The world today tries very hard to be culture friendly, especially in America. One way that America shows its cultural diversity is through its media. An example of this would be that there are many different movies that are made in Hollywood today and many of them try to capture the differences between cultures. By doing this Hollywood tries to celebrate each culture and promote a unity between the two.
This can especially be shown in the movie Fools Rush In. In this movie, there are many different cultural exchanges that are very informing on intercultural communication. A quick summery of the movie is of two people meet in line to go to the bathroom, Isabel who is an Mexican and aspiring photographer and Alex who is an American and a construction manager for new nightclubs. The two spend the night together and Isabel leaves in the morning with out saying good bye. Three months later Isabel comes back to confront Alex and tell him that she is pregnant. The two deal with that matter and find out that they are in love and get married.
The difficulties that they go through during their marriage are mainly with each other families and cultural backgrounds. Because the two are from very different cultures this leads to some interesting interactions. By showing their encounters with each other’s culture, the movie helps the audience learn more of the cultural difference between Alex and Isabel. Alex and Isabel differentiate in their cultural views with each other a lot in the beginning stages of their relationship. The biggest reason that this takes place could be the fact that they barely know each other and are basing their relationship on emotions and signs. An example of this is when Alex goes home with Isabel to meet her family for the first time and have dinner with them.
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Alex’s view of family is merely of a mom and dad sitting at the table with their son eating a nice quiet dinner, however this is the exact opposite view that Isabel has. To Isabel, family is a huge event. Dinner is not just about food, but is about catching up with her many brothers and chatting with her aunts and uncle. To Isabel, her family does not stop with those who are immediately related to her, but goes far beyond to her cousins, aunts and uncles, and good friends of the family.
For Alex it is not uncommon for him to not see his family for many months at a time, that is his culture and the way he grew up. However, for Isabel this is unheard of and there is a lot of controversy in the movie because of this. Family also shows a difference in how each was raised. For example, Isabel has five brothers and knows how to take care of herself, whereas Alex is an only child whose parents can afford to take a private helicopter on vacations. Family has a big impact on Isabel while it is something that Alex rarely sees.
Another big argument between the couple was one of religion. Isabel is Catholic, and she is a practicing Catholic while Alex is a non-practicing Presbyterian. When fighting about what religion they are going to raise their child Isabel made it quite clear that she will have this child raised Catholic. Alex does not say that she can not do that but he wants her to look at other options to show her that being Catholic is not the only way of life. Throughout the movie there are many different scenes where Isabel and her mother are shown praying and lighting candles at a church. This goes along with the stereotype of those with Mexican backgrounds.
In the house of Isabel and Alex there are many crucifixes and Isabel tells Alex that they are there to protect them. Alex does not know what to think about the crucifixes much of the time, but he puts up with it because he knows how important religion is to Isabel. One is able to see the cultural differences between the two very easily throughout the film. One of the most direct ways is by the way their house has been decorated before Alex married Isabel and after the marriage. Before Alex was married his house was very plain and boring. The whole house was white and there were no pictures on the wall and there was no thought or effort put into the house.
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After Alex married Isabel her family decorated their house as a wedding gift and the house became unrecognizable. The house was filled with bold vibrant colored walls and there were many desert styled or Mexican pictures and paintings on the wall, along with many different crucifixes. This shows how important it is to Isabel to have her culture surround her and she will go the extra mile to make any place she lives in to look like the house she grew up it, or the culture that she grew up with. To Alex, decorating the house was not important to him. He did not care as much because to him it was just a house and not a way to express culture.
I personally learned a lot from watching this movie. I always thought that everyone was alike in the grand scheme of things and that culture is something that people can get passed. However, after watching this movie I learned how different the Mexican and American culture is from each other. To me it is amazing how Isabel’s family dinners are so huge because they involve everyone! It was also interesting to me how different Alex’s and Isabel’s decoration style were different. Writing as an American girl who is much like Alex is some respects, I thought it was really interesting in how Isabel’s family used so many bold colors and how they painted and covered every wall with pictures or with vibrant paint. Perhaps it is just my personal preference, but I like things to be simpler and not as extravagant as Alex’s and Isabel’s home.
Alex probably had the same feelings when he saw the newly decorated house but he knew it was important to Isabel so he did not try to change it. I also learned how important religion is for those with Latino backgrounds. Isabel’s father did not think that their marriage was valid because they were not married in a church in front of God. Isabel and her mother were at the church lighting candles and praying for Alex and every occasion frequently during the movie. This shows the importance of the Catholic religion to this culture. Andy Tennant, who directed the film, did a good job on showing a traditional Mexican family.
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I do not think that he portrayed Alex’s family life in a typical American way. What could be different with that aspect is how accepting Americans are to all lifestyles and the way Alex’s family communicates is not uncommon but it is also not common. Tennant did a good job in portraying a large Mexican family and their religious ways and portraying a typical hard-working and successful white American. Tennant did show that Alex’s family has money and they can afford many luxurious things while Isabel’s family is also hard working, but does not have as much disposable income. I thought it was interesting how Tennant showed Alex in a job where he had to have a college degree and how he showed Isabel in a low class job (a casino picture girl).
In that aspect, I do not morally agree with his decisions to do that because I believe that anyone can go to college and get a good job.
However, when looking around a college campus one does not see an overabundance amount people with a Mexican ethnicity. Where you do see many people with a Mexican heritage are those working in lower class jobs. Therefore I would have to agree with how Tennant set up Alex’s and Isabel’s job and how they properly portrayed each culture. This movie shows many different aspects of intercultural communication and how people of different backgrounds and races react to each other. The movie portrays many different emotions that can only be seen when faced in a situation like the one Alex and Isabel are in. The movie Fools Rush In is an excellent intercultural film in the way it helps it’s audience learn and appreciate different cultures..
