Bring Me An Avocado

by Kathia Woods

You fall head over heels in love; you get married to the love of your life, you have children and think nothing can disturb it. These are some of the themes examined in director Maria Mealla’s latest movie "Bring Me an Avocado."

The couple in love are George and Robin. They are that it couple that still adore each other, you know, the people that annoy you for the PDA, but one secretly envies.

It's Robin’s birthday and being the awesome husband that George is, he plans a surprise birthday party for Robin.

Everything is on track until the unthinkable happens: Robin becomes injured which puts her in coma.

The aftermath is a father trying to hold it all together but dying slowly on the inside. He wants to be strong, however he's failing miserably. His sister-in-law Greece with whom he has a troubled relationship, and Robin’s best friend Jada step in to bring structure to George and Robin’s two girls.

The bulk of the movie focuses on George. You are rooting for him to come out of his fog. You want him to get it together while at the same time feeling sorry for him.

George and Robin are portrayed beautifully by Bernardo Peña and Sarah Burkhalter.

Bernado Peña gives us plenty of range; he shows us that it's difficult for men to deal with emotional turmoil. You want him to ask for help, but he doesn't know how. He's a fixer.

The one downside of this movie is that we don't see how losing their mother affects the daughters. You have small moments of sadness, but that's all you get. Also, the viewer doesn't get any background on why Greece, George’s sister in law and George have conflict. Their exchanges are sarcastic; however, at times, it seemed something deeper was going on. Did she not approve of George for her sister? Does he deem her irresponsible ? These are questions that I had while watching them interact.

The transition from Robin being in a coma to awakening seemed rushed. Robin herself didn't seem to have questions about what had occurred to her.

Despite the above issues, this is still an entertaining movie. You want this family to reconnect; you want there to be a happy ending, even if the characters don't address all their issues. The takeaway is don't take your loved ones for granted and make the most of second chances.

Scale: I give this movie a 7 due to Bernado Peña performance. It’s nice to see men receive a part that requires them to show emotional rage.

Diversity: The director is Latina as well as the lead. There is also an African American co-star.