Cesar Chavez

This fast paced film is simply riveting. Producer Diego Luna cast Michael Peña in the lead. Peña honestly portrays one of the most important leaders in American labor struggles. John Malkovich joins Luna, co-producing as well as in acting in a villainous role. He exquisitely plays a fictionalized composite, an exploitative Machiavellian grower, comfortable with manipulating family as well as local and national public officials to frustrate Chavez's organizing,and not above promoting lethal violence when it suited his agenda. The movie tracks the dangerous and demanding path taken by Chavez in the decades it took for him and his compañeros to win dignity and living wages for mostly Hispanic and Filipino farm workers. It faithfully displays his courage, religious devotion, acumen and self sacrifice, and the alliances he built, as well as the political and public relations solidarity and coups necessary for success. Only so much can be covered in a film of this length, but it fairly faithfully tracks his intense commitment to "la causa," and how that conflicted with his competing desires to be a father, husband and provider. It touches on his personal sacrifices that extended to long fasts and marches of hundreds of miles, and a willingness to be subjected to brutal physical and political attacks meant to defeat his efforts, but never abandoning Ghandian non-violence. His career, though longer due to Martin Luther King's youthful assassination, overlaps King's considerably in era, unwavering commitment, allies and methods. Given the magnitude of the substantial task to portray such a major and complex figure and movement, the development of other important characters suffers. They include his brother Richard (played by Jacob Vargas), his career-long ally and foil, activist Dolores Huerta (Rosario Dawson) who has outlived and outperformed most of her contemporaries, and the late, long time United Farm Workers powerhouse attorney/negotiator, Jerry Cohen, though all deliver strong performances. Absent from the screenplay are the equally demanding lettuce strike and most of the frustrations with the Teamsters Union and the UFW's eventual settlement with them. This film recapitulates an essential part of late 20th Century American political and social history that legitimately deserves a wider audience than it will likely receive.

Would it be weird to say that "Cesar Chavez" was a laugh riot? Well, for a film which depicts people being beaten and sprayed with pesticides, the script contained tons of laugh out loud lines of dialogue. OK, I'm not sure if that came off as completely insensitive or not, so I'll just move on: An independent production directed by Mexican actor/filmmaker Diego Luna, "Cesar Chavez" is an educational partial biography of (you guessed it) Cesar Chavez which chronicles his participation in the California (and abroad) civil rights campaigns during the 1960's, which addressed fair wages and better working conditions for migrant farm workers, his infamous 25 day hunger strike and the UFWA (United Farm Workers of America) grape boycott. While I did find myself really enjoying this movie, "Cesar Chavez" is yet another example of a PG-13 film which attempts to depict a rated-R snapshot of American history. On a technical level, Luna does display above average directorial chops and his film is overall more historically weighty than something like last year's "42" (a PG-13 movie which glossed over many of the more violent atrocities of racial intolerance in the 1940's) it is obvious that Luna does pulls some punches in an attempt to make the Cesar Chavez story accessible to a wider audience. There are good biopics and there are bad biopics. The downfall of many biopics is that they take fascinating characters and simply tell their story, while failing to bring their world to life, failing to spark interest with an engaging back-story or failing to build an emotional connection with audiences. And while those types of biopics may be interesting to some, they usually alienate those who didn't live through the events or may not be familiar with said character. Luna and Michael Pena, who plays Chavez, seem to understand this, as they come together to depict a Chavez that is completely 3 dimensional and complex. That said, Luna does not escape my praise without scrutiny, as he and screenwriters Keir Pearson (Hotel Rwanda) and Timothy J. Sexton (Children of Men) fail to give Chavez much of a back-story; so much so that it feels as though "Cesar Chavez" is missing its entire first act (the story of how Chavez started down the civil rights road to begin with). Pena's performance stands as one of the more surprisingly pleasant aspects of this production. He nails the Chavez look and mannerisms, and when he speaks he sounds like a civil rights leader. And during the fasting sequences, Pena looks like a man who hasn't eaten for a substantial amount of time. Although quite enjoyable in other movies such as "End of Watch" and "30 Minutes or Less", his role as Chavez is by far my favorite. Final Thought: This shouldn't be a movie which only resonates with those who lived through the events, but if you have no idea who Chavez was going into this, for you the timeline may get a little choppy in the final act and questions may be raised about Rosario Dawson's purpose in this movie since Dolores Huerta (a woman who played a massive role in La Causa) is hardly referenced here. Then again, if you are a Californian and don't know who Cesar Chavez was, you should be ashamed of yourself to begin with. After recently sitting through a stretch of shockingly below average movies depicting the Mexican/Mexican-American/Chicano struggle (Filly Brown, For Greater Glory and A Better Life) I will say that I was quite entertained by this good, not great, biopic which salutes this important man and equally important moment in relatively recent California history.

