Gina Rodriguez and Ana Ortiz play sisters in “Sleeping with the Fishes.”
Imagine growing up in NYC with a Jewish dad, a Puerto Rican mom, and a comic book loving sister — what you get is a perfect recipe for Sleeping with the Fishes. The semi-autobiographical comedic tale is based on the film’s director, Nicole Gomez Fisher. Rising Latina actress Gina Rodriguez stars as Alexis Rodriguez Fish, a recently widowed 30-something who has been covering up her husband’s infidelity from her overbearing mom played Tony award-winning actress, Priscilla Lopez. In fact, Alexis finds out her husband’s death was caused from “a vehicular blowjob.”
Life seems to keep getting worse for Alexis. Her spouse left her penniless, so she had to resort to taking dead-end jobs as a phone sex operator and as a burger joint party planner, well really, she was paid to wear a meatball bun costume to promote the eatery’s events.
Dita and Gina Rodriguez at “Sleeping with the Fishes” premiere in San Diego.
One day, Alexis receives a phone call hailing her return home to attend a family funeral from her comic book-loving super loveable sister, played by Devious Maids star Ana Ortiz. She was avoiding going back to NYC like the plague because it meant having to see her body critical opinionated mom in-person.
The adventures of Alexis are ridiculously funny and real. What’s even quirkier, is Alexis has to plan a Bat Mitzvah on a $2,000 budget for an Asian girl who was adopted by her not related anymore Jewish auntie. What’s a girl film without the cutie love interest? That is answered when Alexis stumbles into love via the nightclub manager’s office thanks to her nose bleeding, passed-out drunk sister.
Sleeping with the Fishes is an absolutely heartwarming entertaining film from scene to scene. At the film’s premiere at Exitos del Cine Festival in San Diego, the director revealed it was filmed on a grueling 19-day shooting schedule in Brooklyn. The film has the signature touches reminiscent of John Hughes ’80s classics, except this time an All-American Latina is the star with direction from a Jewish Latina stand-up comedian.
It’s Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, and Real Women Have Curves all rolled into one, which stamps the film as the perfect must-see film for the 30-something girl starting over. No wonder Nicole Gomez Fisher took Best Director at the Brooklyn Film Festival this year.
The film has two showtimes left at Exitos del Cine Festival. Get tickets here.
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