Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Orla Zuniga It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

LongLiveTheNewFlesh27 Under the Same Moon is a horrible, horrible movie. I was in agony watching it. It's so boring, so sentimental, so shamelessly one dimensional in it's portrayal of the heroic immigrant child and his mother, separated by those darn awful white people who hate foreigners. Whatever political stance you take on illegal-immigration, whatever side you lean towards, you can't deny that this film takes a complex, multi-faceted problem and trivializes it, turning it into a simple battle of good versus evil. Not only does it attack it's subject matter without an ounce of nuance, but it is also a horribly made film. You don't get a sense of the director at all, it's just so bland and generic. Sometimes that's okay with me when the story is gripping on it's own but... whoo, wee! This film could have used some style!The characters are as horrible as everything else in the film. They don't feel real in the slightest. Both Carlitos and Rosario are one dimensional victims who were supposed to cheer on, right up to the unspeakably awful ending where they see each other across the street and were supposed to feel all emotional because finally they've found each other. Honestly, I just wanted them both to get hit by a bus or something. Rosario and Carlitos are terrible characters, but they're not the worst in the film. The worst, most god-awful garbage character is Enrique, the classic "lone wolf" type character. He's brooding and sulky and doesn't want to help Carlitos but big surprise he ends up sacrificing himself so the kid can escape. Wow, I've never seen that in a movie before!So, in conclusion, if you like your movies hyper politically-correct, un-nuanced, terribly acted, directed, written and shot, then I would recommend this trash to you.

secondtake Under the Same Moon (2007)This story is one that will feel too close to home to many viewers--immigrants of all kinds, and parents who have ever been separated from their kids. The emotional stakes get piled so high you know that it can't end in disaster (the audience would be angry), so you kind of wait to see how the inevitable gets worked out.What holds it completely together is the stellar acting of the lead boy, played by Adrian Alonso, with great support from his pretty but a bit restrained mother, played by Kate del Castillo. You can't help but feel for them, and the many hardships they encounter will move you right along with the events.Which is the only conspicuous problem with the movie--the hardships are endless and brutal and almost comically classic. I'm sure they're all true enough, and I'm sure there are even individuals who face all these things in one lifetime. But it all happens in a week as the days tick off one by one to the critical weekly phone call. It's too much, really, no matter how you cut it--unless you think of it as a kind of modern Grimm fairy tale. In those, terrible things happen to kids and yet there is a dramatic outcome you take in stride. The fact this is kind of knowingly over the top happens when our two leads come within feet of each other (in the sprawling city of Los Angeles) and don't know it. Could be, but it doesn't help any sense of realism.And yet it is filmed with an attention to small details, to making people reasonable (bad and good people both) and believable. That's eventually all backdrop to the tale, complete with wicked relatives, a knight in shining armor, and a couple of scofflaws who come to the rescue just in time.It'll make you cry, and you might get mad at being so manipulated. But I think it's worth it.

sakana127 While at first glance, Under The Same Moon can come off as an attempt to portray the harsh realities faced by would-be immigrants from Mexico, the truth however is quite different. This movie is about a boy named Carlitos, who's mother has left to America to try and find a better life for them both. Missing his mother, and despairing that she will never be able to take him to America too, he attempts the cross the border by his own means. The story follows his trials and tribulations as he meets various other immigrants along the way, and uses hard work and his childish charm to finally be reunited with his mother. There were touching moments, but they were few and far between. This was caused mainly by the flat, one-dimensional nature of almost all the characters. Combined with the fact that the story was implausible and that the plot progression could only barely capture the attention of the audience, this movie was overall rather disappointing. Clearly a heartfelt attempt was made to make this movie touching and meaningful, but unfortunately, it failed at that, with its poor premise, and flat characters. I'd give it a 4 out of 10.

Adam Lopez Giving an inside view on the perpetual topic of illegal immigration, Under the Same Moon follows a young boy as he travels across the border from Mexico to the United States in search of his mother and, perhaps, happiness. The movie has a touching story that gives a dash of love and family while also displaying the hardships that many illegal immigrants face when they come to America. Being balanced in that respect, the movie can be a family film with parents being able to relate to several characters in the movie and children being able to find a hero in the courageous boy Carlitos. With that being said, at times the movie can seem extremely far-fetched because, after all, a nine year old boy is travelling hundreds of miles with nothing but a backpack on his back and bit of tattered English on his tongue. The viewer will undoubtedly think "yeah, right" or "how convenient" throughout the movie but the foundations of the movie, love and ambition, will trump all such thoughts. This movie is not a must-see but I do recommend it to any one who has emigrated from another country, who's family had to immigrate in generations past, or who lives in a culture that is not native to their home.