| | |  | PORTUGAL | Home » » East Side Story | | | | | | | Description: | | Called a "feel good movie" by its fans, this appealing debut film of director Carlos Portugal suffers from no freshman errors, as Portugal confidently tells the story of Diego (played by the wonderful and charming René Alvarado), a young, closeted Latino, who helps his grand-mother (standout Irene DeBarri) run the family restaurant while carrying on a clandestine relationship with equally closeted Pablo (the delightful David Beron).
Diego has long felt trapped by the conservative culture of East LA and plans to move away and open an upscale restaurant, hopefully with his lover. But Pablo views their situation very differently - a point driven home when he begins dating Diego's spirited Aunt Bianca (hilarious sexpot Gladise Jimenez). At the same time, white gay men like Jonathan and Wesley are moving in, gentrifying the neighborhood. The attraction between Wesley and Diego is immediate and electric, forcing both men to reexamine their state of affairs in this entertaining comedic drama.
A "coming out" story that avoids all the tired cliches and stays committed to telling the stories of these characters, East Side Story examines bias of all kinds and features stirring performances by incredibly attractive actors. This story sweetly appeals to the romantic impulses of us all, gay and straight. | | | Features: | |
• Set in East LA, EAST SIDE STORY is the story of Diego, a young man working at his family's restaurant and having an affair with a secretly gay real estate agent. As the relationship heats up and the Latino neighborhood becomes more and more gentrified, everything changes for Diego and his family. Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: NR Age: 754703762979 UPC: 7
| | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Luis Accinelli, René Alvarado, David Berón, Steve Callahan, Michael Cassady | | Director:
| Carlos Portugal | | Format:
| NTSC, Color, Dolby, Closed-captioned | | Language:
| English, Spanish | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Wolfe Video | | Run Time:
| 88 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| December 04, 2007 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 33 reviews |
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| New | |
| $10.51+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $11.07+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $11.64+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $12.99+ $2.98 *Shipping This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $13.08+ $4.62 *Shipping | New | | | $14.18+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $15.85+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $17.74+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | | | $18.11+ $8.13 *Shipping | New | | | $119.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | New | |
| Used | |
| $10.50+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $10.50+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Good | | | $12.99+ $2.98 *Shipping This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | Used
- Acceptable | | | $14.18+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- Mint | | | $16.99+ $4.99 *Shipping | Used
- VeryGood | | | $18.01+ $4.12 *Shipping | Used
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| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 33 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 31 found the following review helpful:
 Enjoyable filmNov 04, 2007
By MattW
"Matt"
Well done gay film that touches upon such universal themes as homophobia, racism, family, and of course, love. Well directed and acted, the film follows a Latino's crash course in love in the gay world. A slight of hand drama heavily punctuated with humour, I found this to be a very enjoyable, and for the most part, realistic portrayal of life, love, and gay culture. Recommended.
27 of 28 found the following review helpful:
A Classy New Coming Out Film with Emphasis on the East LA CommunityDec 13, 2007
By Grady Harp
Fresh young talent and a healthy dollop of enthusiasm serve as the springboard of this well written (Carlos Portugal and Charo Toledo), well directed (Carlos Portugal) and well acted exuberant story of those once perceived tightly closet doors of the East Los Angeles Hispanic community. Not that this is the first film to engage the topic of being gay in East LA - QUINCEAÑERA is another superb film on the subject - but it addresses so many other aspects of family and social life happening now that it deserves a wide audience. With a cast of newcomers coupled with some very fine veterans of the screen EAST SIDE STORY comes to life in a highly entertaining fashion.
Closeted schooled chef Diego Campos (a fine debut by René Alvarado) works as a waiter in his grandmother Sara's (elegant Irene DeBari) little Mexican restaurant where grumpy homophobic chef Don Rogelio (Luis Accinelli) presides in the kitchen. Diego dreams of opening his own restaurant but family ties keep him grounded. Diego's campy Aunt Bianca (Gladise Jimenez) returns from Monaco on one of her many expensive sojourns to find a man and changes begin to happen. Diego's equally closeted boyfriend Pablo Morales (David Berón) has been refusing to settle down in a relationship with Diego, claiming that the union is a 'passing fancy'. When Bianca enters, Pablo's attentions turn to the sexy lady and Diego is brokenhearted.
Into this mélange enters a white gay couple who buy a 'flip' house across the street, a signal to the neighborhood that gentrification is just around the corner. The couple - Wesley (Steve Callahan) and Jonathan (Cory Schneider) - meet the morose Diego and a match strikes between Diego and Wesley. Jonathan is assigned all the lines having to do with prejudice and is the one who wants out of the neighborhood as soon as their house is enhanced and their gay friends begin to visit. The white couple move apart and Wesley and Diego begin a courtship dance that is encouraged by Diego's family. How Diego handles his loss of Pablo to his Aunt Bianca and copes with the possibility of being open with Wesley forms the story line. It is all the hilarious and not so hilarious sidebars that share the space of the 'outing' that make the film so personal and successful.
Carlos Portugal is clearly a talent to watch, as are his attractive and talented cast members. EAST SIDE STORY is a fine companion piece to QUINCEAÑERA and should enjoy the same degree of popularity for all the same reasons! Grady Harp, December 07
29 of 31 found the following review helpful:
 Romantic and funny!Nov 08, 2007
By Robert Nunez
"coolrobert"
I just saw this last night with an audience and everyone loved it. There was a lot of laughter as well as involvement with the fun cast of characters. This film is a lot of fun and avoids so many cliches seen in gay movies, Latino movies and romantic comedies. The cast is flawless and really knows how to deliver the humor without making it seem "jokey." I had a great time seeing this film.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Well made gay movie!!!!!!!!!!!Dec 05, 2007
By S. Cisco
"MIST"
Just watched this movie with my partner of 11 years and we both loved it!. This is the kind of gay movie that need to be made. Good story,acting and plenty of messages to think over. It brought back many feelings from my own life coming out.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Refreshingly original and funny romantic comedy for all!Dec 17, 2007
By Bob Lind
"camelwest"
In "East Side Story" (2006), Diego is a culinary school graduate who feels trapped working in his family's old-school Mexican restaurant in the East Los Angeles bario. Diego is also gay, but closeted from his family, and dating the even further closeted Pablo, a status-seeking realtor. When Diego is inadvertently "outed" by his aunt, Pablo decides he has to avoid him, and begins dating the aunt, pronouncing his secret affair with Diego as "just a phase." Meanwhile, Diego meets a gringo couple who moved in across the street, among the many gays who settled in the area to "turn it around", angering many of the current Latino residents. One half of the couple, Wesley, takes an immediate liking to Diego, which sets his partner, Jonathan, into a jealous hissy-fit. Diego's grandmother returns from a month-long trip to Mexico, to find her restaurant being boycotted by homophobic locals, while her daughter is making wedding plans with her grandson's former male lover!
It is a refreshing and highly amusing romantic comedy, presented by a talented cast of mostly newcomers. With a pollished look that belies its relative low budget, it's a noteworthy first-time writer/director credit for Carlos Portugal, one that received audience awards at several gay movie festivals. It is sexy without being overt, funny without being cartoonish or stereotypical, and the emotions portrayed can be related to by anyone, gay or straight. The DVD extras include deleted scenes, director and actor commentaries. Don't miss this one: five joyful stars out of five!
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