A Better Life

Name: A Better Life
Genre: Drama
Released: June 24, 2011
Duration: 98 min
Rating: 64
Cast: Demián Bichir, José Julián

2011

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 40 Ratings

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7.3

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7.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 40 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Summit Entertainment | Release Date: June 24, 2011 | PG-13

Starring: Demián Bichir, José Julián

Summary: From the director of About a Boy comes A Better Life – a touching, poignant, multi-generational story about a father’s love and the lengths a parent will go to give his child the opportunities he never had. (Summit Entertainment)

Director: Chris Weitz

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 98 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Steve Persall

Jul 20, 2011

The weight of Carlos' world shows on his rugged face, even with rare half-smiles. This is a masterfully understated performance that should be remembered during awards season. Read full review

Roger Ebert

Jul 7, 2011

The performances are pitch perfect, even including Gabriel Chavarria as Ramon, the man who steals the truck. It adds an important element to the film that he embodies a desperate man, not a bad one. Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

Jul 9, 2011

For most of the film, Weitz, riding a fantastic performance by Demián Bichir as the landscaper in question, succeeds in showing the day-to-day struggles that exist beneath the political rhetoric and upper-case headlines. Read full review

Movieline Michelle Orange

Jun 23, 2011

Bichir - who played Fidel Castro in "Che" - resists the pathetic impulse, bringing dignity and distinction to a man who wakes up every morning knowing it's not just his burden but his job to be invisible. Read full review

Joe Williams

Jul 15, 2011

Unfolds like a fable instead of a believable slice of life. Mexican TV and film star Bichir gives a poignant performance, but he's distinctly more European than the cholos and Chicano laborers on the sketchy edges of the hero's plight. Read full review

Ed Gonzalez

Jun 18, 2011

Save for its loving, plaintive, and thorough tour of the seldom-filmed East L.A., A Better Life is, top to bottom, derivative-of Polanski in its direction and of "Bicycle Thieves" in its plot (even Alexandre Desplat's gussy score suggests Angelo Badalamenti playing Mariachi Night). Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Jul 7, 2011

Unlike its multifaceted director, the film never stretches its boundaries. Read full review

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User Reviews

Irus_Tayor

Aug 21, 2011

An exceptionally fine glimpse into the life of an illegal immigrant in LA -- trying to avoid deportation, while simultaneously steering his son away from the streets. Demien Bichir deserves an Oscar for his performance. The best film of 2011 thus far.