Comedy

Can a wealthy Republican politician find happiness with a chambermaid from the Bronx? One man is about to find out, though he hardly realizes it at first, in this romantic comedy from director Wayne Wang. Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) is a single mother who is raising her gifted but under-confident son Ty (Tyler Garcia Posey) on her own, with some help from her mother Veronica (Priscilla Lopez), after divorcing her husband. Marisa works as a housekeeper at the exclusive Beresford Hotel in Manhattan, where her boss Paula Burns (Frances Conroy) and chief butler Lionel Bloch (Bob Hoskins) urge Marisa and her best friend and fellow maid Stephanie (Marissa Matrone) to be as efficient and inconspicuous as possible. One day, while cleaning the room of noted socialite Caroline Lane (Natasha Richardson), Stephanie spies a beautiful designer gown and dares Marisa to try it on; against her better judgment, she does, and while all dolled up, she bumps into Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), a wealthy and well-bred bachelor who is running for the Senate. Immediately charmed, Chris asks Marisa to join him for a walk in Central Park, assuming she's the blue-blooded Caroline. Marisa manages to join Chris for the afternoon, with Ty in tow, and Chris finds himself quite taken with Marisa's beauty and down-to-earth personality, as well as Ty's precocious interest in politics. Chris later calls Caroline's room to set up a lunch date, but soon discovers the stuffy Ms. Lane is not the woman he met before. Marisa is also attracted to Chris, but while her friends encourage her to pursue a romance, Veronica believes her daughter is asking for trouble by trying to win a man so far out of her social strata. The supporting cast also includes Stanley Tucci and Amy Sedaris. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

When the crew from a telenovela takes over a woman's home, she finds her life becoming the stuff of drama in this satiric comedy from Peru. Ana (Monica Steuer) is a wealthy housewife who has become a bit bored as she waits for her husband to return from a business trip. When the producers of a popular soap opera approach Ana and ask if they can tape part of their show in her home, she reluctantly agrees, but while Ana is chilly to the cast and crew at first, she soon gets caught up in the excitement of the show, and talks her way into a bit part. The show's producers soon discover that Ana makes an ideal villainess, cool and cruel, and her profile on the show quickly rises. However, Ana's domestic staff are soon vying to get in on the action as well, while Magda (Celine Aguirre) is convinced Ana is actually a mole planted in the cast by the staff of a competing series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A group of former high-school buddies, now in their mid-40s, gather 25 years after graduation to relive their glory days. The reunion is the brainchild of Ricardo (AKA Elvis -- for his love of the King's music and his tendency to dance to it atop the roof of his office-furniture store). The old gang is comprised of Ricardo's depressive, hypochondriac wife Ana and her socially-conscious former lover Ernesto, a journalist who left Ana years ago to pursue his political ideologies in post-revolutionary Cuba. Ernesto's presence revitalizes Ana who in turn begins showing renewed interest in her husband. Unfortunately for her, by that time Ricardo has fallen in love with Vera, a beautiful Cuban cellist. Two other members of the old gang also show up. Finally there is Sebastian, Ricardo and Ana's 20-year-old son. A poet, he shares Ernesto's serious view of the world. As the party progresses, their reminiscences of the good old days are shown via flashback. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Old and new loves are turned upside down through a complex case of mistaken identities in this romantic comedy-drama. In 1980, Juan Raul Perez (Alfred Molina) is released from a Cuban prison after spending 20 years behind bars and is allowed to join a mass emigration to the U.S. While Juan was incarcerated, his wife Carmela Perez (Anjelica Huston) escaped to Florida with their daughter, and Juan lives for the day when they can be reunited. En route to Miami, Juan meets Dottie Perez (Marisa Tomei), a fiery young woman who wants to leave behind her career as a prostitute. Juan and Carmela miss finding each other when his boat reaches Miami, and immigration personnel