The Perez Family

The Perez Family
The Perez Family
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mira Nair
Screenplay by	Robin Swicord
Produced by	Julia Chasman; Robin Swicord
Starring	Marisa Tomei; Alfred Molina; Chazz Palminteri; Anjelica Huston; Trini Alvarado; Celia Cruz;
Cinematography	Stuart Dryburgh
Edited by	Robert Estrin; Greg Finton
Music by	Alan Silvestri
Distributed by	The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release dates	May 12, 1995 (U.S.); August 23, 1995 (UK);
Running time	113 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$11,000,000 (estimated)
Box office	$2,832,826

The Perez Family is an American comedy film released in 1995 about a group of Cuban refugees in America who pretend to be a family. It stars 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 was that a group of unrelated people, who happened to share the last name "Pérez", realized they could more easily stay in America if they pretended to be family. Set in 1980 during the Mariel boatlift, the movie shows Juan Raúl Pérez (Alfred Molina), a former aristocrat and newly released political prisoner, seeking to return to his wife, now in America, after 20 years. Dottie Pérez (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.

Cast

Selective cast listing:

Marisa Tomei - Dorita Evita Pérez
Alfred Molina - Juan Raúl Pérez
Anjelica Huston - Carmela Pérez
Chazz Palminteri - Lt. John Pirelli
Trini Alvarado - Teresa Pérez
Celia Cruz - Luz Pat
Ranjit Chowdhry - Indian immigration official
Diego Wallraff - Ángel Díaz
Ellen Cleghorne - Officer Rhoades
Angela Lanza - Flavia
Jose Felipe Padron - Felipe Pérez
Lázaro Pérez - Armando 'Papi' Pérez
Bill Sage - Steve Steverino
Vincent Gallo - Orlando
Billy Hopkins - Father Aiden
Ruben Rabasa - Father Martínez
Melissa Anne Acosta - Isabel

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

Reception

The Perez Family received mixed reviews from critics, as it holds a 65% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 17 reviews.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack composed by Alan Silvestri was released by Music Box Records, paired with his score for Clean Slate.

External links