''Mariachi Gringo'' is a 2012 romantic comedy film directed by Tom Gustafson and written by Cory Krueckeberg. It was produced by Speak Productions and Sin Sentido Films. The film stars
Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Bobby Drake / Iceman in the ''X-Men'' film series, Jake Berenson in the television series ''Animorphs'', Agent Mike Weston in the television drama s ...
,
Martha Higareda
Martha Elba Guadalupe Higareda Cervantes () (born August 24, 1983) is a Mexican actress, producer and screenwriter.
Life and career
Higareda was born in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, the daughter of actress Martha Cervantes and artist and th ...
,
Lila Downs
Ana Lila Downs Sánchez (born 9 September 1968
*
*) is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions and the works of others in multiple genres, as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music. She also incorporat ...
,
Fernando Becerril
Fernando Becerril is a Mexican actor. He has been cast in numerous Spanish language films since 1998.
Filmography
Becerril has played in the following theatrical and television films.Kate Burton,
Tom Wopat
Thomas Steven Wopat (born September 9, 1951) is an American actor and singer. He first achieved fame as Lucas K. "Luke" Duke on the long-running television action/comedy series ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. Since then, Wopat has worked regularly, ...
and
Adriana Barraza
Adriana Barraza González (born 5 March 1956) is a Mexican actress, acting teacher, and director.
In 1999 director Alejandro González Iñárritu cast her as the mother of Gael García Bernal's character in '' Amores perros'', which was nominat ...
.
''Mariachi Gringo'' opened the 2012
Miami International Film Festival
The Miami Film Festival (formerly Miami International Film Festival) is an annual film festival in Miami, Florida, that showcases independent American and international films with a special focus on Ibero-American films. The competitive film fest ...
Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Bobby Drake / Iceman in the ''X-Men'' film series, Jake Berenson in the television series ''Animorphs'', Agent Mike Weston in the television drama s ...
), a small-town American slacker, meets Albert, an old Mexican man who was once a
mariachi
Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...
. Enchanted by traditional Mexican music, Edward moves to Guadalajara, where he plans to become a mariachi himself. He becomes friends with Lilia (
Martha Higareda
Martha Elba Guadalupe Higareda Cervantes () (born August 24, 1983) is a Mexican actress, producer and screenwriter.
Life and career
Higareda was born in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, the daughter of actress Martha Cervantes and artist and th ...
) and develops unrequited feelings for her. Lilia helps him to advance his dream and enlists the help of Sophia (
Lila Downs
Ana Lila Downs Sánchez (born 9 September 1968
*
*) is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions and the works of others in multiple genres, as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music. She also incorporat ...
), the lead singer of a small mariachi band, to teach him.
Lilia herself has the dream to leave Guadalajara and study oceanography, but is constantly putting it off to help her mother run a traditional restaurant.
Edward is then recruited by a prestigious mariachi band, which puts him at odds with Lilia, who feels he's betraying his dream to be a small-town mariachi, selling out to a flashy, big-name band. During his first live show he discovers he was only included in the band as a gimmick and he quits, enraged. He tries to return to his native town, only to find out he doesn't fit anymore. Upon returning to Guadalajara, he learns that Lilia finally left. He then joins Sophia's band, becoming a small-town, regular mariachi as he always wanted.
Cast
Critical reception
''Mariachi Gringo'' received mixed reviews from film critics. On the
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, the film has a 43% approval rating, based on seven reviews. Appraisal was generally directed at the direction, music, and performances by some of the cast, in particular
Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Bobby Drake / Iceman in the ''X-Men'' film series, Jake Berenson in the television series ''Animorphs'', Agent Mike Weston in the television drama s ...