I've seen some pro critics call this film boring, and although it might have had 1 or 2 slow spots, I found it overall to be a powerful biopic of the iconic union organizer and civil rights advocate Cesar Chavez. Michael Pena gives a fine performance as Chavez here, as the movie focuses on his early days as a farm worker organizer, in the 1960's in California, to his eventual negotiations with the powerful farm growers of the time. America Ferrera also ably portrays Chavez's wife Helen, who is equally dedicated to their cause. Additionally, there's a strong supporting cast which includes Rosario Dawson, John Malkovich, Jacob Vargas, and John Ortiz. The biopic intersperses well actual film footage of the time, but we only get a glimpse of the real Chavez, who died in 1993 at the age of 66, towards the end of the movie. I thought the film portrayed well the conflicts and tensions you would expect between the farm workers and the powerful growers, the police, and certain politicians. During an effective grape boycott called by Chavez and his supporters, then Governor Ronald Reagan is shown publicly eating grapes and calling the boycott "immoral". Also, President Richard Nixon tried to influence the export of grapes to European markets to help the growers, but strong European unions in support of Chavez crushed that idea. To editorialize a bit here, I find it so ironic that some 50 years later, we seem to be fighting the same battles that Chavez fought, with the rights of unions to organize and collectively bargain. While it is true that along the way some unions got greedy and went too far in their demands, I think that history has clearly shown that many corporations left to their own devices will squeeze their workers in pay and benefits unless there's some push back from organizations like unions. Overall, I thought this movie was very well presented by director Diego Luna and screenwriters Keir Pearson and Timothy J. Sexton. It's an important story that remains, as mentioned, so timely to this day.

This movie covers so much really intense stuff, so quickly, it's almost hard to sink your teeth into. It's a great way to get a quick and easy understanding of the real events that happened in California and how Cesar came to play such an important role. I wish the film had actually been longer, with more time to develop the depth of characters and the layers of issues. But just like Chavez was in life -- a humble man who didn't want all the attention on himself -- this movie is also like that. It's a humble movie with no big stars, and it doesn't try to be big and glamorous or spectacular. It just tries to tell what happened. And the facts are more interesting than anything Hollywood could add. So some have criticized it for feeling too much like a documentary, but that's what I really liked about it. It felt like it was just what happened, and not some big Hollywood version of it. I would have just liked to have lingered in the smallness of it longer. And I wish they went on to tell about the rest of the life of this amazing, unlikely, understated hero. I hope for a sequel, or another go at it that captures more of the spirit of the man and the movement, as well as the events. But definitely see this one!

I was in awe when I viewed this movie. Finally a film that brought Cesar Chavez's story to life. I am from Phoenix, Arizona and often heard stories of Cesar Chavez. I even met some of his family members and supporters while working at Chicanos Por La Causa but still had no idea how much violence he and his party encountered. This film angered me and brought me tears on more than one occasion. I have viewed this film so far four times to take in all of it. This movie touched me and hit home since my mother is Filipino/Mexican-American. I did not expect to see Filipinos in this film at all. I had no idea that that they were part of the movement. To see the harsh treatment and environments that my ancestors encountered enraged me. I would have never known about these acts if I did not read about it in a book. Since I was not moved to read about Cesar Chavez I am glad that this film was made otherwise I would have no knowledge of this part of my history.Due to this movie I have more respect for Cesar Chavez and his supporters and their efforts. I also see why President Kennedy is known for being a great leader. He to was an intelligent and amazing man. I am a former Civil Rights Compliance Officer/Investigator for the Arizona Attorney General's Officer and marched in several Immigration and Dr. Martin Luther King Marches with a background in History, Ethnic Studies,and Law so I am thrilled that this movie brought Cesar Chavez,Mexican-Americans, Filipino-Americans plight in the United States story to life. It also demonstrates how powerful law, faith,community, knowledge, and unity is. Wonderful film looks like a lot of research was put into it. I am also happy that some of my favorite actresses are in it Rosario Dawson and America Ferrera. I love that another one of my favorite actors Donte Basco's brother Darion Basco starred in this film too. Excited to see actors of color becoming more visible in American Films. I learned so much by watching this film more power to the writers,entire cast, and crew. Job well done! I will most definitely be buying this DVD and also sending some as gifts to family members.

