Real Women Have Curves

A salutary, affirmative epistle from Latino East LA, Real Women is about a bright, full-figured, working class teenager, Ana (Ferrera), who is struggling to pitch her ambitions at a self-respectful level despite all the mixed messages thrown at her. A teacher wants her to take a Columbia University scholarship, a boy from the smart side of the tracks wants to date her, and her histrionic mother wants to teach her nothing but shame. It's a bit too emphatically feelgood (Ana's beau is two dimensionally nice, and she's resolved in her mind long before the end), but the film and especially its leading woman carry a pep that's infectious, and the sisterly sewing factory strip-down is a sure showstopper. From a play by Josefina Lopez.