlift to come to the USA. Though they have separate agendas, they both become entangled in a creative plot that would convince immigration to boost their names to the top of the list for families to be sponsored. In the meantime, Juan searches for his wife and child who he hasn't seen for 20 years. Dottie, on the other hand, floats around with naivety about life in the Americas. Unaware that her beloved movie star is dead, she lights up with the anticipation of finally seeing John Wayne after she spots a sign for Hollywood some miles away. I was almost rolling on the floor when both Dottie and Juan realized the status of Elvis Presley and John Wayne.

I like that the film catches sincere moments; for instance, we see Tomei heating up the screen in her sexy dresses and unshaved underarm, and Juan even expresses that he's been in prison so long, his teeth are no good to kiss his beloved wife. All the characters add warmth and humor to this highly charged movie. Definitely a keeper. Don't miss it!

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving, excelent for people that understands the topic, May 28, 2000

By 

RoseMarie Prater-Godbole (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perez Family [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Thisis a wonderful funny love story about cuban refugees, however, since the players are american actors, we have to take our hats off to them. Marisa Tomei is funny, touching, and very much a "cuban" in this movie, she must to really done her homework, Alfred Molina, as usual, the greatest actor without recognition, how can this handsome man, and excelent actor not be mentioned more and more and only do secondary roles? Anjelica Houston shows another side of her in this funny acting also, a very attractive Anjelica Houston and so is Chaz Molinari in this short but very good "hombre enamorado" (man in love) role. The acting was very very good of everybody involved, Marisa I repeat, magnificent, Molina his usual same, excelent, I really recommend this movie for romantic people! I would give 100 stars to this movie.