Parents' Guide to

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Tedious drama wastes its promise despite strong acting.

Movie R 2008 128 minutes
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What's the Story?

How did the Garcia girls -- 17-year-old Blanca (America Ferrera); her mother, Lolita (Elizabeth Peea); and her grandmother, Dooa Genoveva (Lucy Gallardo) -- spend their summer? By expanding their sexual and emotional horizons, that's how. Blanca's attracted to a newcomer to her Arizona town who's said to have a sketchy past; the husband of one of Lolita's customers at the meat shop is hitting on her, and she's tempted, even as she fends off the advances of the butcher; and Dooa Genoveva finds her yearnings rekindled when she buys a car she can't drive and enlists her gardener (Jorge Cervera Jr.) to teach her how. But that's not all she learns from him.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

You'd think the film's subject matter would make for an engrossing movie, but not so. Though the acting's fantastic, particularly the film's three leads, HOW THE GARCIA GIRLS SPENT THEIR SUMMER is tedious. It has so much potential -- it covers new ground by looking at intergenerational ennui, one of the reasons it may have won a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival -- but turns out unoriginal.

Some scenes dawdle for far too long, gumming up the works. Moments that ought to have been dramatic seem forced, and long before the film is over we sadly stop caring. Except perhaps for the gaggle of male retirees whose observations, spliced into the main story, elicit much-needed interest.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the women: How are they similar and different? What are each of them seeking? How do they handle their dissatisfaction? Is Blanca simply rebelling, or truly interested in exploring her sexuality? Why is Lolita tempted by her customer's husband? And why is Dooa Genoveva so mad at her daughter when she herself seems to need companionship?

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