Real Women Have Curves sounds more like the slogan for a plus-size
women's clothing store than it does the title of a motion picture. A solid
chick flick that struck a big-time chord with the frozen audiences at the 2002
Sundance Film Festival, Real Women Have Curves has been targeted by Newmarket
as the next My Big Fat Greek Wedding. (Note: a few years ago, every
potentially endearing independent film was being trumpeted as "the next Full
Monty"; now, it's "the next My Big Fat Greek Wedding".)
However, although Real Women Have Curves is undeniably a crowd-pleaser,
I'm not convinced it has the same degree of broad-based appeal as My Big Fat
Greek Wedding.
Ana (America Ferrera) is an 18 year-old second generation Mexican American
living in Los Angeles. She's an
excellent student – good enough, in fact, that her English teacher, Mr. Guzman
(George Lopez), believes that she has a chance for a scholarship to a good
college. But Ana's mother, Carmen (Lupe Ontiveros), is against Ana continuing
her education – she wants her youngest daughter to work at a dress-making shop
run by her eldest daughter, Estela (Ingrid Oliu). Ana agrees, albeit
reluctantly and petulantly. She still dreams of college and freedom from her
mother – dreams that grow stronger when she begins a fling with an Anglo
classmate, Jimmy (Brian Sites).
Real Women Have Curves does little to hide its primary, female-empowerment
theme: that a woman should be judged by the quality of her mind and thoughts,
not by how closely her body matches the so-called "ideal". Certainly,
it's a laudable stance for a movie to take, but director Patricia Cardoso and
writer Josephina Lopez become too strident in their advocacy of it. One of the
film's big payoff scenes – in which the women working in Estela's shop strip
down to their underwear to proclaim that they're comfortable with their
less-than-perfect bodies – is contrived and over-the-top. A sequence this
clunky doesn't belong in a movie that is otherwise nicely structured and
developed. We have gotten the point long before this.
At the core of the movie is Ana's tempestuous relationship with her mother.
Carmen, who sees any form of "progress" as evil, wants her daughter
to follow in her footsteps: find a man, get married, and have children. She
criticizes Ana's weight because she believes that a fat girl won't be able to
catch a husband. She is adamantly opposed to further education for Ana because
that would take the girl away from home. There's also probably some sublimated
jealousy here, with Carmen being envious of all of Ana's opportunities –
opportunities she never had.
For Ana's part, living with her mother is stifling her. She recognizes that
Carmen manipulates her life, and is resentful of it. She sees a college
education as the way to broaden her horizons – a sentiment that is shared by
her father, grandfather, and teachers. Once it becomes clear that Carmen will
not change, Ana comes to the sad conclusion that she may be forced to chose
between her mother and her future. One of the reasons the film resonates is
that the final break of independence is something every individual must face,
regardless of the family relationship.
At Sundance, Lupe Ontiveros and America Ferrera earned deserved acting
awards. Ontiveros ensures that Carmen comes across not as cold and domineering,
but as a deeply conflicted woman who loves her daughter but is frightened of
what the future holds. Ferrera uses her talent to form Ana into a vibrant young
woman who is comfortable with her mind, her body, and her sexuality, and who
isn't afraid to make a difficult decision, even if it hurts her loved ones. The
third primary member of the cast is Ingrid Oliu, whose Estela is bowed but not
beaten by a world that seeks to steal her dreams. The male actors all have
supporting roles, but, for once, this is a feminist motion picture where men
are not demonized. In fact, without exception, they are presented in a positive
light.
Real Women Have Curves is loosely based on a play by Josephina Lopez
(who co-wrote the screenplay). The most significant difference between the
stage version and the theatrical one is the importance of Ana. There is no
question that the movie is about her, whereas, in the play, the character does
not exist. This alteration results in a different, but strong, telling of the
tale. Ana is a vivid, vibrant individual and the movie's focus upon her makes
it successful and accessible.
