Jose (Rico Rodriguez, Modern Family) has always lived in the shadow of his older brother Miguel (Xavier Gonzalez). Miguel is a soccer star who has helped to fill his high school’s trophy cases. He has a promising sports career ahead of him, and his mother Karla (Justina Machado, Queen of the South) couldn’t be more proud, giving him all of her attention. Meanwhile, Jose feels ignored and spends most of his time next door at his Abuelita’s (Ivonne Coll, Jane the Virgin) house. Jose’s abuela has been teaching him how to play chess since he was five years old—both she and Jose’s grandfather were top players back home in Mexico.
One day Jose’s frustration with always being compared to his brother comes to a boiling point and he acts out at school, landing himself in detention. Mr. Alvarado (Efren Ramirez, Napoleon Dynamite), who’s in charge of the detention, decides that he will revive the school’s chess club in order to give the kids something more meaningful and productive to do. He quickly discovers Jose’s skill for the game, and thinks the team may have a shot. However, Principal Thomas (Jon Gries, The Bridge) cannot justify funding the club unless it can produce trophies, and other outside forces are also causing the students’ interest and motivation to wane. Mr. Alvarado refuses to back down and devotes all of his free time and his own money towards teaching the kids and giving them the encouragement and motivation they need to succeed.
The film is inspired by the real-life events of the Brownsville, Texas chess team, and how these underdogs were able to overcome the odds. While telling this inspirational story of a teacher who just wants to give his students a better life, the film also explores themes of loss and forgiveness. Jose has a strained relationship with his mother which only gets worse when tragedy strikes. Karla also has some deep-seeded resentments against her own parents she must learn to let go in order to move on with her life and learn to be happy once again. The movie also takes a look at what it’s like for young person whose parents are illegal immigrants living in America and the fear of being found out, deported and/or separated from your friends and family.
The main cast is excellent. I adore Ivonne Coll’s work on Jane the Virgin, and it’s more of the same here. She’s the sweet, supportive abuela everyone wishes they had in their lives. While Rico Rodriguez is primarily known for his comedic work on Modern Family, but here he gets to show off his range with some more dramatic scenes as well. And Efren Ramirez and Justina Machado also give very strong, emotional performances for their characters.
The Blu-ray presentation is quite nice, with clear, vibrant video and an audio track that provides clear dialogue as well as a delightful soundtrack. There is also a great selection of bonus features including an audio commentary by the writer/director, a behind-the-scenes featurette with the filmmakers, two deleted scenes, and a featurette in which the cast and filmmakers talk about their Latino heritage.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:30:45)
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
- Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0
- Subtitles: English, Spanish
Extras:
- Audio Commentary (1:30:45)
Writer/director/producer Carmen Marron provides an interesting commentary that gives viewers a good look into the making of the film. She talks about the cast, the story, the setting, the music, and more. Plus she tells a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes production stories. - Featurette (10:10)
The cast and filmmakers talk about the real-life inspiration for the story, how the script came about, casting the film, teaching the actors to play chess, the difficulty of shooting with child actors on an aggressive 19-day schedule, shooting in Brownsville, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with director of photography Francisco Bulgarelli, make-up head Javenda Burkett, writer/director/producer Carmen Marron, writer/executive producer Hector Salinas, 1st assistant director David Fry, and star Rico Rodriguez (“Jose”). - Deleted Scenes
Two deleted scenes are included. “Jose and Karla At The Cemetery” (2:21) and “Jose Visits Dani” (3:07). - Hipspanic Heritage Promo (1:55)
The cast and director talk about what it means to be Latino. Includes interviews with Rico Rodriguez (“Jose”), Alina Herrera (“Dani”), Efren Ramirez (“Mr. Alvarado”), writer/director Carmen Marron, and Junstina Machado (“Karla”). - Trailer (2:23)
Final Thoughts:
Endgame is an entertaining and inspirational film that tells not only an underdog story, but also a family drama, and explores the themes of loss and forgiveness. The cast is excellent and delivers both humorous and emotionally dramatic performances. The Blu-ray features excellent picture and sound quality as well as a solid collection of bonus material. This film is definitely worth checking out.
