Some mature themes in uplifting Mexico-set orphanage tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Gangs shoot at each other in the background of a street scene, and one orphaned boy’s brother is said to have been killed by gunshot. Boys show scars on their bodies and share tales of abuse by relatives, including getting cut by metal coat hangers. They say they’ve lost parents to bullets, drugs, and prison. Omar’s father drowned when Omar was little, and he continues to have nightmares involving water and drowning. He also flashes back to his own childhood living on the street. Two boys get in a fight on a boat and fall overboard; one can’t swim so an adult has to dive in to save him. A hurricane floods the orphanage, scaring some of the younger kids.
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Adult men drink beer, tequila, and whiskey, sometimes to excess. Boys mention losing parents to drugs, among other causes. Hector offers Omar a side job as a drug runner.
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“Booger,” “piss,” “hell,” “punk,” “loser,” “freak,” “idiot,” “stupid,” “dumb,” “God.” The film has some words and limited dialogue in Spanish, and some Spanish insults aren’t translated in the subtitles.
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Cheating doesn’t pay, and neither does stealing. “Do the right thing every chance you get.” Sometimes things don’t work out or life knocks you down, and you have to pick up and move on. Keep striving in the face of adversity. Some Christian iconography and messages. Omar tells the kids that God helps us when we’re struggling, though our prayers aren’t always answered immediately or in an obvious way.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Papa Omar is a father figure to the boys in the orphanage. He models integrity and honesty for them, and he teaches them to take responsibility for their actions. He and his wife demonstrate perseverance because although they’re in serious debt, they continue to try to take in street kids to help them. The orphaned boys show resilience despite difficult lives. Omar maintains his principles, faith, and code of conduct even in the face of great temptation, including two opportunities to make easy money in an illegal or dishonest way. Captain Wade has lost his way and needs help to get his life back on track.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Blue Miracle is an uplifting film based on a true story that has a generally light tone and a happy ending but also some potentially scary scenes and themes. The main character Omar (Jimmy Gonzales) runs an orphanage for parent-less boys, and he continuously models integrity, hard work, resilience, and honesty for them despite his own challenges, including bank debt that could shut the orphanage down. Though the boys are mostly cheerful, they do talk about some traumatic past experiences. They share the scars on their bodies from abuse, like getting cut by metal coat hangers, and they talk about losing parents to bullets, drugs, and prison. One boy's brother was said to have been shot, and we see young men shooting at each other in the background of a street scene. The main character's father drowned when he was little, and he continues to have nightmares involving water and drowning. He also flashes back to his own childhood living on the street. Two boys get in a fight on a boat and fall overboard; one can't swim so an adult has to dive in to save him. Adult men drink beer, tequila, and whiskey, sometimes to excess, and a past involving drug running is discussed. Language is mostly childish taunts like "punk" and "loser," but also includes "hell" and some spoken insults in Spanish that aren't translated in the English subtitles. The film has Christian iconography and messages of faith. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Pretty good movie, my mom was crying (happy) in the end. Common Sense Media missed something in the language. I'm not even gonna tell you what it is. And....yeah. It was good.
Great uplifting movie that show character, other people's struggles and how they get through it.
What's the Story?
In BLUE MIRACLE, set in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Omar (Jimmy Gonzales) and his wife Becca (Fernanda Urrejola) run an orphanage for boys called Casa Hogar. Omar is avoiding phone calls from the bank because it turns out he's over $100,000 in debt and the orphanage is about to be shut down. When he goes to a local friend for help, the friend (Bruce McGill) enlists Casa Hogar in a high-stakes fishing competition with a washed-up local fisherman, Captain Wade Malloy (Dennis Quaid). If Wade, Omar, and their team of ragtag orphans can pull in the largest blue marlin over the course of the three-day competition, they just might be able to save their home -- and themselves in the process.
Great intentions and solid acting keep this uplifting but predictable film from getting lost at sea. Blue Miracle is one of those stories that remains watchable even if you know from the start exactly how it's going to end. That's thanks to a compelling true story about an orphanage about to go under and a confident central performance by Jimmy Gonzales, whose own life story apparently inspired him in the role. It's also thanks to a cast of engaging kids and a credibly gruff and wind-worn Dennis Quaid. And it's thanks to an upbeat hip-hop soundtrack and an absolutely gorgeous setting, beautifully filmed in blue tones on land, sea, and in sweeping aerial shots.
The film also works even despite noticeable shortcomings. It's questionable to have native Spanish-speaking actors talking English to each other in a Mexican setting. The improbable choice, unexplained and not made more authentic by Spanish words and expressions thrown in, could turn off some audiences. Many of the film's dialogues also feel overly scripted, like when the boys are questioning Wade about his own son, or when an old friend is trying to tempt Omar back into high-paying crime. Omar has recurring nightmares involving water that stem from his own experience as a child but also seem to perhaps too obviously symbolize his feeling adrift, sinking low, drowning in debt, watching hopes swirl down the drain. Still, the film is chock full of positive messages that are relatable for the whole family.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the moral quandaries Omar faces in trying to get out of debt and save his orphanage in Blue Miracle. If the ending had been different, and he hadn't been able to save the orphanage, would you still think he'd made the right choices? Why or why not?
What significance do you give to the film's title? What different things could "blue" refer to?
Papa Omar models integrity, honesty, hard work, and resilience for the boys. How so? Why are these important character strengths, even if you aren't facing adversity like these characters?
What do you think of the way Spanish and English are used in this film? Does it make sense that the characters speak mostly English together? Why or why not?
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
