A Day Without a Mexican

Last updated

A Day Without a Mexican
Day without mexican.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sergio Arau
Screenplay by
Based onA Day Without a Mexican
by Yareli Arizmendi and Sergio Arau
Produced by
  • Eckehardt Von Damm
  • Isaac Artenstein
Starring
CinematographyAlan Caudillo
Edited byDaniel A. Fort
Music by Juan J. Colomer
Distributed byTelevisa Cine
Release date
  • May 14, 2004 (2004-05-14)
Running time
100 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Mexico
  • Spain
Languages
  • English
  • Spanish
Box office$10.1 million

A Day Without a Mexican is a 2004 fantasy film directed by Sergio Arau in his directorial debut from a screenplay co-written with Yareli Arizmendi and Sergio Guerrero. [1] It stars Yareli Arizmendi, John Getz, Maureen Flannigan, Muse Watson, Fernando Arau, and Eduardo Palomo. The plot offers a satirical look at the consequences of all the Mexicans in the state of California suddenly disappearing (with a mysterious "pink fog" surrounding the state preventing any communication or movement with the outside world). The film earned over $10 million at the box office and received generally negative reviews from critics.

Contents

Cast

Release

The film opened on May 14, 2004, in limited release throughout Southern California and on September 17 in theaters in Chicago, Texas, Florida, and New York City as well as San Jose.

Reception

Box office

A Day Without a Mexican grossed $5.9 million in Mexico, and $4.2 million in the United States and Canada, for a worldwide total of $10.1 million. [2] In Mexico, the film earned $2.7 million from 330 theaters in its opening weekend. [3] In the United States, the film as only a moderate box-office success, earning $628,807 in its first weekend. [4]

Critical response

The film received negative reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 27% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.2/10.The website's consensus reads: "Day Without a Mexican is a preachy and heavy-handed satire that fails to deliver anything of substance." [5] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 30 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. [6]

Ella Taylor of the LA Weekly said of the film, "A terrific premise is mangled to a pulp, then beaten to death in this forced mockumentary." [7] E! was less kind, stating, "This Day not only lacks Mexicans but also good acting, sharp storytelling, and humor." [8] At the Cartagena Film Festival, the film earned a nomination for Best Film and won Best Screenplay. It also earned a special jury award at the Gramado Film Festival and Best Editing at the Guadalajara Film Festival.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eduardo Palomo</span> Mexican actor

Eduardo Estrada Palomo (Spanish pronunciation:[eˈðwaɾðopaˈlomo]; was a Mexican actor. Palomo became famous across Mexico and Latin America after his 1993 Juan del Diablo characterization in Corazón salvaje.

<i>The Day After Tomorrow</i> 2004 film by Roland Emmerich

The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American science fiction disaster film conceived, co-written, co-produced, and directed by Roland Emmerich, based on the 1999 book The Coming Global Superstorm by Art Bell and Whitley Strieber, and starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sela Ward, Emmy Rossum, and Ian Holm. The film depicts catastrophic climatic effects following the disruption of the North Atlantic Ocean circulation, in which a series of extreme weather events usher in climate change and lead to a new ice age.

<i>Man on Fire</i> (2004 film) 2004 American action thriller film directed by Tony Scott

Man on Fire is a 2004 American vigilante action thriller film directed and produced by Tony Scott, with a screenplay by Brian Helgeland and co-produced by Arnon Milchan. It is based on the 1980 novel of the same name by A. J. Quinnell. The film stars Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning in lead roles, alongside Christopher Walken, Radha Mitchell, Giancarlo Giannini, Marc Anthony, Rachel Ticotin and Mickey Rourke in supporting roles. This adaptation shifts the setting from Naples, Italy, to Mexico City, diverging from the earlier 1987 film version of Quinnell's novel, which was also produced by Milchan.