Having just seen the movie and having met the man many years ago,I can say that the film was better than most of the reviews I have read. This was a very humble man that saw an injustice and corrected it. He didn't line his own pockets like most Union Leaders have. I would have preferred to see more of his upbringing so that we know who influenced him the most. Nonetheless, this film (docudrama) should be required viewing in public schools throughout California and other states where farm workers supply our nation and the world with much of our produce. A must see movie if you want to understand what the migrant workers were up against in the 60's and 70's.

"If we show the world their abuse, greed and brutality then our voice will be heard and responded to." After being raised and working in the fields since he was 8 Cesar Chavez (Peña) has seen enough of the abuse of the workers. After realizing nothing was going to change on its own he decides to step up and become a leader. His goal is to form a union and get every worker an honest wage. What seems like an easy thing to do is met with resistance from almost everyone. His non-violent protests slowly begin to become embraced by not only his fellow workers but American citizens as well. Going in to this movie I knew next to nothing about the real man. My favorite genre of movie is the biopic, it's almost better (for me) to not know as much about the person that way not only am I not expecting anything but I am also not disappointed when they leave things out. I say all that because I can't speak to how accurate the movie is but what I can say is that I really enjoyed this. Not only is the movie very well made and acted it is also inspiring and you really become angry watching what the company he is protesting against does to discredit and discount his stance. Again I can't speak to how accurate the movie is but what the movie does do is inspire and make you wonder why the corporate heads waited so long to even talk to him. That said it also makes you wonder if this happened today if the reactions would be the same. Without getting too political my guess would be yes. Corporate greed never goes away, it only grows. Overall, a great and inspiring movie that is one of the better biopics of the last few years. I give this a high B+.

We live on the edge of a time when mass movements could once again become decisive. Cesar Chaves, Diego Luna's latest film, reminds us that heart is what empowers people to overcome injustice. Luna has picked a fabulous cast and a respectable script that brings to life the immense story of a very intense struggle to give farmworkers the basic right to organize. Filmed where the real events took place, Luna captures the stark,windswept and washed out beauty of the vast Southern San Joaquin Valley. He shows us the faces of the people who toil so that we might live. Through a strong performance by John Malkovich, Luna captures the patriarchal mentality that allows one to exploit others to build wealth. This sparks outrage and one is moved to identify with the Chaves and the small brave band that he led. Michael Pena as Chaves is believable and endearing because the methodical, measured intensity of the man comes through and when moments of rage and deep emotion well up in his character the contrast is riveting. You understand why people followed. But it is the women that I found most interesting, particularly America Ferrera as Helen Fabela Chaves. And without Dolores Huerta (Rosario Dawsom) he could not have succeeded. She was the more politically adept. It was the women in his life that empowered him to be great. The film is not flawless and the 101 minute running time is the key problem. The story is simply too big given the number of compelling characters and the complexities of the real events. I longed to understand more about his son, his brother, the growers, Huerta and Helen. I would have appreciated seeing more of the power struggles among leaders, which must exist within any movement. But overall, I am pleased that Luna, his cast and crew respectably brought to the cinema this very American story that helps me to remember why I love this country. Social movements do make progress despite darker forces because valiant hearts bonded by the vision of a better world do not give up.

I don't know much about Caesar Chavez. the only thing I knew for sure was that he fought for union rights during the Civil rights movement and that he went on a hunger strike for this reason. Now, I'm not the one to use a movie as a history lesson but I figure the part of about him leading his workers on work strike for 5 years to achieve a better union for Farmers and starting a credit union for them must be correct. Since the movie is named after the man himself, that's what it should focus on more, the man himself. In what was a big career move for Micheal Pena his performance as the great Chavez was so-so. maybe this is what the filmmakers wanted in order to portray how just an ordinary man changed so many lives. However, Pena's presence on the big screen was not big enough. Of what should have been an inspiring story , I felt no inspiration. It just was not strong enough to convince me to rise up ageist anyone. Unlike the two movies that came out last year about Nelson Mandela, in comparison to Idris Elba, whose performance was strong and demanding to Terrence Howard, whose version of Mandela was not even the focal point of the movie Winnie Mandela, just made me believe in a cause that, I will admit, thought I knew about but really did not. I'll give the movie an A for effort as I'm sure their are not many films about this important figure in American History and hope that the next person doing his story in a movie will find someone a little more convincing.

Wow, what an unbelievably false narrative in this film. Just go to the Wikipedia page on Chavez and look at the section on his views and actions concerning illegal immigration. He was opposed to illegal immigration, nd had his workers beat illegals and actually organized his workers to forcibly grab illegals, kidnap them, and drive them through the desert and back over the border to Mexico. And nothing at all about Chavez's severe "#metoo" issues? Read "The Hunger Artist" article in The New Yorker to see how profoundly abusive he was to United Farm Workers staff and members.