Parents' Guide to ¡Que Viva Mexico!

Movie R 2023 191 minutes
Que Viva Mexico Movie Poster: All the cast in various poses outside, with a safe on the ground between several of them

Common Sense Media Review

Stephanie Myers By Stephanie Myers , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Greedy family argues over inheritance in offensive comedy.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Que Viva Mexico Movie: Damian Alcazar, Alfonso Herrera, Ana de la Reguera, and various other characters sit at a long table eating dinner
  • Que Viva Mexico Movie: Damian Alcazar, Alfonso Herrera, Ana de la Reguera, and three other characters stand outside at a funeral
  • Que Viva Mexico Movie: Damian Alcazar, Alfonso Herrera , Ana de la Reguera, and one other actress stand inside looking at a room

Parent and Kid Reviews

See all

What's the Story?

¡QUE VIVA MEXICO! tells the story of Pancho (Alfonso Herrera), who has a good job but lives beyond his means. When his father, Rosendo (Damian Alcazar), calls to tell Pancho that his grandfather has died, Pancho, his wife, Mari (Ana de la Reguera), their two kids, and the nanny all go to his hometown to hear the will in the hopes of an inheritance. Pancho hasn't seen any of his family in 20 years because he's ashamed of their poverty. And his family members are jealous of Pancho's wealth and status and constantly ask him to pay for things. When they find out that he has indeed inherited his grandfather's house, land, and safe, they start scheming to get any valuables, going so far as to sneak into Pancho and Mari's room to steal the safe. Chaos ensues, Pancho ends up shooting one of the invaders, and he winds up in jail. He might be able to get out if he can bribe the judge, but now he can't remember where he hid his inherited gold. Can his family work together to find it and help him -- or will their greed triumph?

Is It Any Good?

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

This long-winded comedy explores classism, greed, and corruption. But not one of the characters in ¡Que Viva Mexico! has any redeeming qualities. Every single member of the family (as well as Pancho's boss and other characters) is greedy or allows greed to corrupt them. Many are also misogynistic, transphobic, and classist. There are a few theoretical laughs, but most of the comedy is offensive and/or comes at the expense of a vulnerable character. The fact that the film is more than three hours long is also a big turn-off. It could have been at least one hour shorter and had the same outcome. The actors do their best, but because of the rampant stereotyping, any kind of cautionary message about greed falls flat.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the representations in ¡Que Viva Mexico! How are the characters stereotypical? Why are stereotypes harmful?

  • How are women treated/portrayed in the film? What message does that send?

  • How do Pancho's family members react to his wife and children -- and how does she react to them? How was there discrimination on both sides?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Que Viva Mexico Movie Poster: All the cast in various poses outside, with a safe on the ground between several of them

What to Watch Next

See all

Best Movies with Mexican and Mexican American Characters

See all

Best Family Comedy Movies

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate