REVIEW — “Spare Parts”

An inspiring true story about that is even more impressive than the movie lets on.

By now, audiences have been subjected to a dizzying number of inspiring high-school and college sports stories, most revolving around football in bible belt towns.  But what hope is there for the non-jocks?  The kids fighting an uphill battle that don’t have brain-trauma inducing athletic talents to fall back on?  “Spare Parts” is the perfect film to fill that void.

The movie plays exactly like one of these sports films.  A low-budget labor of love, with slightly quirky characters, and a silver lining around every cloud.  A few things set this film apart from the rest.  First, it’s about an underwater robot competition.  Secondly, these high school students are challenging college teams. MIT to be exact.  Further challenging this group is the fact that a majority of the students at this Arizona high school are undocumented immigrants.  George Lopez plays Fredi Cameron, a substitute teacher between jobs, who is actually a mash-up of the two teachers who lead this team of students in real life.

If you think you know where the film is going, or believe the ending to be a bit contrived, take the time to read the “Wired” article the story is based on.  Sometimes the truth can be even more impressive than the dramatized fiction. Clocking in at a brisk 83 minutes, there is no reason why you shouldn’t watch this movie.  It’ll leave you feeling good, impressed, and you might even gain a new perspective on the issues undocumented teens face.

3.5 out of 5 Stars