Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with These Must-Watch Films Honoring Mexican Culture
Reel Movie Reviews: Cinco de Mayo
By Donovan Darling, Staff Writer
Coco (2017)
A visually stunning Disney-Pixar movie, Coco honors Mexican culture through the holiday Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The story follows Miguel (voiced by Anthony Gonzalez), a young boy who dreams of becoming a musician despite his family’s utter ban on music. After a mysterious journey to the Land of the Dead, Miguel uncovers hidden family secrets and learns the true meaning and importance of remembering and honoring ancestors. Kids will love the colorful world, charming characters, and catchy songs, while adults will appreciate the deeper themes of family, tradition, and legacy, making Coco a visual and emotional experience for the whole family. The movie also advocates for following your dreams while staying connected to loved ones. Starring Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach, and more. Rated PG for thematic elements, such as the afterlife.
Nacho Libre (2006)
Nacho Libre (2006) A quirky, upbeat comedy that celebrates Mexican culture through the colorful world of lucha libre wrestling. Jack Black stars as Ignacio, a kind-hearted but clumsy cook at a Catholic orphanage who dreams of becoming a luchador to earn money for the kids. Despite his awkwardness, he teams up with scrappy Esqueleto (Héctor Jiménez) to compete in underground wrestling matches, facing off against silly opponents in a series of absurd battles. With its warmhearted underdog story, vibrant costumes, slapstick humor and heart, Nacho Libre is a loving (albeit exaggerated) tribute to Mexico’s wrestling legacy. Starring Jack Black, Héctor Jiménez, Ana de la Reguera, and more. Rated PG for some rough action, mild language, and crude humor.
Roma (2018)
Roma (2018)A slice-of-life shot in black and white, Roma is a dramatic and semi-autobiographical movie set in Mexico City in the early 1970s. The story follows Cleo, an Indigenous live-in maid, working for a middle-class family in the Colonia Roma neighborhood. The story is mostly told through Cleo’s perspective, revealing the mundane and beautiful moments of her daily life, personal struggles, and the sociopolitical turbulence of the era. Early in the movie things take a turn, as Cleo is unexpectedly pregnant and the family she works for begins to suddenly fall apart. Roma is a visually gorgeous, deeply emotional expression of memory, class, and the quiet resilience of women. The movie also won three Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Foreign Language Film. Rated R for brief nudity and intimacy, violence, language, and mature themes.
What is Cinco de Mayo?
Though often mistaken for Mexico’s Independence Day, it commemorates a smaller but symbolic victory where a vastly outnumbered Mexican army, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza, defeated the French forces. While not a major holiday in Mexico, it is widely celebrated in the United States, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American communities. The modern holiday has become a celebration of Mexican culture, featuring parades, music, traditional foods, and festivals that highlight the country’s heritage and contributions to American society.
