Astonishingly unsubtle in making its politics known, A Better Life almost never lets a scene go by without making an embarrassingly obvious or slanted point about inner city life as a Mexican-American. Immigration issues are especially poorly handled and whenever gang issues are introduced as the film clearly thinks it's a modern day Boyz N the Hood, lacking any of that film's poignancy or impact.
The major problem is that Demian Bichir and José Julián are completely unbelievable as father and son. Julián is a miserable child actor, amplifying the scripting issues. The son has no sense of Mexican culture and the hardship of inner city life for the poor. He's shocked by the idea of several people living in one bedroom, for instance, which is hard to believe considering he attends a school that's entirely Latino. That he never would've encountered this concept before is implausible, but it's even more troubling that the film uses the character as an introductory course to Mexican-American culture. The kid somehow has no support system whatsoever, so he's never encountered uniquely ethnic festivities or had discussions about what it means to be working class striving for something better.
Thinking it's a slice of life drama, A Better Life could hardly feel phonier. Consider the set-up for Bichir's truck getting stolen. It's downright comical how Weisz tries to dupe us with reassuring camera angles so he can spring the theft on us. The Bicycle Thief rip-off that follows is too ridiculous for words.
The film then moves into relatively obnoxious territory following Bichir's arrest. We're meant to sympathize with him because he's being deported and torn away from his son. The film's refusal to acknowledge the illegality of coming to America without documentation is reminiscent of the boneheadedness of The Visitor. Adding a child to further manipulate the situation doesn't work; it just further emphasizes A Better Life's irresponsibility in failing to show the big picture.
Bichir is, at best, competent in a handful of scenes. His big crying scene is unmoving, but that has a great deal to do with his complete lack of chemistry with Julián. They actively make one another worse. Bichir at least knows how to act to the camera, but he in no way merits an Oscar nomination.
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