the audience applauded

A Major Disappointment

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Illegal immigrant Rosario (Kate del Castillo) works as a cleaning lady in L.A. to send money back to Mexico for her mother and her son Carlitos. Carlitos hangs out with the local Coyote Doña Carmen. An American couple (America Ferrera) offers to take babies across the border but Carmen dismisses them. When Carlitos' grandmother dies, he fears his uncle getting custody and calls up the American couple to smuggle him across the border to find his mother. He faces multiple challenges with only a payphone number his connection to his mother.The story is split in two following separately the mother and the child. The mother's story is capably told with the beautiful Kate del Castillo. The boy's story holds some of the most compelling situations although it does meander somewhat. The kid is fine. The turn to find his father is convenient at best and would be better not to be introduced. His friendship with Enrique is the best part. The duo is like a Chaplin and the kid. This is a fine melodrama with some good work. As a message movie about illegals in America, it may be good or bad depending on the audience.

it's nice and all, but a lot of things were sorta cheesy. there was one scene where the "moon" (which is pretty significant considering it's in the title of the movie) looked like some poster covering the window. then before *spoiler alert* the grandma died, the boy had been crying because he missed his mom. apparently his last name is Reyes, so she tells him "don't cry. we are Reyes, and Reyes are strong." i'm not sure if any of this is even an accurate representation of like how Mexicans really talk to their grandchildren, but cringey things like this sorta take away from the whole viewing experience. i mean, it didn't really look like she was consoling him, she was just kinda telling him to stop crying because he had a certain last name. i'll admit i'm being petty on that part, but there was a scene where he was panting like crazy and he kept looking out of a peephole while they were trying to cross the border and he was locked away, and the cop just ignored him. and how did Carlitos exit the car? he just kinda popped out of nowhere into some place and expected to buy a ticket. and why were America Ferrera and her boy toy okay with letting some kid die in the extreme heat of the car? and lettuce not forget how a 9 year old kid could persuade a restaurant manager in under 2 minutes to hire 2 people. this wouldn't happen. and somehow in those 2 minutes, he *alone* had also persuaded the manager to lend them a place to stay. wtf ever that's just dumb and lazy writing. not to mention whoever played that manager thing was the *worst* actor in this movie. Edit: I'm watching this in class so I saw it piece by piece and let me say how p'd off I am that Carlitos and that one dude hung out a lot and he was even a father figure at some point and got arrested for dumb Carlitos but the credits roll after that stupid reunion and we never hear of him again? He got arrested and probably sent back to Mexico for that kid and that's it. That's really it? I did not like this movie. From 7 to a 5. It would have made up for it if the mom had been ran over or something and it changed the feeling entirely but nope it still remained a "sweet" movie without caring about *major* characters

Under the Same Moon is a heart-wrenching story about a young boy trying to find his mother in America. He daringly crosses the border from Mexico, risking his life to finally be at peace in his mother's arms. It is a beautiful story of friendship and yearning filled with moments that will make you cry and moments that will make your heart grow ten times it size. The young boy, named Carlitos, plays the role of an abandoned child incredibly, leaving his home after his Grandmother passes away. He puts his life into the hands of two unskilled coyotes that just barely get him across the border. Carlitos meets many helpful people along the way, one who risks his own deportation so Carlitos can find his mother. Rosario, Carlitos's mother, played by Kate del Castillo, portrays her role with such emotion that you can't help but believe that this situation is real. She struggles to find work so she can make enough money to pay a lawyer to help her obtain a green card and move her son to California. The movie portrays, what I believe to be accurately, what it means to live in America as an illegal immigrant. There are scenes when workers are taken away to be deported, and you can't help but think about those who are living in fear every day of being sent back to Mexico. The movie did a great job of shedding light on the topic of illegal immigration evoking sympathy from the audience. It was an incredible movie that everyone should see. Make sure to bring a box of tissues!

Under The Same Moon is a thoughtful and heartwarming story which describes the struggles of a young boy, Carlito , in his quest to cross the Mexican American border and find his mother. The movie highlights the struggles of crossing the border and the turmoil that illegal immigrants face while living in the United States. In some of the scenes the director explores how hard it is for an illegal immigrant to hold a steady job and then find a new job. Additionally, there are examples of how some illegal immigrants go through the process of becoming legal residents through marriage. The movie was effective in depicting the plight of illegal immigrants while simultaneously highlighting the concerns over treatment in regards to illegal immigrants. The border patrol and authorities were highly abusive in the movie towards illegal immigrants which is not necessarily an appropriate response for treating illegals. However presenting such a view of illegal immigrants is important for viewers to truly understand the dangers that illegal immigrants face. Luckily for viewers the movie had a positive outcome where Carlito was reunited with his mother. While such a ending is important for hope, the movie fails to acknowledge all the scenarios where such a positive outcome does not work out. In many cases those who successfully cross the border are caught and then deported. Overall, the movie was at 7.0 out of 10. The story was inspirational and enlightening however was not completely informative in regards to illegal immigration.