East Side Story

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East Side Story ★½ 2007

Handsome Diego's (Alvarado) life is in upheaval: he feels obligated to keep working in his grandma's (De Bari) Mexican restaurant rather than pursue his own dreams; his closeted boyfriend (Beron) just broke up with him; he's been outed by his desperate Aunt Blanca (Jimenez); and his East L.A. neighborhood is being gentrified. The last may not be so bad since Anglo Wesley (Callahan) moves in across the street—along with his jealous, patronizing boyfriend Jonathan (Schneider). Still, Diego may find more than one dream coming true. Some over-the-top performances mar what is frequently a sweet story. 88m/C DVD . David Beron, Rene Alvarado, Steve Callahan, Cory Alan Schneider, Irene De Bari, Gladise Jimenez; D: Carlos Portugal; W: Carlos Portugal, Charo Toledo; C: Neil De la Pena; M: Steven Cahill.

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