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A Better Life

Play trailer Poster for A Better Life PG-13 Released Jun 24, 2011 1h 38m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 104 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Carlos Galindo (Demián Bichir), a Mexican undocumented immigrant and veteran Los Angeles day laborer, has trouble connecting with his son, Luis (José Julián), whose gang-affiliated girlfriend is tempting him to ignore his father's example of clean living. Carlos buys a truck to begin working as a self-employed man and earn more money, but when it is stolen, his hopes for a more affluent life are dashed. Unable to turn to the police for help, father and son embark on a quest to find the vehicle.
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A Better Life

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Critics Consensus

Powered by a terrific performance from Demián Bichir, A Better Life is an immigrant story told with simplicity and an ample amount of heart.

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Critics Reviews

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Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard It speaks well enough about the fate of immigrants everywhere, especially those who want to work hard but end up being exploited. Rated: 3/5 Jul 29, 2011 Full Review Cath Clarke Guardian Bichir carries it all with a measured performance of considerable emotion as the dad, clenched by so many years holding his breath, waiting for the knock at the door. Rated: 3/5 Jul 28, 2011 Full Review Nigel Andrews Financial Times Fresh, human, insightful, moving. Jul 28, 2011 Full Review Michael Leader Den of Geek This is the sort of tepid tragedy, all sentiment and no cojones, that one could previously malign as a TV movie, as it attempts to say nothing new about the issues at hand. Rated: 2/5 May 7, 2024 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies It’s hard not to get wrapped up in the lives of these two people even if we pretty much know how everything is going to end. Rated: 4/5 Aug 19, 2022 Full Review Jack Fleischer Battleship Pretension The film takes a great turn in a very simple scene that manages to wrench out both high hope and deep tension all within the context of yard work. Mar 24, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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John C This movie is something else for me it made me tear I definitely loved it Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/17/25 Full Review Audience Member I hope anyone who watches this can feel even a bit of sympathy for undocumented immigrants. They're simply seeking a better life—one that their own country, for various reasons, can't provide. No one deserves to have their family torn apart. It's heartbreaking to think about how many people, like Luis and me, live with the constant fear that our parents could be taken from us at any moment—even though they’re honest, hardworking PEOPLE. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/25 Full Review Brenda-Sofia M Great film that hit close to home, don't understand why it has a 68% rating. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/06/24 Full Review Viri M A movie that hits close to home. Great performances! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/06/23 Full Review Debra B Incredible movie. Highly recommend. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Una mejor vida es una pelicula sobre un hombre illegal y su hijo vivendo en California. El padre Carlos compra un camioneta de jardinero y da un hombre un trabajo y este hombre se roba la camioneta de Carlos. A mi me gusto esta pelicula por la trama. Tambien me gusto los personajes porque todos tenian un parte importante al historia. Tercero me gusto los actores porque hicieron un buen trabajo en demuestrar los personajes. Cuando Carlos y su hijo Luis encontraron el hombre que robo el camioneta empieza a pegarlo y dice que vendio el camioneta. Carlos y Luis van robarlo en regreso del vendor y son parado por la policia y Carlos no tiene su licencia ni ciudadanía. Carlos es encarcelado y deportado a Mexico y eso es el fin del pelicula. A mi no me gusto el fin porque no tenia un terminación definitiva. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Chris Weitz

Director

Demián Bichir

Carlos Riquelme

José Julián

Luis Riquelme

Dolores Heredia

Anita

Joaquín Cosio

Blasco

Carlos Linares

Santiago

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Movie Info

Synopsis Carlos Galindo (Demián Bichir), a Mexican undocumented immigrant and veteran Los Angeles day laborer, has trouble connecting with his son, Luis (José Julián), whose gang-affiliated girlfriend is tempting him to ignore his father's example of clean living. Carlos buys a truck to begin working as a self-employed man and earn more money, but when it is stolen, his hopes for a more affluent life are dashed. Unable to turn to the police for help, father and son embark on a quest to find the vehicle.
Director
Chris Weitz
Producer
Jami Gertz, Christian McLaughlin, Stacey Lubliner, Paul Junger Witt, Chris Weitz
Screenwriter
Eric Eason, Roger L. Simon
Distributor
Summit Entertainment
Production Co
Summit Entertainment
Rating
PG-13 (Language|Brief Drug Use|Some Violence)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 24, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 18, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.8M
Runtime
1h 38m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital, DTS
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