The Perez Family (film)

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The Perez Family

Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by Mira Nair
Produced by Julia Chasman
Robin Swicord
Written by Robin Swicord
Starring Marisa Tomei
Alfred Molina
Anjelica Huston
Chazz Palminteri
Music by Arturo Sandoval
Alan Silvestri
Cinematography Stuart Dryburgh
Editing by Robert Estrin
Greg Finton
Distributed by The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release date(s) Flag of the United States May 12, 1995
Flag of Sweden September 15
Flag of Belgium April 17, 1996
Flag of the United Kingdom August 23
Running time 113 min.
Country U.S.A.
Language English
Budget $11,000,000 (estimate)
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Perez Family is a comedy film released in 1995, about a group of Cuban refugees in America, who pretend to be a family. It starred Marisa Tomei, Alfred Molina, Anjelica Huston, Chazz Palminteri, and other well known actors. It was based on the 1991 novel The Perez Family (ISBN 0-06-097401-X) by Christine Bell. The film was directed by Mira Nair.

The premise of the film, was a group of unrelated people, who happened to share the last name "Perez", realized they could more easily stay in America if they pretended to be family. Set in 1980, Juan Raúl Perez (Alfred Molina) is a former aristocrat and newly released political prisoner, seeking to return to his wife, now in America, after 20 years. Dottie Perez (Marisa Tomei) is a former prostitute, who Juan meets. U.S. Immigration officials assume the two are married, because of the common last name. The potential for a real romantic relationship between the couple sets the basis for much of the rest of the film.

[edit] Cast

Selective cast listing:

Archival footage of Jimmy Carter and Fidel Castro also appeared in the film.

[edit] References


v • d • e
Mira Nair
Directed films
Salaam Bombay!  (1988) • Mississippi Masala  (1991) • The Perez Family  (1995) • Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love  (1996) • My Own Country  (1998) • Monsoon Wedding  (2001) • Hysterical Blindness  (2002) • 11'9'01 September 11 (Section 'India')  (2002) • Vanity Fair  (2004) • The Namesake  (2007) • Shantaram • Amelia  (2009)
Documentaries
Jama Masjid Street Journal  (1979) • So Far from India  (1982) • India Cabaret  (1985) • Children of a Desired Sex  (1987) • The Day the Mercedes Became a Hat  (1993) • My Own Country  (1998) • The Laughing Club of India  (1999)
Productions
Still, the Children Are Here  (2004) • Blood Brothers  (2007) • Gangsta M.D.
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