<i>The Real Cancun</i> 2003 American film

The Real Cancun is a 2003 American reality film directed by Rick de Oliveira and written by Brian Caldirola. Inspired by the reality television genre, this film followed the lives of sixteen Americans from March 13 to 23, 2003 as they celebrated spring break in Cancún, Mexico and experienced romantic relationships, emotional strife, or just had a good time.

<i>The Grudge</i> 2004 American film by Takashi Shimizu

The Grudge is a 2004 American supernatural horror film directed by Takashi Shimizu, written by Stephen Susco, and produced by Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, and Takashige Ichise. A remake of Shimizu's 2002 Japanese horror film Ju-On: The Grudge, it is the first installment in The Grudge film series. It stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, KaDee Strickland, Clea DuVall, and Bill Pullman. Takako Fuji, Yuya Ozeki, and Takashi Matsuyama portray the characters Kayako Saeki, Toshio Saeki, and Takeo Saeki from the original films. The plot is told through a nonlinear sequence of events and includes several intersecting subplots.

<i>Mr. Mom</i> 1983 American film directed by Stan Dragoti

Mr. Mom is a 1983 American comedy film directed by Stan Dragoti and produced by Lynn Loring, Lauren Shuler, and Aaron Spelling. It stars Michael Keaton, Teri Garr, Martin Mull, Ann Jillian, and Christopher Lloyd. It tells the story of a furloughed Detroit automotive engineer who becomes a stay-at-home dad and takes care of three young children, as his wife returns to a career in the advertising industry as an executive at a large agency. Released on July 22, 1983, the film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $64 million against its $5 million budget.

<i>Only the Lonely</i> (film) 1991 film by Chris Columbus

Only the Lonely is a 1991 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Chris Columbus, produced by John Hughes, and stars John Candy, Maureen O'Hara, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Quinn, and James Belushi. The film is a comedic take on the premise established in the 1953 television play Marty and the 1955 film Marty, while the title comes from the song "Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison. The story follows a bachelor police officer who is looking to settle down and start a family with a mortuary beautician, while coping with his controlling mother who wants him all to herself.

<i>Deception</i> (2008 film) 2008 American film

Deception is a 2008 American erotic thriller film directed by Marcel Langenegger and written by Mark Bomback. It stars Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, and Michelle Williams. The film was released on April 25, 2008 in the United States.

<i>Along Came a Spider</i> (film) 2001 film by Lee Tamahori

Along Came a Spider is a 2001 American thriller film directed by Lee Tamahori. It is the second installment in the Alex Cross film series and a sequel to the 1997 film Kiss the Girls, with Morgan Freeman and Jay O. Sanders reprising their roles as detective Alex Cross and FBI-agent Kyle Craig. The screenplay by Marc Moss was adapted from the 1993 novel of the same title by James Patterson, but many of the key plot elements of the book were eliminated. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $105.2 million worldwide.

2016 in film is an overview of events, including the highest-grossing films, award ceremonies, festivals, a list of films released, and notable deaths.

<i>The Book of Eli</i> 2010 film by the Hughes Brothers

The Book of Eli is a 2010 American post-apocalyptic neo-Western action film directed by the Hughes brothers, written by Gary Whitta, and starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, and Jennifer Beals. The story revolves around Eli, a nomad in a post-apocalyptic world who seeks to deliver his copy of a mysterious book to a safe location on the West Coast of the United States. Filming began in February 2009 and took place in New Mexico.

Yareli Arizmendi is a Mexican actress, writer, and director.

