A BETTER LIFE: 2 ½ STARS
This character study from the director of About a Boy and featuring Weeds star Demián Bichir as an illegal immigrant gardener in Los Angeles, is a low key and timely drama about building a new life in a new country. Heavy on melodrama, story wise it doesn’t offer much we haven’t seen before in similarly themed stories, but acting wise it is a powerhouse. Bichir hits all the right notes in an award worthy performance that brings heart and soul to a story that unfortunately feels like a Hollywood-ized take on the plight of illegal immigrants in California.