George Lopez Movies
Arguably the preeminent Hispanic comedian of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and one of the most influential Latino entertainers of all time, George Lopez broke new ground for Mexican-Americans by scoring many firsts. Most significantly, he clocked in as the first Hispanic comic since Freddie Prinze Sr. (whom he idolized) to headline his own blockbuster sitcom, thus providing Latinos with a much-needed television voice and role model to boot.Born in 1961 in Mission Hills, CA, Lopez was abandoned by his father at two months old; not long after his tenth birthday, his mother delivered him permanently into the hands of his working-class grandparents, a couple singularly lacking in parental skills, affection, and financial resources. Ingeniously, Lopez took the angst, desperation, impoverishment, and overwhelming dysfunction of these preadolescent and adolescent years and spun it into behind-the-mike fodder -- in other words, using his hard-hitting experiences as building blocks for exceptionally droll, inventive standup routines. Lopez foresaw standup comedy as his only desired option after high school, and thus reportedly worked the club circuit for almost two decades -- his exclusive gig until the late '80s and early '90s.
At that point, Lopez tackled a few bit roles in junky comedies such as Ski Patrol (1989) and Fatal Instinct (1993), but turned a much-needed corner, and upped the prestige quotient, by signing on to work for the esteemed Ken Loach in that director's Bread and Roses (2000), a muckraking drama about Hispanic-American janitors. The finished film divided critics but unveiled new dimensions in the actor's ability. Lopez's eponymous sitcom commenced in 2002, with the schtickmeister cast as a variant of himself, George Lopez, who worked in an airplane-parts factory. The ABC program maintained high ratings well into its sixth season. In the meantime, Lopez branched out into feature-film roles -- this time with a more respectable cinematic pedigree -- in such pictures as The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl (2005), Yours, Mine & Ours (2005), Balls of Fury (2007), and Tortilla Heaven (2007).
Following a two year run as a late night talk show host on Lopez Tonight, Lopez continued to appear in a number of movies, including Swing Vote, Valentine's Day, and Balls of Fury. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
Two big families merge into one super-sized brood in this comedy. Frank Beardsley (Dennis Quaid) is a naval officer who has been raising eight children on his own after the death of his wife, and while he loves his kids, he rules his household with military precision. Frank has been alone just long enough that he decides it's time to start dating again, and he agrees to be set up on a blind date for a social function. To his surprise, his date turns out to be Helen North (Rene Russo), a girl he dated years ago when they were both in high school who, like Frank, lost her spouse not long ago. The old chemistry clicks anew for Helen and Frank, and he asks her to marry him. However, there's just a bit of a problem -- Helen is caring for ten children of her own, six of whom were adopted, and her artistic temperament makes for a very different household than Frank and his kids are used to. Frank and Helen decide to give this grand experiment a try, but the 18 siblings don't get along at all well at first, until they decide to set aside their differences and unite against a common foe -- their folks. Yours, Mine & Ours is a remake of a 1968 comedy of the same name, which starred Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball as the newlywed parents. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dennis Quaid, Rene Russo, (more)
- 2004
- Add Best of Loco Comedy Jam, Vol. 1 to Queue Add Best of Loco Comedy Jam, Vol. 1 to top of Queue
This collection of stand-up comedy performances features sets from Pablo Francisco, Joey Medina, Gabriel Iglesias, Jeff Garcia, and Mike Robles. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Lopez, Mike Robles, (more)
- 2004
This made-for-cable "dramedy" represents a change of pace for comedian George Lopez), here cast as a nasty, vituperative Chicago radio "shock jock" sportscaster named Henry Ramiro. Although his show is Number One in the ratings, Henry has managed to alienate everyone around him with his relentless verbal assaults--and when we say "everyone", we also mean his long-suffering wife Diana (Lisa Vidal) and his insecure daughter Olivia (Bianca Collins). This is the status quo until 15-year-old Grant Michael (James Kirk), whose life-threatening illness has not dampened his zest for living and his relentless good cheer, shames Henry into being a nice guy for one whole day. Not surprisingly, Henry's ratings immediately tank--but he manages to learn a valuable lesson (with a few detours along the way) just in time for Christmas. Naughty or Nice was produced by the Hallmark corporation and telecast by the ABC network on December 11, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2003
