REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES. This movie changed me. A Conversation with NPR movie critic Lily Persy and guest commentator, Virgie Tovar

“Jimmy, Ana’s boyfriend, says, “You’re not fat. You’re beautiful.” She is both. “Real Women Have Curves” doesn’t argue that Ana is beautiful on the “inside,” like the Gwyneth Paltrow character in “Shallow Hal,” but that she is beautiful inside and out–love handles, big boobs, round cheeks, and all. “Turn the lights on,” she shyly tells Jimmy. “I want you to see me. See, this is what I look like.” Ana has learned to accept herself. It is more than her mother can do.

There have been several movies recently about the second generation of children of immigrants–Indian, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese–and they follow broad outlines borrowed from life. The parents try to enforce the conditions of their homeland on the kids, who are becoming Americanized at blinding speed. While Carmen is insisting on her daughter’s virginity, Ana is buying condoms. She insists on a view of her life that is not her parents’. That includes college.

For young women depressed because they don’t look like skinny models, this film is a breath of common sense and fresh air. “Real Women Have Curves” is a reminder of how rarely the women in the movies are real. After the almost excruciating attention paid to the world-class beauties in a movie like “White Oleander” (a film in which the more the women suffered, the better they looked), how refreshing to see America Ferrera light up the room with a smile from the heart.” — Roger Ebert, movie critic

The universal themes of intergenerational family expectations, the road to self-worthiness, courage, and love delivered a healthy dose of hope, no matter what your mirror shows you.

I loved it!

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    Until next time, remember,

• You are not alone.

• You are not your circumstances.

• You have everything within you to live a purpose-filled life.