Zoot Suit

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Zoot Suit

R,

1982,

1h 44m,

Musical

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Watchlist

55%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Mexican-American gangster Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez) and others in his group are accused of a murder in which they had no part. They are then rounded up by the police because of their race and their choice of clothing. The gang members are thrown into prison and put through a racist trial. As Henry considers his fate, he has a conversation with El Pachuco (Edward James Olmos), a figure from his own conscience who makes him contemplate a choice between his heritage and his home country.

Vincent Canby

New York Times

Feb 10, 2005

[Zoot Suit] is a holy mess of a movie, full of earnest, serious intentions and virtually no achievements.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Jan 1, 2000

The staging is busy and clever, though it doesn't translate that well to film, given Valdez's tendency to cut the legs off his dancers.

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Frank J. Avella

Edge Media Network

Mar 23, 2022

C-

... this highly stylized theatrical-cinematic hybrid had me frustrated from the get-go. I'm all for audacity and ambition, but what I saw in this film was messy and hodgepodge.

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Rosa Parra

Latinx Lens

Jul 3, 2021

7/10

A must-watch film highlighting the Sleepy Lagoon trial as a result of the Zoot Suit Riots in the 1940s. An important Mexican American part of U.S history told through the Chicano lens via a musical theatrical format.

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Antonio Albert

El Pais (Spain)

May 1, 2019

Interesting. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Fotogramas Staff

Fotogramas

May 1, 2019

3/5

A curious film with a hint of authenticity. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Leia P

Aug 1, 2017

For all of its unique qualities, Olmos gives one of his worst performances ever, stiffly speaking the empty dialogue. Over-done, over-dressed.

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Draco S

Mar 26, 2017

Hadn't seen this since back in the day. NetFlix finally got it and sent it too me. I was afraid I wouldn't love as much as I used to, but I do. If you want to be as cool as me; you'll check it out. Otherwise, forget. PS This is one of the very, very few musicals I even like, let alone love. PPS And, in spite of not knowing what a zoot suit is, even Motoko gave it a 4.5 stars. PPPS A couple of my homies, back in Converse, Indiana, circa 1952 tried to have our own zoot suits tailored.

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Luis Valdez

Director

Daniel Valdez

Henry Reyna

Edward James Olmos

El Pachuco

Tyne Daly

Alice Bloomfield

Charles Aidman

George Shearer

John Anderson

Judge F.W. Charles

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Synopsis

Mexican-American gangster Henry Reyna (Daniel Valdez) and others in his group are accused of a murder in which they had no part. They are then rounded up by the police because of their race and their choice of clothing. The gang members are thrown into prison and put through a racist trial. As Henry considers his fate, he has a conversation with El Pachuco (Edward James Olmos), a figure from his own conscience who makes him contemplate a choice between his heritage and his home country.

Director: Luis Valdez
Producer: Peter Burrell
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int
Rating: R
Genre: Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1982, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Runtime: 1h 44m

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