What dreams may come

baumer

First off, this movie is pretty good.  But I really don't think that is what I want to touch on in this review, after all anyone reading the El Mariachi page probably already knows about the film.  What needs to be said, and I know others have said it before me, but in my own words I have to say thank you.  Thank you to Robert Rodriguez for having the sheer will to make this film.  Every once in a while underdogs come around in film and they inspire many people to realize their dream.  In years past there were guys like Sylvester Stallone that wrote Rocky in three days after seeing an unknown boxer go the distance with the champ.  He held out selling the film because he wanted to play Rocky.  The rest they say is history.  In 1978 John Carpenter had a low budget of under a quarter of a million dollars and he scared the hell out of everyone with what I believe is the scariest film ever made, Halloween.  You have Spike Lee making the film School Daze on a shoestring budget only for us, the audience, to see what a gift he has behind the camera, the rest they say is history.  Then you have Tarantino that got his lucky break because someone he knew knew someone who knew Harvey Keitel's wife and she got a hold of the script and gave it to Harvey and then Reservoir Dogs was made and the rest they say is history.  Then there is Kevin Smith and his $27000 film Clerks that was made on credit cards and loans.  Now Smith is in the big time with movies like Dogma. Kevin Smith in my opinion is one the best writers in the game today.  The rest they say is history with him as well.  And who can forget Daniel Myrick and Ed Sanchez.  With $35000 they redefined horror and filming techniques by making the Blair Witch Project.  Their filming techniques were completely unorthodox and the film went on to gross a staggering 140 million dollars in North America alone.  And then of course there is Robert Rodriguez.  A guy that was basically a lab rat for three weeks and used the money to film this film.  This is a guy that was just hoping his film would get some small Mexican-straight-to-video deal.  But then an exec sees it and decides that with a little work, this film could be quite good.  And the rest they is history.  Guys like Robert Rodriguez and all the other people mentioned here are guys to look up to, guys to admire.  They had a dream and they pursued it relentlessly and they succeeded.  Perserverance is almost a euphanism for success.  Maybe not at first but if you keep trying then possibly someday all your hard work will pay off.  Look at Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.  They have both been in Hollywood for years with small parts in various films. Finally somehow Robin Williams gets a hold of Good Will Hunting and they are Oscar winners.  For every film like Titanic and Phantom Menace, you occassionally get films like El Mariachi and Clerks.  This is why the smaller films, although lacking in budget and technical areas, are sometimes better and more exciting and cared for than a studio sized budgetted movie. Because the people that make them care.  Look at Tobe Hooper and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, no budget, no lighting, no actors and yet one of the scariest films ever made.  Sam Raimi, director of A Simple Plan and For Love of the Game.  Back in the early 80's he made a film called Evil Dead for $50000.  It was one hell of a scary film and people noticed.  Now he is not neccessarily an A-list director but he is thought of when projects are mentioned.  Wes Craven made Last House on the Left in 1972 with the future producer and director of Friday the 13th, Sean Cunningham.  While the film was a gut wrenching experience, it had no backing by the studios and it was made for next to nothing, yet it succeeded and now look at Craven.  His Scream franchise is one of the hottest properties in the game right now.  I mention all of these along with Robert Rodriguez because they all share a passion for film.  They all started off with humble beginnings and succeeded when they shouldn't have.  Rodriguez may be the best story of the bunch. It's guys like him and others that are mentioned that should be remembered when you are going for your dream, whether it be with film or with whatever you choose in life.  I have been personally affected by guys like Rodriguez and Tarantino and Stallone and Affleck and Damon and Carpenter and Raimi and Kevin Williamson and so on.  You can look at guys like this and see them for the relentless spirit and passion that they have to get the job done.  They inspire me to pursue my dream and hopefully one day in the near future, people on the IMDb will be reviewing my work and saying how it was cool that the Dan guy pursued his dream and succeeded.  And if that happens then I can look to guys like Robert Rodriguez and say thank you for inspiring me to go for it.  When a guy sacrifices his mind and body for three weeks at a drug testing clinic so he make a movie, well that is about all the inspiration I need.  I just wanted to take this brief time out of my day to say thank you to Rodriguez and every other person that has given it their all and fulfilled their dream of film.  You have kept me entertained and you have given me a dream and hope.  That is the best education that you can give to anyone looking to fulfill their dream.  This film may have cost $7,000 to make but it has put Rodriguez on the map of Hollywood and it has inspired me and many others to go for it ourselves.

score 8/10

baumer 17 November 1999

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0310035/