''Melting Pot'', also known as ''Race'', is a 1998 feature film directed by Tom Musca, writer and producer of ''

Stand and Deliver ''Stand and Deliver'' is a 1988 American drama film directed by Ramón Menéndez, written by Menéndez and Tom Musca, based on the true story of a high school mathematics teacher, Jaime Escalante. For portraying Escalante, Edward James Olmos wa ...

''.

Premise

Gustavo Alvarez is a Latino house painter who resides in Los Angeles. His wife urges him to compete for a seat on the city council now that Councilman Jack Durman has retired from politics. Alvarez decides to run but soon realizes that it will not be an easy fight. His opponent, Lucinda Davis, is an experienced black politician who is eager to win. As the campaign intensifies, things get nasty, and a race war nearly erupts.

Cast

* Paul Rodriguez - Gustavo Alvarez *

CCH Pounder Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder (born December 25, 1952) is a Guyanese-American actress. She has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in ''The X-Files'', '' ER'', ''The Shield'', and ''The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agenc ...

- Lucinda Davis *

Cliff Robertson Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned over six decades. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film '' PT 109'', and won the 196 ...

- Jack Durman *

Una Damon Una Damon (born Kim Una) is a South-Korean and American actress. Her film credits include ''Gattaca'', ''The Truman Show'', '' Deep Impact'', ''Deep Rising'', and ''Spider-Man''. Damon has acted in numerous television shows including ''Curb Your ...

- Chungmi Kong * Annette Murphy - Reyna Álvarez *

Efren Ramirez Efrain Antonio Ramírez (born October 2, 1973) is an American actor and DJ, best known for playing Pedro Sánchez in the 2004 indie film ''Napoleon Dynamite''. He later reprised his role in the 2012 animated series of the same name. Early ...

- Miguel Álvarez *

Lillian Hurst Lillian Hurst (born August 13, 1943) is a Puerto Rican actress and comedian, She made her debut as a television comedian in the early-1960s. She has worked in film, stage and television productions in the United States. Early life Hurst was born ...

- Grandma Álvarez *

Peter Krause Peter William Krause (; born August 12, 1965) is an American actor, director, and producer. He has played lead roles in multiple television series, portraying Casey McCall on '' Sports Night'' (1998–2000), Nate Fisher on '' Six Feet Under'' (2 ...

- Pedro Marine *

Danielle Nicolet Danielle Nicolet (born Danielle Diggs; November 24, 1973) is an American actress. She has made appearances on shows such as ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996–2001), ''Second Time Around (TV series), Second Time Around'' (2004–05), ''The Starte ...

- Deuandranice *

Jude Herrera Jude Herrera is an American actress. She began her career in theater and made her onscreen debut in the CBS television movie, ''Blue Rodeo'' (1996), with Ann-Margret and Kris Kristofferson. Filmography Film Television Stage *''End Town'' ( ...

- Dolores * Winston J. Rocha - Carlos *

Brian Poth Brian Poth (born June 9, 1975) is an American actor. He got his start as a dancer on the show ''Kids Incorporated'' having to commute to Los Angeles every week. After his contract was up, he moved to LA to get a screen writing and film productio ...

- Walter Cahill Jr. * Leticia Robles - Latina reporter * Bruce Sabath - White cop * John C. Mooney - Walter Cahill Sr. *

Paul Bartel Paul Bartel (August 6, 1938 – May 13, 2000) was an American actor, writer and director. He was perhaps most known for his 1982 hit black comedy ''Eating Raoul'', which he wrote, starred in and directed. Bartel appeared in over 90 movies and ...

- Moderator * Luis Guizar - Iannicito

Reviews

It was reviewed with 2,5 stars in ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

''. Wrote Doug Pratt, "The jacket art tries to sell the film as a gang drama, but it is more of a seriously toned comedy. While exaggerations of the political process prevent it from being totally believable, it does offer insights and humor on a subject that is far less covered than it ought to be in popular entertainment. Best of all, the characters played by Pounder and Rodriguez are neither good nor bad, and the flaws in their characters, acerbated by the stress of the election, brings focus not only to their humanity, but to the realities of American civics".

References

External links

* 1998 films 1998 drama films American drama films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-drama-film-stub