Born in East L.A. is a 1987 comedy film written and directed by Cheech Marin, of the Cheech and Chong comedy team.
The movie is about an American (born in East Los Angeles) of Chicano descent whom authorities deport to Tijuana.
The film was based on a novelty parody song (1985) of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A.", written by Marin and released on the 1985 Cheech and Chong album Get Out of My Room. The song was also made into a music video the same year. The song became a hit, and Marin decided to use the song as the source material for his first solo film. The film was distributed by Universal Pictures who also released the film on home video and DVD.
Plot
The film starts off with Rudy Robles (Cheech Marin) in his home in East Los Angeles being told by his mother to pick up his cousin Javier (Paul Rodriguez) in Downtown Los Angeles at a factory before his mother and sister leave for Fresno. Rudy arrives only for a few minutes before the factory is raided by la migra (immigration officials). Rudy is wrongfully accused of being an illegal alien by a crooked immigration officer in a cowboy hat and sunglasses, with a Texas accent. Because he does not have any form of identification with him, and because his mother is out of town and cannot verify that he is a citizen, Rudy is deported to Mexico.
Paradoxically, Rudy cannot speak or understand more than pidgin Spanglish (though he's fluent in German as a result of several years' military service enlisted in the US Army based in Germany--USAREUR).
While in Tijuana, Mexico, he befriends ex-con Jimmy (Daniel Stern) escaped to Mexico as a criminal and a waitress named Dolores (Kamala Lopez-Dawson) from El Salvador who is working hard to save up money before entering the United States. Rudy, with no I.D. and unable to get in contact with his mother, makes numerous failed attempts to cross the border. Jimmy then offers to get him across the border back to Los Angeles for money. Not having his wallet (and therefore no money), he then works for Jimmy as doorman at a strip bar by getting people to come in, while also taking other small jobs like selling oranges, teaching two Central American men and three other immigrants from China to walk and talk like East Los Angeles natives, and making many friends along the way to get back to Los Angeles.
Things progress as he becomes better friends with Jimmy and starts falling in love with Dolores and finally he gets the money needed to be sneaked across the border. Rudy finally receives the money and the night before goes on a date with Dolores. The next day Rudy gives a farewell to Jimmy and gets a last kiss goodbye from Dolores and gets into the back of the Coyote's truck. He notices the Coyote arguing with a woman pleading to be taken to the United States for free because her husband is already in the truck and the rest of their family is in the United States. The Coyote won't do it for free so Rudy gets out and gives the woman his place.
Not about to waste more time in Mexico; Rudy stands for the last time on the hill of the Mexico.-U.S. Border while two Immigration Officers sit in their truck watching in laughter. The song "America" by Neil Diamond starts playing as hundreds and hundreds of people appear from Rudy's side and all charge the fields to reach the American Dream. The two Immigration Officers are no match and hide in their truck. All the while, Rudy, Dolores, and their five friends casually walk in slow motion with their heads up high to America.
Things take a turn for the worse when Rudy and Dolores are kidnapped by Coyotes and held for ransom coincidentally across the street from Rudy's home. He bows to the kidnappers' ransom and calls his cousin Javier from across the street to bring him his wallet which he does to pay off the kidnappers. Then la migra storm in, headed by the man in the sunglasses and cowboy hat who had deported Rudy in the beginning. Rudy shows his identification to the man, but the man says he's going to send Dolores back to El Salvador. Rudy and Dolores make a dash and escape during the East Los Angeles Cinco De Mayo parade. Not knowing where to turn, Rudy and Dolores hop onto the float with the priest; and Rudy asks him if he can marry Rudy and Dolores. Rudy and Dolores both look at each other in happiness as they are wed. The immigration officer in the cowboy hat and sunglasses comes to say that Dolores is under arrest. Rudy then explains that they've just been married, making Dolores a naturalized U.S. citizen; and the crowd, witnessing everything, cheers.
At the end as the titles roll, the song version of "Born in East LA" resounds.
Awards
- Havana Film Festival: Winner, Best Production Design & Best Screenplay.
- Havana Film Festival: 3rd Place, Grand Coral Prize, Cheech Marin.
Trivia
- The theatrically released and home video versions cut the entire ending short (about 15 to 20 minutes of footage). In this version, the appearance of the priest standing behind Rudy and Dolores in the last shot of the film is never explained. However, censored versions of the film, such as the version shown on Comedy Central, have the entire ending intact in order to fill out the film's length, which was shortened by cutting other scenes that were not suitable for regular television.
- According to IMDB, the picture of Jesus Christ in Rudy's home is actually that of Marin's comedy partner Tommy Chong.
- The marching band who is behind Rudy when he surfaces from the sewer is from Theodore Roosevelt High School.
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