Latinos Beyond Reel

Miguel Picker and Chyng Sun's documentary offers a historic overview of the unflattering stereotypes of Hispanics—who make up the fastest-growing minority in the United States—presented by the entertainment industry and the media during the past century. Clips from movies, cartoons, and TV (newscasts, dramas, and comedies) are interspersed with interviews of various Hispanic professionals—along with testimonials from children and adults who describe the feelings generated by these images. Mexicans, in particular, have been on the receiving end of atrocious misrepresentation, with the men almost always portrayed as slovenly and vicious bandits (Wallace Beery in Viva Villa! is shown as a nadir of stereotyping), and women as oversexed spitfires. In the past few decades, Latin American immigrants have been largely portrayed as either violent drug gangsters or passive domestic employees. Even animated characters perpetuate stereotypes, via the Speedy Gonzales shorts or the once-popular commercials featuring the Frito Bandito. The film notes some positive recent examples, most notably on television with Dora the Explorer, George Lopez's sitcom, and Ugly Betty; but it insists that TV's highest-profile Hispanic star, Sofia Vergara of Modern Family, is still playing an overripe stereotype. The research presented here is occasionally off-target, as in the statement that the media have never shown Mexican men as heroes—a claim that ignores the popularity of the Zorro and Cisco Kid characters—but overall this is a disturbing portrayal of intolerance in the guise of entertainment. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)