Homeboy industries employs ex-gang members. It sounds like a very worthwhile project, and the virtues of the program are extolled, but It would have been great to hear some actual stories about what lead certain kids into the gangs in the first place. We know the gangs must hold some allure, even if it’s one born of self-destructiveness. There’s hardly any of that, in concrete terms, so things tend towards being a bit public servicy. The announcer sounds a lot like one of the reporters from The Daily Show—which made me think, why can’t a piece like this have an element of humor to it, too? “As one life tragically ends, another starts,” says the announcer, and it just sounds a little pat. Too much Easter Sunday, and not enough good Friday. Still, the message is a positive one, and the original score is lovely.
Review of El Padre y Los Homies
Jonathan Goldstein
Posted on August 26, 2004 at 06:44 AM
Homeboy industries employs ex-gang members. It sounds like a very worthwhile project, and the virtues of the program are extolled, but It would have been great to hear some actual stories about what lead certain kids into the gangs in the first place. We know the gangs must hold some allure, even if it’s one born of self-destructiveness. There’s hardly any of that, in concrete terms, so things tend towards being a bit public servicy. The announcer sounds a lot like one of the reporters from The Daily Show—which made me think, why can’t a piece like this have an element of humor to it, too? “As one life tragically ends, another starts,” says the announcer, and it just sounds a little pat. Too much Easter Sunday, and not enough good Friday. Still, the message is a positive one, and the original score is lovely.