Spare Parts

Though based on a Wired magazine story, this sticks closely to the formulas of inspirational-teacher and sports-team dramas; distinguishing it from the pack is the fact that all four students who formed the club were undocumented.

The film refreshingly portrays its kids as part of a diverse group trying to succeed in a country in which they can never find secure footing.

Sequences and scenes end unceremoniously, everyone in the movie seems to know each other's backstory before they're properly introduced, and mild jokes land with uncertainty.

While the appropriately titled "Spare Parts" might feel like it has been assembled from bits and pieces of other inspirational movies, that doesn't mean the fact-based drama is any less effective ...

This blatantly big-hearted product isn't half as vibrant as the original 2005 Wired article on which it's based, and myopically neglects to address Arizona's troubling anti-immigration legislation through even a splash of hindsight.

The fictionalized backstory for Cameron is superfluous and distracting...Still, with a storyline like this one, it cannot help being fun to watch.

It's a positive story, filled to the brim with love, fun, and cultural pride.

Even while McNamara hasn't made a great or even very daring film, it's one that was worth being made, and certainly one deserving to be seen despite its formulaic, safe tone.

Spare Parts will likely be a crowd-pleaser, especially to those familiar with the story, but those expecting something new to be brought to the table are out of luck.

The movie sometimes seems almost like an abridgment of or commercial for itself. But Lopez sneaks his humor in gently, remaining a faithful servant of the story and its hopeful message.