As a graduate of Carl Hayden High School (of which this movie was based), I am proud to be a member of a fraternity of individuals that went on to develop more in Robotics and advanced science. I have become an inventor of robotic medical devices and I hold several patents and copyrights of devices that help stop suffering, and soften the edge of pain of those lives that are afflicted with many diseases and conditions, that can be corrected by the fruits of my creations. All of this was from the education and guidance I received from the teachers and staff of Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, Az. There is no measure of how thankful I am of being a: Carl Hayden High School "Falcon"!

Excellent plot, actors and overall great acting. Marisa Tomei and Jamie Lee Curtis were excellent in their portrayal of inner city educators and George Lopez was great in his part as an engineering professor. PenaVega was truly excellent as the leading student seeking to enter the competition. This movie was a very real representation of the situation facing inner city kids in continuation schools today...I almost cried at the end. I loved it from the beginning and would watch it again and again. Very moving, inspiring and it has no profanity, no nudity, it is a great family movie that would make kids that don't have to go through, very thankful for the great opportunities they have. I give 5 stars and more if I could. Loved it from start to finish based on its great storyline, great actors--specially Marisa Tomei and Jamie Lee Curtis and PenaVega.

I was ready to see one of those movies about Mexican Americans with all the stereotypes the public in the US likes to see but I thought, well at least I'll get some laughs with George Lopez in the movie, but halfway into it, I realize the story was much more serious than at first thought when it gives you peek into the reality of children of the undocumented in this country. The movie feels kind of slow for a while but it has fun moments, gains momentum, and really got me excited at the end. Then I thought, well is actually kind of lame giving that end just to please the audience. Who would have thought? The story is definitely greater than the movie but I wouldn't know about it without watching it here and it did inspire me to keep trying to beat the odds. Thanks to George Lopez for not focusing so much on being funny but to raise awareness.

This undoubtedly is George Lopez's one of his best dramatic performance till date. I did like few of his other voice roles in the past in multiple movies but this one clearly could be one of the very best of his career till date. The role of Fredi Cameron played by George Lopez who played the role of substitute teacher in a high school was outstanding.

This is based on true story of four Arizona teenagers who won the MATE Underwater Robotics competition with an underwater rover cobbled together from PVC pipe and spare parts (Thus the movie name). Three of the four winners were undocumented and risked deportation when they traveled to Santa Barbara to participate in the competition.

The movie is touching, acting and chemistry between actors are outstanding. The movie deserves more applause than what it's already got. This movie is a great feel good movie to watch for inspiration!

Rating the movie with five stars!

Very good movie, great acting by all. Sadly, even today, many of these children can still have a better chance if their parents or their family would do the same that the congressman did for Oscar Vazquez, sponsor them, submit and request for temporary legal status (in this case based on their achievements) so they can eventually become legal resident and if they chose to, become citizens. My uncle had to do just that. It took some times, he stayed out of trouble with the law and achieved legal status. Sadly also, Mr. Vazquez illegal issues were not clearly explained; as a former investigator, I came to the conclusion that there was more to that story or he would had not found himself on the radar. There can be only 2 or 3 reasons why he was wanted, most common is due to an outstanding order of removal from am immigration judge, prior criminal history, and as the movie portrayed, filing a legal application with false information or fraud. I know people that have being illegally in the USA for years, and I have seem quite a few of them use the proper channels (applying for work permits, filing for temporary residence, etc.) and I am happy to say they are now legal residents or even US citizens.

I'm not going to say it's a perfect movie because it's not. It can be draggy and disjointed and meanders a little off the story of these boys. But I absolutely loved the theme, the inspiring story behind it, and the reality of being illegal in the US. I'm not here to point one way or another at the politics of this topic because that's not what this is about. I think the movie shows it best, these are kids that didn't choose the life they were given. Whether here or there, being young is hard enough but to be thrown into this harsh life where you're seen as a criminal for existing is tough on any young mind. On top of that, they feel limited in their dreams because their options are so limited.
For anyone that judges innocent children as if they're nothing, your humanity has shriveled up and died.
That being said, I appreciate that this is a story of kids that put their passion into something and really impressed. I like that the real life parallels were shown at the end and we got to see where they ended up. It's a cute movie and if you watch it with an open mind you'll find that despite its imperfections, it's heartwarming, funny and will draw you in to root for these kids.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I thought the acting was well done and enjoyed the interaction between the actors and actresses. I especially appreciated the wrap up at the end with the insights into the lives of the real individuals involved in this based on true events.

On the downside, my grandparents were legal immigrants from Switzerland. My grandfather's twin brother died on the ocean voyage to America. My wife was a legal immigrant from Korea. They paid dearly, not monetarily but still dearly, for the opportunity to become US citizens. I am not sympathetic for the overwhelmingly negative impacts that illegal aliens have on the US. I find Hollywood propaganda intended to down play the negative aspects of illegal immigration dishonest and unfortunate. Thank you Oscar for your dedication and service to your and my country. Welcome to America.

I don't take the time to send in reviews very often. But this is one time that I feel an absolute need to. After watching this movie, I immediately sent a text to my daughter and daughter-in-law both being totally committed to the kids that they teach and counsel in both middle and high schools. I could write a book about both of them and what they have done to help their students grow over the years. But that's not what I'm here for.
This movie wasn't a high budget movie, the acting was good & all. But this movie was really all about the storyline, which is why it is so inspiring. And to make it perfect, it is based on a true story.
I'm definitely not a movie critic, and I don't know all the keywords that will make you click on the Play button. But do yourself a favor and just click it already!
However, on a sad note after doing some research on what happened with these kids later in life, it seems like the odds stayed stacked against them as far as their education went. Too bad that this still seems to be the story even today.