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The Perez Family
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Wikipedia article
'The Perez Family' is an American comedy film released in 1995 about a group of Cuban refugees in America who pretend to be a family. It stars Marisa Tomei, Alfred Molina, Anjelica Huston, Chazz Palminteri, and other well-known actors. It was based on the 1990 novel 'The Perez Family' by Christine Bell. The film was directed by Mira Nair.
The premise was that a group of unrelated people, who happened to share the last name "Prez", realized they could more easily stay in America if they pretended to be family. Set in 1980 during the Mariel boatlift, the movie shows Juan Ral Prez (Alfred Molina), a former aristocrat and newly released political prisoner, seeking to return to his wife, now in America, after 20 years. Dottie Prez (Marisa Tomei) is a former prostitute, who Juan meets. U.S. Immigration officials assume the two are married, because of the common last name. The potential for a real romantic relationship between the couple sets the basis for much of the rest of the film.
Cast
Selective cast listing:
*Marisa Tomei - Dorita Evita Prez
*Alfred Molina - Juan Ral Prez
*Anjelica Huston - Carmela Prez
*Chazz Palminteri - Lt. John Pirelli
*Trini Alvarado - Teresa Prez
*Celia Cruz - Luz Pat
*Ranjit Chowdhry - Indian immigration official
*Diego Wallraff - ngel Daz
*Ellen Cleghorne - Officer Rhoades
*Angela Lanza - Flavia
*Jose Felipe Padron - Felipe Prez
*Lzaro Prez - Armando 'Papi' Prez
*Bill Sage - Steve Steverino
*Vincent Gallo - Orlando
*Billy Hopkins - Father Aiden
*Ruben Rabasa - Father Martnez
*Melissa Anne Acosta - Isabel
Archival footage of Jimmy Carter and Fidel Castro also appeared in the film.
Reception
'The Perez Family' received mixed reviews from critics, as it holds a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 reviews.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack composed by Alan Silvestri was released by Music Box Records, paired with his score for 'Clean Slate'.
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