The movie is based on a true story about the undocumented high school students from Arizona, who participate in underwater robotics competition and compete against top universities in the Nation. With limited budget, but with creative minds and a desire to win, they manage to build a decent robot and manage to impress the judges with their presentation. I am a robotics coach and I took my robotics team to watch this film. Definitely a must-watch especially if you are a coach, teacher, student , or parent. The students also enjoyed it a lot and got inspired. The movie also has very good soundtracks and has funny scenes.
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bsb_rus25 February 2015
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janetruth6217 January 2015Okay, I admit it. I'm a robotics nerd. I managed a high school robotics team for three years and watched on the side-lines while my son participated on another team for four years. So, of course I went to see the new movie "Spare Parts" about the Carl Hayden High School Robotics Team that participated in a college-level underwater robotics competition and beat M.I.T. I've met Coach Freddie, and I've attended robotics competitions and meetings at Carl Hayden High School. There was no way I was going to miss this movie.
Having said all that, here are the reasons ALL OF YOU should see this movie. If you live in Arizona, you should see this inspirational movie about something that happened in your own state. (Yes, sometimes good things do happen in Arizona.) If you are an educator, a parent, or anyone who works with kids, you should see this movie to remember what can happen when we inspire kids and give them a chance to show us what they can do. If you're a nerd or a techie - just go see it! It's a show with a lot of heart, the right amount of humor, and some good acting and writing, too. -
Strange how these sort of "feel good" films -- based on actual events -- used to be more commonplace... and now have somehow become an endangered species..? SPARE PARTS is a serious film. By that I mean they used name stars and gave the film a full 2 hour running length. (Lately you can tell more about a film by the length than any other statistic -- the ones that clock in at exactly 1:25 are usually done on the cheap, intended to be sold to TV right away).
It might not win any Oscars but it is solid entertainment with no hiccoughs or offbeat moments.
For this reviewer, the oddest thing was identifying the "glue." In every story there is a character that the audience comes to identify with, and the actions of this key character often set the tone for how the audience will respond to the whole story.
What was interesting here is that the "glue" was Marisa Tomei, who is both the conscience and the heart of the film -- yet she does not have as much camera time as some of the other characters. She does an outstanding job of grounding the story, from beginning to end.
Highly recommended. -
Watched this on DVD from my public library. This is about a few kids and a teacher in an Albuquerque high school deciding they would build an underwater robot to compete in a national contest.
The central character and catalyst is Carlos PenaVega as Oscar Vazquez, a dedicated and polite young man who plans to join the Army and based on his prior ROTC experience hopes to start as an E3. But Carlos has an issue, he needs a birth certificate. He came to the US as an illegal when he was a very small boy and was undocumented.
But Carlos learns about the robotic competition and makes the request to new substitute math teacher, George Lopez as out-of-work engineer Dr. Fredi Cameron. (This character is a composite of two teachers that actually guided the kids.) Reluctant, because he didn't envision that it could lead anywhere, he gave in when Carlos found three other students for the team.
The community is not a wealthy one and part of the challenge was to raise money for building the remotely controlled robotic sub. They ultimately built it for just under $800 of parts, while many of the teams they would be competing against spent thousands.
This is a very nice movie, it has the inevitable feel-good ending, but is gratifying since it is a true story. Of note after all this Carlos voluntarily gave himself up, was deported, but returned legally, served in the military, and was brought to the White House for special recognition.
SPOILERS: When the team traveled to California for the competition and saw the line for the college competition was shorter they actually entered that competition because they didn't think it mattered. If they were to lose badly wouldn't it be better to lose to college teams? But their little PVC pipe and spare parts sub worked, and each team member explained it so well in the after competition interviews that counted for 30% of the overall score, they finished 1st, the beat the old champions MIT and other colleges. True story!! -
What, you thought this movie was about a group of high school kids who put together a robot and competed against some of the best teams in the world? Well, it's really only partially about that.
In terms of acting, I thought everyone did great, although the kids came off as being some of the whitest Mexican kids I've ever seen. George Lopez fit the role well enough even though he really came off as more of a coach than a science teacher. Still, I'm glad to see him doing movies, as I never cared much for his TV show and I do like the guy, he has a good presence on the screen.
