Spoken Word (2009)

46% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
47% of users liked it
(91 ratings)

From acclaimed director Victor Nunez ("Ulee's Gold"), SPOKEN WORD tells the story of Cruz Montoya (Kuno Becker, from the "Goal!" trilogy and "From Mexico With Love"), a rock star on the West Coast poetry circuit, where audiences from San Diego to Seattle gather to hear him perform. Just off the road… More From acclaimed director Victor Nunez ("Ulee's Gold"), SPOKEN WORD tells the story of Cruz Montoya (Kuno Becker, from the "Goal!" trilogy and "From Mexico With Love"), a rock star on the West Coast poetry circuit, where audiences from San Diego to Seattle gather to hear him perform. Just off the road from a successful tour, Cruz gets an unexpected call alerting him that his father, Senior (played by Rubén Blades), is fatally ill. Cruz rushes home to his dying father, a reclusive former schoolteacher still leading a traditional life in their once bucolic mountain valley, now ravaged by poverty, drug abuse, and violence. After years away, Cruz quickly begins to retreat into his troubled former life, managing a Santa Fe hip-hop club owned by a local crime boss, Emilio (Miguel Sandoval, "Bottle Shock" and "Clear and Present Danger"), who Senior used to run with back in the day. Seduced by the fast action and easy money, Cruz loses his poetic voice, his identity, and almost his life, before he finds a way to heal his relationships with his family, his community, and himself. A nuanced depiction of an evolving father-son relationship, SPOKEN WORD depicts the edgy collision of old and new worlds in a rare, authentic portrait of Latino culture in the Southwest, illustrating how cultural roles and machismo can give way when families can move beyond words, both spoken and unspoken, to share the language of their hearts. -- (C) Official Site

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 56 min.
Directed By: Victor Nuñez
Written By: William T. Conway
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jul 23, 2010 Limited
On DVD: Oct 12, 2010
Studio: Variance Films

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
[A] rich and textured film.
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
Maddeningly ruled by signposts spotted from miles away.
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
Features more cliches than it can comfortably handle and is not helped by its grindingly slow pacing.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Strongly acted and beautifully photographed (by Virgil Mirano), "Spoken Word" is a quietly resonant family drama about the tug of old habits and the difficulties of escaping the past.
Prairie Miller, WBAI Radio
A uniquely crafted introspective yet profoundly visceral film experience, touching on the healing powers of the music in language.
John P. McCarthy, Boxoffice Magazine
It takes the Mexican-American melodrama Spoken Word a long time to express myriad sentiments that we've heard uttered many times before in many ethnic settings.
Geoff Berkshire, Metromix.com
Low key, low budget and low profile character-driven drama is occasionally refreshing, but more frequently small scale to a fault.
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
The familiar plot structure is only the tip of the formulaic iceberg, a foundation for more stale conventions than any indie should dare embrace.
Nora Lee Mandel, Film-Forward.com
Moving poetry, very appealing actors, lovely landscape, and resonant music can't quite make up for the predictable family story and dialogue in a heartfelt film.
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
Well-enough executed by a capable cast to recommend, especially for heathens unfamiliar with the Biblical tale which ostensibly served as the source of inspiration.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
The film's use of poetry to get at the subconscious mind of its protagonist works well early on but settles into a knee-jerk device that can't distract from the film's pedestrian plotting and direction.
Michelle Orange, Movieline
A recurring vista of a highway pass carved through the rock and trees is lovely but pointedly unspectacular, a showcase for the kind of beauty that builds when you let your eye linger.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
A uniquely crafted introspective yet profoundly visceral film experience, touching on the healing powers of the music in language.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Thomas J

I really wanted to like this movie... but it was a miss. There is some decent acting, but the rest is over-the-top. It seemed scattered as to what the story was supposed to be about: his drug problem, his family issues with his brother and father, his relationship with girlfriend or… More
I really wanted to like this movie... but it was a miss. There is some decent acting, but the rest is over-the-top. It seemed scattered as to what the story was supposed to be about: his drug problem, his family issues with his brother and father, his relationship with girlfriend or the conflict with "the villain". No focus.

Cast

            Kuno Becker as Cruz

            Ruben Blades as Senior

            Miguel Sandoval as Emilio

            Persia White as Shae

            Antonio Elias as Ramon

            Monique Curnen as Gabrielle

            Rashaan Nall as Cloudy

            Jernard Burks as Renegade

            Maurice Compte as George

            Castulo Guerra as Dr. Lopez

            Johnnie Hector as Luis

            Andre Jamal Kinney as Roberto

            Courtney Cunningham as Robin

            Stephen Eiland as Big Mike

            Deborah Chavez as Candace

            Jerry G. Angelo as Tomás

            Nya Marie Serano as Rebecca

            Brandon Zaragoza as Paul

            Laurence Chavez as Toby

            Arron Shiver as Orderly

            Beth Bailey as Reporter

            Rick A. Ortega, Jr. as Sandoval

            Joe Manuel Gallegos Jr. as Aragon

            Sophia M. Garcia as Mrs. Maestas

            Julio Omar González as Priest

            Myrna I. Vigil as Josephine

            Casey Messer as Cheryl
See full cast