- R
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Jeb Brien directs Original Latin Kings of Comedy, which features material from five of the most famous Hispanic standup comics of their era. Paul Rodriguez (A.K.A. Pablo), George Lopez (The George Lopez Show), Cheech Marin (of Cheech and Chong fame), Alex Reymundo, and Joey Medina deliver material on a variety of topics that will seem familiar to audiences of every race. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Lopez, Cheech Marin, (more)
In this independent drama, Ana (America Ferrera) is a bright and ambitious 18-year-old Latina who has just graduated from high school in East Los Angeles. Ana wants to broaden her horizons and go on to college, but her mother Carmen (Lupe Ontiveros) has other ideas; Ana's older sister Estela (Ingrid Oliu) oversees the family business, a dress factory, and Carmen has decided that Ana should put higher education on hold and go to work as a seamstress. When Estela loses four employees in a week, Ana reluctantly agrees to take a job at the factory to help her out, while she applies for college scholarships without her mother's knowledge. Ana's job at the dress factory proves to be a real eye opener; she gains a new respect for Estela's business acumen, but is also appalled by the low wages and unpleasant working conditions that are part and parcel of the garment industry. While Ana is not unattractive, she carries more than a few extra pounds, a subject her mother mentions at every available opportunity, and as Ana encourages her co-workers at the shop to stand up for themselves and gain a greater perspective of their own worth, she takes a long hard look at her own self-image. Real Women Have Curves won the Audience Award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, while actresses America Ferrera and Lupe Ontiveros received a Special Jury Prize at the same festival for their performances. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- America Ferrera, Lupe Ontiveros, (more)
- 2002
In keeping with its promise to add ethnic diversity to its prime-time lineup, the ABC network gave the green light to the development of a weekly, half-hour sitcom built around the talents of Latino standup comedian George Lopez. On his eponymously titled series, Lopez was cast as "himself," an employee at a large airplane-parts factory not named Lockheed. Newly promoted to manager, George now found himself in the untenable position of ordering around his old pals -- not to mention his own mother, and fellow employee, the indomitable and insufferable Benny Lopez (Benita Moreno). Others in the cast included Constance Marie as George's wife Angie, Masiela Lusha and Luis Armand Garcia as his children, and Valente Rodriguez as his best friend Ernie. George Lopez debuted on March 27, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Leftist filmmaker Ken Loach directs this grim drama about the plight of seemingly invisible office cleaners in contemporary L.A. who often earn as little as $6 a day without benefits. The film opens as Maya (Pilar Padilla), a young Mexican lass, is reuniting with her older sister Rosa (Elpidia Carrilio) in L.A. after a harrowing cross-border journey. Rosa sets her sister up first with a job as a barmaid, which Maya soon quits after getting repeatedly groped -- and then as a janitor. When her boss demands one month's salary as "commission," Maya happens upon Sam Shapiro (Adrien Brody), a muckraking lawyer and union agitator. This film, which was screened in competition at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, is remarkable for its prescience -- it was shown a month after a massive janitor's strike ground L.A.'s business community to a halt. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Elpidia Carrillo, (more)
Fatal Instinct is an Airplane-style spoof of the late-'80s, early-'90s cycle of erotic crime thrillers. Setting the plot in motion is a kinky murder. Armand Assante plays the cop assigned to the case; he's also the prosecuting attorney; the "Sharon Stone" part is essayed by Sean Young. A dash of Body Heat is thrown in the pot as Assante's wife Kate Nelligan plots her hubby's demise. Tony Randall has a bit as a judge, while the film's semi-mocking jazz score is provided by Clarence Clemmons -- who shows up on screen to toot his sax at various crucial plot junctures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Sherilyn Fenn, (more)
- 1989
- PG
In this slapstick comedy, a group of faithful ski patrol members set out to save Snowy Peaks ski resort from the evil plans of greedy businessman Maris (Martin Mull). ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roger Rose, Corby Timbrook, (more)
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