Filming and scene choreography and editing are all fairly well done. You won't get any of the scene jumping or hard to follow nonsense that you sometimes get from other movies. This one is put together nicely and the story flows well. It's inspiring.
Aside from the story, the movie spends a great deal of time commenting on the state of illegal immigration here in the U.S. To say that this doesn't belong in the review of the movie is wrong, since the movie is clearly about that. And how could it not be? With George Lopez and Marisa Tomei teaming up to make witty punches at conservative ideals for most of it. Demonizing conservatives in the movies has always been a favorite strategy of the left.
As I identify as conservative, and since the first punch has already been thrown, I'd like to take just a second to be clear about where most conservatives stand on immigration: not all of us believe that every illegal should be deported. We believe in a 2-step solution.
1. It is clear that Pandora's box has already been opened for the past 40 years. When you have children growing up in the U.S., in our schools, and being educated as U.S. citizens, then it's time to let those kids stay here and give them the citizenship that they should have. A selective and partial amnesty makes sense.
2. This solution must coincide with the effective sealing of the border, a task that no president or congress, Republican or Democrat, has been willing to do. That is the key element to solving this problem, and that is what most conservatives at the ground level feel needs to be done.
Some of the other reviews and comments have also indicated a few subtle skewings to the truth of the story. Apparently in actuality there were two teachers for the robotics club and neither of them were Latino. Their robot also finished third in the applied contest, which I find to be a strange change to the story as it would have been easy to simply tell it the way it was.
But all politics and subtle skewings aside, this was a very good movie. Inspiring and well made, and fun to watch. I recommend it.
Thank you for reading. -
miller_family887924 January 2015This movie appears not be in wide release, at least in my area, but I would ask any parents with children in the 5th grade and above to consider seeing this move for the many messages and insights this film presents. Based on a true story of a four immigrant high school students in Arizona and their quest to compete in a prestigious robotics competition, you will find yourself by movie's end cheering and inspired while shedding a few tears along the way.
George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis, Marisa Tomei and Esai Morales provide good performances, but the real stars are the four young actors who portray the students. Their performances will draw you into their world and give you a brief glimpse into lives that few Americans have seen.
While the recreation of the competition itself is as intense as a sports movie, it is the path and the detours these four boys must make on the road to the competition that makes one contemplate aspects of our education and immigration policies.
Make sure to stay through the entire film to see pictures and information about the actual participants and what they did post high school. -
kenc-0523626 January 2021I saw this movie back in a 8th grade math class. I admit I only watched it because it had George Lopez but it was surprising entertaining. But this movie did have it's moments and was nice nice to know that it was based on an actual time. Although it does get a little slow in the 2nd quarter but it had some nice cheesy-ish humor.
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daxkitten26 January 2015Just returned from seeing this movie based on a true story. Four Hispanic-American high school students want to enter an underwater robotics competition which will pit their entry against some of the greatest tech minds in MIT, Cambridge, etc. Led by their reluctant, substitute teacher (George Lopez), they must use their fund-raising skills, minds, and teamwork to try to achieve an almost impossible goal.
What a GREAT flick. Very highly recommended. I give it 10 stars on IMDb and five stars on Fandango. I laughed, I cried, I laughed until I cried, I was deeply touched. It's inspiring, heart-warming, touching, well acted, and superbly paced.
Just go! -
When rating a movie, I wish that after 7 we could choose 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9 etc. because while this movie may not be an 8 (it's realistic but the language is too realistic for my ears). Otherwise I would have definitely considered an 8. George Lopez is just highly underrated. He is very talented in whatever he endeavors to achieve. So many of us knows what it is like to be poor, struggling, without the ability to overcome the odds, visiting the world of the rich or driving by their world realizing we do not even know how they live. That is what makes this movie one to cheer for. The majority of us have to fight all our lives to continue onward on our own unique journeys. Thank you for not inserting the usual immoral sex and nudity that most other movies resort to. Muchas gracias Jorge!!!!
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bbickley13-921-5866418 January 2015I love movies about science.
This was a very cool underdog story, similar to underdog stories found in sports movies, but this time, the sport is a science competition in which four Hispanic high schoolers dare to dream big by entering a robotics competition on a college level, and they end up surprising themselves most of all.
