10 Classic Chicano Movies Everyone on the West Coast Grew Up Watching
Almost every West Coast to East Coast transplant has that shocking moment when they realize not everyone grew up watching and incessantly quoting classic Chicano films like Born in East L.A., Stand and Deliver, and Blood In, Blood Out. It’s hard to imagine a life where lines like, “His body is decomposing in my locker” and “Waas Sappening” aren’t a regular part of daily life. So, for those of you who are uninitiated into the Chicano gang life that has made it onto the big screen, prepare to get jumped in. And no, not all of the movies are about gangbangers but a lot of them are, some of them unintentional comedies, and almost half of the list are flicks that star Edward James Olmos. Here are ten Chicano films about our fallen heroes (Ritchie Valens and Selena Quintanilla), life in the barrio, crossing the border, and exceeding society’s expectations of what Mexican-Americans can achieve. In the words of EJO in Stand and Deliver, “All it takes is ganas.”