When Carlos finally spots the climactic traffic light, his exhaustion, at least, feels earned.
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03/21/08
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Under the Same Moon (2008)
73
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:88
Fresh:64
Rotten:24
Average Rating:6.5/10
Consensus: If Under the Same Moon is often manipulative, it is also heartfelt, and features strong performances from its leads.
Theatrical Release:Mar 19, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $12,507,834
Synopsis: Director Patricia Riggen delivers a heartwarming debut with UNDER THE SAME MOON. The story of the enduring bond between mother and son, the film stars Kate del Castillo as Rosario, a mother... [More]
Starring: America Ferrera, Adrian Alonso, Jesse Garcia, Kate Del Castillo
Director: Patricia Riggen
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Reviews for Under the Same Moon
Tries so hard to put a human face on the immigration issue that it ends up feeling as genuine as a plastic Halloween mask.
03/21/08
Another one of those soft, simpleminded imports specifically designed for Western arthouse audiences, with everything spelled out in dialogue.
03/20/08
Under the Same Moon is a heartfelt story of unquenchable hope, with the plight of illegal immigrants serving as an intriguing and timely backdrop.
03/20/08
A harmless feel-good movie that tries to tell audiences what it's like to be a victimized immigrant, and mostly winds up telling them what it's like to have their heartstrings yanked, gratuitiously and often.
03/20/08
Whatever you feel about illegal immigration, those affected certainly deserve to have their stories heard, and they definitely deserve less mawkish and by-the-book stories than this.
03/20/08
It's unfortunate the actors who play the principles are so clean, beautiful and moral as it adds a touch of the inauthentic to what I imagine is more of a complicated, issue-oriented debate. Still, they have their hearts in the right place.
03/20/08
What does it say about a film when you believe only parts of the journey, yet are moved by the arrival?
03/20/08
Top CriticThanks to the uncommonly shrewd judgment of screenwriter Ligiah Villalobos and director Patricia Riggen, both newcomers, Under the Same Moon never feels like rank exploitation, even as it steadily aims for the emotional jugular.
03/20/08
An enjoyable story of hope and resilience, buoyed by the performances of Kate del Castillo as Rosario, the mom, and Adrian Alonso as Carlitos, her son.
03/20/08
A drama of mother-son love that lunges for the heart from its pulsating curtain raiser to its leap-for-joy fade out.
03/20/08
Top CriticA parade of cheap shots designed to provoke knee-jerk reactions; only a montage of puppies being slaughtered would be more manipulative.
03/20/08
[An] overly sentimental drama, which -- although sweetly well-intentioned -- is stereotypical and overwrought.
03/19/08
Directed, with visible earnestness, by Patricia Riggen, Under the Same Moon blunts the hard edges of immigration with a thick coating of preciousness.
03/19/08
Top CriticBefore you can say, 'Wow, that sounds boring,' director Patricia Riggen has smuggled us, with no-bull authority, into the rituals, jokes, and survival games of a culture of half-existence: people who live in two places and nowhere at all.
03/19/08
Top CriticAnyone looking for a deeper understanding of the immigrant experience won't find it in this disappointingly toothless drama.
03/19/08
The specific story, while formulaic, is carried soulfully by its three main actors, who make Under the Same Moon a success despite its flaws.
03/19/08
The actual storytelling is so filled with sunshine and resilient good cheer that true pathos of the situation never rings true.
03/19/08
Some situations may be too tied to contemporary reality to receive a fairy-tale touch. The illegal immigrant experience is one of them.
03/19/08
The magical glow makes it easier to address some heart-rending themes that might be too disturbing if told in a more straightforward manner.
03/19/08
Top CriticLatest News for Under the Same Moon
March 20, 2008:
Critics Consensus: Drillbit Taylor Flunks; Guess Shutter's and Meet the Browns' Tomatometer!
This week at the movies, we've got a wacky bodyguard (Drillbit Taylor, starring Owen Wilson and Leslie Mann), a wild family reunion (Meet the Browns, starring Angela Basset and... More...
March 12, 2008:
Pics and trailer with Kate De Castillo 
More...
September 08, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review.
More...
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