Based on a true story, when it comes to the competition itself the filmmakers got to keep it real. Their win was not perfect, but for me that's what made this the perfect underdogs become Victorious movie.
And for being his first semi-dramatic role, Gorge Lopez was the funniest I've ever seen in a picture. His name came first as the biggest star (despite having Jamie Lee Curtis and Marisa Tomei as his costars), but he was the supporting actor, cheering on these four boys as they achieve greatness beyond what their environment thought they could.
It's good to see and uplifting film, even better when it's about reality -
Life is consists of moments going by one at a time. What we choose to do with each moment can cause barely a ripple in the next, or it can completely change our life and the moments yet to be had. When Hollywood is able portray real examples of how such decisions in fact HAVE changed lives for the better, the movie itself has TWO qualities that must be considered. The first of course is the quality of production, script, direction, soundtrack, and so on that makes a movie viable or relegates it to B status. This movie PASSES such standards. Can you pick it apart technically in some regards? What movie can't you? I appreciated the non-patronizing, non-melodramatic script and the low key, down to earth portrayals of people who in fact are High School students and their teachers, not Ghandi or the American Sniper. The second aspect to consider with this movie is the balance of making it so their story can be told though within the constraints of budget allowed or not making it at all. I very happy they did make it and I would recommend it to anyone. Pick it apart to death if you like.. so what? The events really happened, regardless of whether this movie was made or not. yet some will still focus only on the production, and not the story.. sad...
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anuj-gupta-biotech4 July 2015I had no idea what I was going to watch except for the fact that it would be some kind of inspirational movie inspired by true events. Well, by the time I was done watching it, I had tears in my eyes, smile at my face and a prayer in my heart! This movie shows what a true attitude can do for oneself. Talent and money isn't everything. If one believes that one is putting one's heart and soul in a project, God will take care of the rest. The acting is flawless and every character has done a remarkable job in keeping the viewer engaged for the entire length of the movie. A soulful, family movie in these times is very rare and this is one of such gems!! I recommend everyone of you to watch it and experience God's way of enlightenment.
PS: Had I known basics of Robotics, I would have rated it 10 on 10! -
It is set in Carl Hayden Community High School in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2004. The school is 90% Hispanic and includes many undocumented students. The film is "based on a true story" published in Wired magazine in 2005.
The core roles are Fredi Cameron (George Lopez), a Hispanic engineer with a Ph. D. who is at loose ends after the death of his three-year-old daughter in a traffic accident, and the subsequent collapse of his marriage. He takes a substitute teaching job at the school and becomes the Robotics Club advisor that wants to enter an underwater robotics competition in California. Gathered around him are four students, most of them undocumented.
Oscar (Carlos PenaVega) is a good-looking, straight-laced, and disciplined guy who has been in ROTC throughout high school and wants to join the military but cannot because he is undocumented. Lorenzo (José Julían) is a practical genius figuring out engines and electronics headed for a life of larceny until he joins the club. Cristian (David Del Rio) is a scrawny but brilliant academic who is often bullied and does the project's theoretical planning. Luis (Oscar Gutierrez) is a big football lineman type who sometimes defends Cristian, is no academic, but is brought on board to do the heavy lifting of the 100-pound robot. The school's principal (Jamie Lee Curtis) is a live-wire administrator ideally suited to a school such as this one.
The story follows the ups and downs in the lives of the various characters, works in a little romance, and follows the team to the competition in Santa Barbara, California that they win.
This is a feel-good movie that is fun to watch, with a lot of humor mixed into the story-line. It departs from reality at numerous points. But this is a fun evening's entertainment. -
Based on how this was hyped, it now appears incredibly controversial as to why the Carl Hayden High School won this competition. In the actual underwater challenge they finished 3rd behind MIT which completed the most challenges. So in effect MIT still had the best robot but since the competition also factored in their engineering interview and a review of each group's technical manual they somehow won the entire competition. I am incredibly suspicious that MIT did a worse job in the engineering interview or with their technical manual. Not buying this since at the end of the day the robot that can complete the most challenges should be the winning robot. This challenge is supposed to show who are the better engineers not who are the better salesmen. Sorry but it seems like it was handed to them.
