Believe it or not, 2014’s Cesar Chavez is the first feature film to portray the life and achievements of labor and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez. It’s hard to believe that it took so long for the influential figure to get his own big picture made, but considering we still live in a country with labor issues, the timing is actually quite perfect.
Actor and more recent director Diego Luna helmed the film, which is his second directorial effort, but first English language picture. The film is in Luna hands, but make no mistake, it rests on the shoulder’s of Michael Pena’s performance as the titular character. Pena is the right man for the job, playing a convincing and often inspirational Chavez, living and breathing in the role.
After experiencing the poor conditions of farm workers first hand, Chavez forms a labor union known as United Farm Workers. He, along with his wife Helen (America Ferrera), uproot their entire family in order to get closer to the action in California so their impact can really be felt. With the help of friends and fellow workers such as Dolores Huerta (Rosario Dawson), along with a young eager lawyer named Jerry Cohen (Wes Bentley), Chavez goes head to head with some of the largest and most powerful figures in the industrial farm industry, such as the stubborn Bogdanovich Senior (John Malkovich). They go on strike, go on mile-long marches, all to prove their point. What starts as a small group, soon snowballs into a national, and even global effort.
The film has a steady hand on all the activist aspects of Chavez’s life, but Luna fails to capture Chavez’s personal life in the same manner. With all his time dedicated to the movement, Cesar struggles to pay enough time to his son Fernando (Eli Vargas) when he needs him the most. A good chunk of the time is spent focusing on their relationship, but it never feels as convincing as it should. The same can be said in regards to the relationship between Cesar and Helen.
Pena delivers a good performance, but it isn’t enough. Aside from the always brilliant John Malkovich and a likable effort from Bentley, the rest of the cast fails to hold their end of the bargain. The same can be said for Luna, who never steers the ship in the same directing, tip-toeing around different tones. Luna is a capable director, but he fails to truly captivate us in a memorable fashion.
You could certainly do much worse when it comes to historic biopics than Cesar Chavez, but I can’t help but feel like it was a rather dry take on Cesar’s life and efforts. Sure, we learn a lot about the poor treatment of migrant workers, but we need more than a history lesson. You can sense that there was a lot of passion put into it, but you can’t feel it from the other side of the screen. It feels important, but doesn’t make the powerful lasting impression that a biopic about such an influential figure should.
Rating: 6.0/10
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