mistakenly assume that Juan and Dottie Perez are husband and wife; when they learn that families tend to find American sponsors much faster than individuals, they play along with the mistake, even convincing other Perezes to pose as their child and grandfather. Juan discovers that trying to renew an old relationship isn't easy as one tries to start a new life, especially since Carmela has attracted the attentions of police lieutenant John Pirelli (Chazz Palminteri). Cuban jazz legend Arturo Sandoval contributed to the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Filmmaker Antonio Serrano, who made a splash with his first film Sexo, Pudor y Lagrimas, returns to the screen with this thriller from Mexico. Lucia (Cecilia Roth) is a woman whose life is thrown into chaos when her husband suddenly disappears without a trace. As Lucia searches for a clue to his whereabouts, she discovers evidence that suggests her husband had a dangerous secret life he never shared with her, and she finds she isn't the only person with an interest in finding him. Lucia, Lucia (originally released under the title La Hija del Canibal) also features Carlos Alvarez-Novoa and Kuno Becker. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Writer and director Manuel Gómez Pereira takes a look at the funny side of same-sex marriage in this farcical comedy. Magda (Carmen Maura) is the manager of a posh resort hotel that is to be the site of a marriage ceremony bringing three gay couples together at once. One of the husbands-to-be is Magda's son Miguel (Unax Ugalde), who will exchange vows with Óscar (Daniel Hendler). However, while things are harmonious between Miguel and Óscar, Óscar's meddling mother, Ofelia (Betiana Blum), is making life miserable for everyone. Narciso (Paco Léon) will be tying the knot with his lover, Hugo (Gustavo Salmerón), but both are having family problems -- Hugo's uptight parents, Helena (Mercedes Sampietro) and Hector (Tito Valverde), aren't sure if they're willing to attend, while Narciso's man-hungry mom, Nuria (Verónica Forqué), threatens to make a spectacle of the ceremony. And actress Reyes (Marisa Paredes) will be on hand to see her son Rafa (Raul Jimenez) marry Jonas (Hugo Silva), who happens to be the son of her gardener Jacinto (Lluís Homar). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A man tries to leave his wild life behind him for the sake of a young boy in this comedy drama. Pedro (José Luis García Pérez) is a dentist who lives and works in Madrid. Pedro is also a "bear" -- slang for a gay man who is stocky and has lots of body hair. Pedro likes the company of other bears, and enjoys a freewheeling sex life until his sister Violetta (Elvira Lindo) arrives at his door with a special request. Violetta is traveling to India for two weeks, and wants Pedro to look after her son, nine-year-old Bernardo (David Castillo), while she's away. Pedro initially bristles at the idea of playing babysitter, but he soon warms to the situation, and develops a paternal bond his nephew. Pedro also gets some help from Manuel (Arno Chevrier), a former boyfriend who is looking to settle into a stable relationship. When Pedro gets word that Violetta has been arrested in India for drug smuggling and is likely to spend some time behind bars, he realizes that he's going to be stuck with Bernardo for a while -- and to his surprise, he doesn't mind the idea at all. But Doña Teresa (Empar Ferrer), the boy's paternal grandmother, openly disapproves of Pedro's lifestyle, and doesn't want Bernardo staying with his uncle. While Pedro is strictly mindful of his behavior around the house, he occasionally slips out for anonymous sex with fellow bears, and when a detective hired by Doña Teresa catches him in the act, it's an open question if he'll be allowed to have continued custody of his nephew. Cachorro (which translates as Bear Cub) received its American premiere at the 2004 Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Based on Lorenzo F. Aristarian's novel Rebirth and directed by Adolfo Aristarian, Common Places is a family drama from Argentina. College professor Fernando (Federico Luppi) and his devoted social worker wife Liliana (Mercedes Sampietro) live in a modest apartment in Buenos Aires. When he is forced into retirement and she is at risk of losing her job due to poor funding, they decide to visit their son, Pedro (Carlos Santamaria), who has a comfortable bourgoise lifestyle in Spain. After the father and son express their differences, Liliana and Fernando sell their apartment and buy a house in rural Cordoba. The middle-aged couple enjoy their new setting until Fernando develops pneumonia. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Written and directed by South American filmmaker Lisandro Duque Naranjo, Los Niños Invisibles is a magical childhood drama. Set in a small Columbian town during the 1950s, the story involves the adventures of young Rafael (Guillermo Castaneda) and his two best friends (Juvenal Camacho and Gustavo Angarita). Rafael is infatuated with his neighbor, Martha Cecilia (Acielo Ingrid Ospina), who he believes is an angel. In order to spy on her, he and his friends try to make themselves invisible. Los Niños Invisibles won Best Colombian film at the 2001 Bogotá Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

A teenager hits the road for a crash course in the ways of the world in this amiable comedy-drama. Daniel (Tomas Fonzi) is a 17-year-old orphan growing up in a sleepy village in rural Argentina. Daniel feels trapped in his town, has grown tired of living with his grandparents, and hates his job; one of his few pleasures in life is sneaking into a local movie house to watch the latest picture from blue movie star Sabrina Love (Cecilia Roth). Daniel enters a contest in which some lucky man will win a date with the sultry actress, and his heartfelt letter earns him the grand prize; now Daniel has to get to Buenos Aires for his moment of glory. As Daniel hitchhikes from one side of the country to the other, he has a number of remarkable experiences and encounters a handful of unusual people, including his brother (Fabian Vena), who hasn't yet accepted his parents' death; a free-thinking writer (Mario Paolucci); and a reporter (Julieta Cardinali) with amour on her mind. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Richard "Cheech" Marin, of Cheech & Chong fame, directed and starred in Born in East L.A.. Inspired by Marin's music-video parody of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA", the film casts Cheech as an East Los Angeles repairman. While paying a visit to a sweatshop toy factory, Cheech is caught in the middle when the feds raid the place and cart off all the illegal alien workers. Since he's forgotten to bring his own i.d., Cheech is also shipped off to Mexico-where, having next to no knowledge of the Spanish tongue, he's virtually helpless. Desperate, he takes a job with crooked Tijuana saloon owner Daniel Stern-the first of many "make-do" jobs that he assumes to earn enough money to return home. Along the way, he falls in love with El Salvadorian girl Kamala Lopez, whose English is as fractured as Cheech's Spanish. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Following the death of her philandering husband Carlos in an automobile accident, Luci and her sisters Graci and Mari decide to go to a seaside resort to have some badly needed fun. Their riotous, romantic summer is recounted by Luci's 15-year-old son Domingo. Before the accident, his mother and her siblings were popular comediennes known as the Three Graces. While at Benidorm, the resort, Luci is periodically haunted by the specter of Carlos who by and by lets her know that he was with 34 women during their marriage. Knowing that, she doesn't feel so guilty about becoming involved with the shy and handsome Italian Salvatore, whom Domingo suspects is responsible for the accident that killed his father. While the youth wrestles with those issues, his aunts are busily involved with their new lovers. The ever-insecure aspiring actress Graci gets involved with Victor, a delivery man moonlighting as a thief. The brassy, blonde Mari gets involved with the oily Claudio, an adulterous married man who nearly has a breakdown when he discovers that his wife has been unfaithful too. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Six people find themselves playing a romantic/sexual game of musical chairs in this quirky comedy-drama. Martin (Daniel Hendler) and Natalia (Mariana Anghileri) are a twentysomething couple who are in mid-argument when Martin accidentally runs into another car. As it happens, the other car was being driven by popular actor Gaston Pauls (playing himself); Gaston and his girlfriend, Andrea (Eva Sola), were en route to an interview with journalist Camila (Camila Toker). Martin tries to sort things out with Gaston, but after Andrea decides she's tired of listening to t