Further evidence this is misleading BS. If the Carl Hayden Team was really full of engineering geniuses they would be employed as such.
Carl Hayden Team (Luis Aranda, Lorenzo Santillan, Cristian Arcega, Oscar Vazquez)
Where are these engineering geniuses now?
Luis Aranda (Janitor); Lorenzo Santillan (Line Cook); Cristian Arcega (Worked at Home Depot); Oscar Vazquez (Railroad Foreman)
MIT Team (Kurt Stiehl, Lauren Cooney, Jordan Stanway, Thaddeus Stefanov- Wagner)
Kurt Stiehl (Product Design Manager at Apple Inc.); Lauren Cooney (Embedded Software Engineer at Teledyne Webb Research); Jordan Stanway (Postdoctoral Fellow at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute); Thaddeus Stefanov-Wagner (Mechanical Engineer at Bluefin Robotics) -
jb_campo21 April 2017Spare Parts closely mimics Disney's McFarland. A group of high school kids get tutored by an outsider who comes into their community. They exceed expectations, compete against a rich, white community, and overachieve with no budget or support. McFarland used running, while Spare Parts used science. They even had the same scene where the kids go to California, never saw an ocean, and go jumping around in it. Plus the star gets a non-immigrant girlfriend.
Despite this obvious borrowing of plot, the story succeeds because of the strong acting from George Lopez as the teacher, Marisa Tomei as a counselor, and Jamie Lee Curtis as the hilarious principal.
The bottom line is again that these kids have no shot at success. They have no papers, illegals. But somehow they get inspired to try to make something from basically nothing. They are smart, and tough, but they need a chance.
The movie states that it is based on a true story, and the end credits show real pictures of the real people, like is done in so many based-on-true-story movies.
I liked Spare Parts, but I think McFarland was better, perhaps because of Kevin Costner's role having more body to it, vs George Lopez, whose character never got fully developed enough to make you feel more for him. At any rate, for a feel good movie, Spare Parts will give you good feelings, so I recommend it. Enjoy. -
We all love a good underdog story, especially one that rings true – because it is. And all the better when that story gives us characters portrayed more deeply than just people generally frustrated by life who are simply trying to do one great thing. Then, on top of all that, if the film can explore an important social issue – and still be entertaining, well, what more can you ask? "Spare Parts" (PG-13, 1:23) does all that and more.
This film centers on four Hispanic high schoolers who were made famous by a "Wired" magazine article after they entered a national underwater robotics competition against major colleges and did better than anyone expected. The four teenage boys each bring something vital to the table. There's the robotics enthusiast – and group leader – Oscar (Carlos PenaVega), the computer genius, Christian (David Del Rio), the mechanics expert, Lorenzo (José Julián) and Luis (Oscar Gutierrez), the strong but silent type whose brawn is needed to lift the robot out of the water at the competition, but ends up contributing more than just his muscles to the team. Each of these young men is being hindered from making something of himself by serious problems in his personal life. Luis is treated by everyone as if his size and quiet manner equates to a lack of intelligence, Christian is constantly bullied, Lorenzo is expected by his harsh and demanding father (Esai Morales) to make keeping his younger brother out of trouble his purpose in life and Oscar dreams of joining the Army, but is denied because he lacks the necessary documents. That brings us to the problem that all four boys share – they are undocumented residents of the United States, brought here as young children by their parents. Each boy is constantly looking over his shoulder for immigration authorities as he tries to live his life and do right by himself and his family.
In addition to each team member's personal issues, there are interpersonal issues between some of them. It would take a strong person to get these guys to work together and help them achieve something special, in spite of their personal challenges. Enter Fredi Cameron (George Lopez), an engineer with a PhD who is having trouble finding a long-term job and settles for a position as a substitute teacher, which includes supervising the engineering club. At first reluctant to get involved in the personal lives of the students, he is sympathetic to their situations and recognizes that they all need someone to guide them – and believe in them. But he's not in this alone. He makes friends with another teacher (Marisa Tomei) who has some talents of her own to contribute to the team – and helps Dr. Cameron see the importance of the position he is in. He's also backed up by a tough, but caring principal, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. With the talent, the desire and the support to do something special, the team does their best to work through their individual challenges, get past their personal differences, and become a team that can raise the money to build their robot and hold their own in the competition.
