Movie Review: Spare Parts (2015)

Spare Parts (2015) directed by Sean McNamara

Based on a true story, this movie tells the story of four Mexican teens living in America who form a robotics club at their high school. Oscar (Carlos PenaVega) wants to join the US Army but can't since he doesn't have a US birth certificate. He sees a poster for an underwater robotics competition and decides to try for that. His high school science teacher is on maternity leave and Fredi Cameron (George Lopez) is the recently-hired substitute. He's an engineer drifting from job to job and only hosts the robotics club because the principal (Jamie Lee Curtis) said no one would show up. Oscar has a lot of heart and determination so Fredi tells him to recruit some other members and then they will try. Oscar gets a math nerd and a mechanical genius since they have skills needed to make the robot work. They recruit a fourth guy who is strong enough to take the robot in and out of the water. With the crew assembled, they have to work their way through personal and project problems to make it to the competition in Santa Barbara, California.

This is a classic underdog sports story with the sport being robotics. Fredi is the inspirational coach who helps the boys make it to the competition and also help them with their personal lives and get focus for their futures. Lopez does a good job--the screenplay leans into his comedy background. The boys' undocumented immigrant status throws up lots of personal obstacles. They also face the challenge of building a functional robot with minimal resources. The story is entertaining and heartwarming if not surprising. It gets the blend of humor and drama right and has good performances all around.

Recommended.