I saw Girl in Progress while I was in Miami a few weeks ago and I can honestly tell you that it's a movie that I really connected to. Not because the main actors are Latinas, but because I could relate to what Cierra's character did... it's probably how I would have reacted back in my teenage years.
This movie has a different kind of coming-of-age story that plays out in that Ansiedad (Cierra Ramirez) is a smart girl to begin with and the way that she goes about moving on to the next stage in her life theoretically makes sense. Grace (Eve Mendes) is a Mami who doesn't realize what a difference she could make in her daughter's life if only she would stop and pay just a little more attention to her daughter and see that she is growing up and needs more than just a roof over her head.
This movie is full of good stuff. I can promise you that your heart will break for Ansiedad (the name, by the way, translates to "anxiety") and you will shed tears. If you're taking your Mami to the movies this weekend, take her to see this one. There will be zero regrets.
By the way, keep an eye out for Cierra Ramirez. This girl is going places and I have a feeling that you'll be seeing her everywhere soon.
ABOUT GIRL IN PROGRESS:
Grace (Eva Mendes) is a single mom, too preoccupied with "paying the bills" and herself to notice that her teenage daughter, Ansiedad (Cierra Ramirez) is in desperate need of her attention. When Ansiedad's English teacher, Ms. Armstrong (Patricia Arquette), introduces her students to classic coming-of-age stories, Ansiedad decides to jump start her own coming of age and all the pain associated with it, as a shortcut to "adulthood" and more importantly a life without her mom. As her misguided plan unravels, in some comedic yet poignant series of events, both Ansiedad and Grace must learn that sometimes growing-up means acting your own age.