"Spare Parts" could have been a run-of-the-mill underdog story, but it becomes something both broader and deeper than you might expect. By exploring each character's individual challenges, we get a sense of who each of these young men are – and likely end up identifying with one or more of them, regardless of whether we can relate to the specifics of their respective situations. By showing us the obstacles that these undocumented immigrants face in trying to make something of their lives – or just hold on to hope, it forces us to think about an ongoing social and political issue and what it means to real people. The script seems, at times, to sand off the rough edges from the tough circumstances it portrays, but it also tells the story with drama, humor and, especially humanity. This is an interesting, entertaining, thought-provoking and touching film. It may cause a tear, it will probably cause you to think and it will almost definitely cause you to enjoy your hour and a half in the theater. "A" -
Around March of this year, I saw McFarland, USA. It was lightweight, breezy, and culture-based. It also made me believe in Kevin Costner again not to mention any added faith in the almighty sports flick. 2015's Spare Parts (my latest review) doesn't have a lick to do with cross country running ("McFarland's" vital concern). But the themes are similar. You have the unruly school, the teacher who takes a job at said school only as temporary until something better comes along, the students who are deemed underprivileged while being told of their place in life, and the unheralded, long shot circumstances that affect every denizen involved. Costner's spring release sort of found its audience. "Parts" didn't exactly find theirs (underwater, robotics competition as plot fodder isn't the most sexy choice for your everyday moviegoer). Regardless, this is a film that still wrestles up enough inspiration to suffice at least a solid rental. Spare Parts is for the most part, "sparingly" good.
Technically, this eighty-three minute exercise was unleashed into theaters two months before the aforementioned "McFarland". Therefore, it would be hard-pressed not to give it its rightful due. The similitude factor is enormous but I think "Parts" veers in a more telling direction. The script here brims with plenty of effective, engineering lingo. Therefore, it's a neat trick when the filmmakers know what they're talking about, true story sensibilities are cradled, and research to avoid dumbing down the cinematic patron seems hard-fought.
Shot entirely in Albuquerque, New Mexico (which masquerades as Phoenix, Arizona), based on true events, and taking place in the early 2000's, Spare Parts is affecting and grandiose despite containing some unintentional, TV movie interludes. Director Sean McNamara utilizes virtual unknowns (David Del Rio, Carlos PenaVega), resurfacing troupers (Esai Morales), and familiar actors/actresses (George Lopez, Marisa Tomei, Jamie Lee Curtis) to hurry things along. The story begins by chronicling non-fictional, Carl Hayden Community High School. Its newest teacher isn't really a teacher, he's an engineer. He goes by the name of Mr. Fredi Cameron (George Lopez) and he takes a job there to bide his time. He's knows that this is not his life's calling but needs the work and likes to educate young minds. He also has to tend to a club that meets after class. This is a club with no members (at the moment) and it's suppose to deal in computer science along with you guessed it, robotics. When someone shows up, he's hesitant but eventually listens to the idea of getting a team together. This team of four high schoolers will build a robot (with a budget of only $800), venture to Santa Barbara, California, and go up against MIT students in a competitive environment. They consist of Oscar Vazquez (played by Carlos Pena, Jr.), Christian Arcega (played by David Del Rio), Luis Arranda (played by Oscar Gutierrez), and Lorenzo Santillan (played by Jose Julian). They for the most part, don't know each other from Adam and are all in different cliques (one of them is oafish and friendly, another has aspirations of being in the US Army, one of them is nerdy but smart as a tack, and the rebel in the group can fix anything, especially cars). But they come together for one common goal: They want to use their expedition as footing for getting college scholarships. This is where the feel good element comes into play. Going into Spare Parts, I didn't think a film about this type of subject matter would grab me. Well it does. The filmmakers thrive on flair while giving every other movie cliché the heave-ho.
Now I've gotta admit, George Lopez really surprised me in the lead role here. His Fredi Cameron employs seriousness, doubt, and some surmised guilt. With a shade of grey goatee and a downplayed persona, he almost completely resembles Kevin Costner's real-life Jim White (in personality mind you, not looks). He really works well with the young cast and somehow breaks away from his nutso comedic screen time via the self- titled sitcom, George Lopez (but of course).