<i>Knight and Day</i> 2010 film by James Mangold

Knight and Day is a 2010 American satirical action comedy film directed by James Mangold and starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. The film was the second on-screen collaboration of Cruise and Diaz after Vanilla Sky. The film follows June Havens (Diaz), a classic car restorer, who unwittingly gets caught up with Roy Miller (Cruise), an eccentric secret agent, as Roy is on the run from the CIA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Lopez filmography</span> Filmography

Jennifer Lopez has starred in over thirty-five feature films during a career that spans four decades as an actor and a producer. With critical and commercial success across numerous genres, Lopez has been nominated for Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globes and Film Independent Spirit Awards, alongside accolades from the likes of the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

<i>Ted</i> (film) 2012 comedy film by Seth MacFarlane

Ted is a 2012 American fantasy comedy film co-produced and directed by Seth MacFarlane and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild based on a story written by MacFarlane. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, with Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi in supporting roles, and MacFarlane providing the voice and motion capture of the title character. The film tells the story of John Bennett, a Boston native whose childhood wish brings his teddy bear friend Ted to life. However, in adulthood, Ted and John's friendship begins to interfere with the progression of John's relationship with his girlfriend, Lori Collins.

<i>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2</i> 2011 film by David Yates

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is a 2011 fantasy film directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Steve Kloves. The film is the second of two cinematic parts based on the 2007 novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. It is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) and the eighth and final instalment in the Harry Potter film series. The story concludes Harry Potter's quest to find and destroy Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes in order to stop him once and for all.

<i>American Sniper</i> 2014 biographical film

American Sniper is a 2014 American biographical war drama film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood and written and executive-produced by Jason Hall, based on the memoir of the same name by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice. The film follows the life of Kyle, who became the deadliest marksman in U.S. military history with 255 kills from four tours in the Iraq War, 160 of which were officially confirmed by the Department of Defense. While Kyle was celebrated for his military successes, his tours of duty took a heavy toll on his personal and family life. It stars Bradley Cooper as Kyle and Sienna Miller as his wife Taya, with Luke Grimes, Jake McDorman, Cory Hardrict, Kevin Lacz, Navid Negahban, and Keir O'Donnell in supporting roles.

<i>Coco</i> (2017 film) Pixar film

Coco is a 2017 American animated fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich, co-directed by Adrian Molina, and produced by Darla K. Anderson, from a screenplay written by Molina and Matthew Aldrich, and a story by Unkrich, Molina, Aldrich, and Jason Katz, based on an original idea conceived by Unkrich. The film stars the voices of Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, Renée Victor, Ana Ofelia Murguía, and Edward James Olmos. The story follows a 12-year-old boy named Miguel (Gonzalez) who is accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead, where he seeks the help of his deceased musician great-great-grandfather to return him to his family and reverse their ban on music.

<i>Unbroken: Path to Redemption</i> 2018 sequel film directed by Harold Cronk

Unbroken: Path to Redemption is a 2018 American Christian drama film directed by Harold Cronk, and is the sequel to the 2014 film Unbroken. Because of the much lower budget, none of the original cast or crew returned, except the producer Matthew Baer and actors Vincenzo Amato and Maddalena Ischiale. The film chronicles the rest of Louis Zamperini's story, following his return from World War II. The film features a role from evangelist Will Graham, who portrays his grandfather, Billy Graham.

<i>Old</i> (film) 2021 film by M. Night Shyamalan

Old is a 2021 American horror mystery film written for the screen, directed, and produced by M. Night Shyamalan. It is based on the French-language Swiss graphic novel Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Lévy and Frederik Peeters. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Alex Wolff, Thomasin McKenzie, Abbey Lee, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Ken Leung, Eliza Scanlen, Aaron Pierre, Embeth Davidtz, and Emun Elliott. The plot follows a group of people who find themselves aging rapidly on a secluded beach.

References

  1. Cooper, Tracie (2014). "A Day Without a Mexican". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 8, 2014.
  2. "A Day Without a Mexican (2004)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  3. "Mexican 2004 Week 32". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  4. "Domestic 2004 Weekend 20". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  5. "A Day Without a Mexican". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved March 13, 2022. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  6. "A Day Without a Mexican". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  7. Taylor, Ella (n.d.). "Film Reviews You Requested: A Day Without a Mexican". Archived from the original on April 10, 2005.
  8. "A Day Without a Mexican". E! . May 14, 2004.