All in all, despite harboring some underdeveloped characters (at a running time of under an hour and a half, it seems unavoidable), some banal characters (the disapproving, stubborn father, the teacher with a past, the token female love interest/teacher co-worker), and a final credits montage where the real-life people involved, aren't split- screened next to the actors playing them (I feel this is necessary to avoid confusion), Spare Parts still gets my recommendation. It was a joy on screen, to see these four youthful, highly intelligent players poised to make something of themselves despite their illegal immigration status. You want them to succeed and you want them to at least find their unequivocal Waterloo. Overall, this is a vehicle that ranks among the best I've seen so far this year. It's an underdog unguarded. My rating: 3 stars.
Of note: In regards to the film's designation, Spare Parts comes off as a little obvious and ordinary. This is an inspirational, mildly heart- tugging feature that deserves a more honorable title than something having to do with repairables and consumables (boring). Now I don't have any clout and it's probably too late, but might I suggest "La Vida Robot" (the article in Wired Magazine that "Parts" was adapted from) or maybe even the simplistic, Carl Hayden High. That's my two cents. You can take it or leave it. -
The true parts of this story are incredible. Inspiring. Embellished no doubt, but still unbelievable. Check the facts after you see it. It could rekindle the flame in any faltering teacher as to their impact on those fragile adolescents around them. The adage is true "when life gives you lemons, make some fantastic lemonade". Never truer in this story. Very surprising and at times predictable, as life sometimes is, but entertaining none the less. George Lopez makes you want to watch and see where this goes. The boys appear to live for his approval, and he is eager to give it. It is much about fatherhood and the bond with sons. Several of the boys make you forget they are actors. Jaime Lee Curtis seems like she has been a high-school principal all her life. I couldn't get my mind off it for hours after I saw it. Leaves you feeling good, and that is not such a bad thing, is it?
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SnoopyStyle12 July 2016Many of the kids attending Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix are undocumented immigrants. One of them is Oscar Vazquez (Carlos PenaVega) who is stopped from applying for the Army. Next, he tries to participate in an underwater robotics competition against some of the best schools in the country. Fredi Cameron (George Lopez) reluctantly accepts being the adviser. He's an out-of-work engineer and the new science substitute teacher. Gwen Kolinsky (Marisa Tomei) is the math teacher and Karen Lowry (Jamie Lee Curtis) is the principal. Oscar recruits computer geek Cristian Arcega and Fredi presses mechanic/thief Lorenzo Santillan to join. The four kids in the group are all illegals.
This story is compelling. There may be a little too much melodrama. The family drama and ICE problems are expected. Teacher Cameron's own problems and romantic issues are probably excessive taking away attention from the kids. There is a bit of humor although Lopez is not playing a comedic character. It's a sincere telling of a true story. The competition has some tension although it could be structured better. It's a nice family-friendly story with a timely important issue. -
hugo-21119 July 2015Great movie with an inspirational story of going up against the odds and pulling through with ingenuity, persistence and vision. This story would resonate deeply for anyone who came to the US with nothing but their dreams. The story and lesson here about gratitude may soften those that have taken their freedom a bit for granted. (Just my opinion) In short, moving story with an ongoing issue that may allow for hardliners to just soften up a bit. Can't say to much else without giving away more. you'll have to see it for yourself. These young actors did a very good job in portraying their situations. George's performance here doesn't disappoint. I thought he only did well in comedic roles, but this one certainly puts him out there to show he can act, bringing you into his role forgetting he is a comedian. Malisa and Jamie also do very well with this one. Looks like everyone had a great time doing this film and brought us (The viewers) along for the ride of this great story.
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We love the underdog don't we ? We love it when a pub team of footballers beats a team full of multi-millionaire household names , we like to see the top dogs humiliated and if the underdogs are nice guys so much the better because it gives us a nice happy , warm , feeling . This extends to fictional cinema . I can't help thinking a lot of films are hideously overrated because of their feel good factor . THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION is a great example which astonishes me that is the top rated movie of this website . Likewise THE FULL MONTY which broke British box office records a few years . A feel good story seems to equate with a good story but this isn't necessarily the case in my humble worthless cynical opinion . SPARE PARTS is probably another example of what I'm talking about
In its favour SPARE PARTS is based on a true story about a bunch of high school students with zero experience and little knowledge of engineering building a robot to take part in an annual underwater robotics competition That said anything this "Based on a true story" the operative word is "based" and not "true" . While watching the film I did have a nagging suspicion that things had been embellished , characterization changed and history rewritten in order to create a happier story . As it turns out someone on the message board of this page has posted a link to Wired magazine telling the true story of La Vida Robot and the story behind the four high school students from Phoenix Arizona . Reading the article it becomes very clear that some liberties have been taken with the story and paradoxically some these liberties haven't in anyway improved the story . Indeed the film ends with a brief resume of what happened to the students in real life and Oscar's story seems as if there's another bio-pic on him just waiting to be told . If we get a that sequel hopefully it'll be better than this rather bland film -
kz917-15 July 2017Fantastic family friendly movie about perseverance and heart. Based on a true story about immigrant high school kids that form a robotics club in an attempt to get a leg up on their next journey in life. They face many obstacles: family, money, no papers, bad attitudes; but they have heart, will, & determination in spades! Lovely movie worth a rental. Fun for the whole family.
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edindinger1 August 2020I saw this movie on Roku and decided to see how good it was considering George Lopez. Jamie Lee Curtis, Esai Morales, Alexa Vega and Marisa Tomei are all in it. This is the best acting Lopez has ever done. It's amazing how the high school kids beat out Ivy League colleges at the robotics contest. Very good acting overall. Plus, it's a true story. Nice heartwarming movie, too. Aside from "Soul Surfer" this is one of Sean McNamara's best films. I highly recommend it.
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I found the rating of this movie to be over reaching. While the cast was an interesting blend, I just didn't feel much of the characters fit. Lopez didn't feel like he connected at all, and many of the scenes were very forced.
I really appreciate that this is a true story, but I felt the acting (or maybe the directing) was just off point. the 5 stars are simply for the story told.
I will say Esai Morales, José Julián, and Marisa Tomei did a pretty good job for their roles, they felt believable. I was surprised that Jamie Lee Curtis went for the role she did, while it was completely believable, there were some parts that had me going "really? ...why would she do that?" Carlos PenaVega was believable but the acting fell short in many cases, again forced emotions and sloppy writing for certain situations. Young actors are often caught posing and much like project almanac, often blank or shy smiling in moments that don't call for it. -
stevendbeard19 February 2015I saw "Spare Parts", starring George Lopez-Valentine's Day, Fatal Instinct; Marisa Tomei-The Lincoln Lawyer, Wild Hogs; Carlos PenaVega- Big Time Rush_tv, Little Birds; Alexa PenaVega-Machete Kills, Carmen in the Spy Kids movies, FYI:she is also married to Carlos and Jamie Lee Curtis-Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Trading Places.
This is based on a true story about 4 Hispanic-and also illegal-high school kids that competed against college kids in a scholastic competition. George plays a substitute teacher at the high school with lots of underprivileged students. He teaches science and engineering and only plans on being there for 4 months. Carlos is one of the students that wants to better himself. He is in the ROTC and decides to join the Army, but he can not enlist because he is an illegal. He finds out about an underwater robotics competition with lots of other schools competing and decides to form a work group with 3 other fellow students, with similar interests. Not only are the kids broke but so is the school. But George guides them in the fine art of begging for donations from some of the local merchants. Marisa plays a fellow teacher that also likes George romantically and Jamie Lee is the principal of the high school. Alexa plays Carlos' girlfriend-not a big stretch, seeing as how they are married in real life. They end up with about $800.00 for their budget and they find used auto parts-or you could say, spare parts-to complete their robot. In contrast, MIT and other schools spent around $18,000.00. At the end of the movie, you learn what all of the students are doing with their lives now and you also see pictures of the real people. It's rated "PG-13" for violence and language and has a running time of 1 hour & 23 minutes. It is a heart-warming story but not one that I would buy on DVD-one viewing was enough. It would be a good rental.