Original subtitles

No good can be served by sending Benita Lopez to prison as an

accessory to a robbery her boyfriend committed 30 years ago.

Thank you. The defense rests.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, once you've reached your verdict, please

inform the bailiff.

Bailiff! Can you give me a minute with my mother, please?

So that we may pray that gays...

Ken Mary.

I'm working on juror number four.

Hello.

I'm not worried, okay, because I have found the juror who's going to acquit

number eight.

The old guy with the watery eyes?

Well, I don't know about his eyes, but his mouth was watering when I bent over

and gave him a shot of exhibits A and B.

My God, Mom, you're going to hang like exhibits A and B.

The jury's back.

This is not good.

George. Mom.

Look, he doesn't know anything.

Keep the prison van here. I got one more coming.

That's a little more troubling.

Everyone please be seated.

Mr. Foreman, has the jury come to a decision?

Oh, yeah. In the hall on the way to the jury room.

How did you find him?

We find the defendant, Benita Lopez, guilty as charged.

So says the jury.

What? That is crazy!

Now, there are murderers and rapists running around loose on the streets, and

you are going to put me in jail?

You are the 12 dumbest people I've ever seen!

Mom! What?

They're still sentencing.

I'm sorry I shouted.

It's the hormones.

I'm pregnant.

Don't make me have my baby in jail.

The lowrider is a little higher.

Well, that was a setback.

Setback? My mom's looking at hard times. Oh, not necessarily, George.

If we can show your mom in a sympathetic light, maybe we can get her probation.

But we need character witnesses to speak well of Benny.

Can we hire...

actors. I'm assuming you'll speak about what kind of mother she was. Can we hire

actors?

What about the judge?

Even if the jury wants to send her to prison, can't they be overruled? Yes.

unfortunately, I have a problematic history with Judge Alvarez.

As you young people say, I hid it and proceeded to quit it.

I'll speak for my mom.

So will I.

I don't want to take any chances here, so what else can I do to help my mom?

You know, it might be helpful if one of her parents testified.

Are they alive?

Her mom is.

I'll track her down.

But they haven't talked for 40 years.

Benny's parents kicked her out when she got pregnant with George. Well, you know

what? She's older now. Maybe she wants to make up with Benny before it's too

late. What if she doesn't?

Well, then.

Saskia, I'll just turn on the Lopez charm.

You see, I can get a woman to do anything. I got you to go out with me in

school, didn't I?

I went out with you because I felt sorry for you.

Not in front of company. You never back me up.

Hey,

my grandma called? Yeah, she hit traffic, but she'll be here any minute.

Dad, what's your grandma like?

I don't know, Max. I only heard my mom's story. She's supposed to be old school.

Oh, George, George, George. Tell them about the time that Benny got in trouble

with the nuns.

Oh, yeah. One day my mom mouthed up in class and the nuns hit her with a ruler.

They were like that.

Then when she got home and her mom found out what happened, she hit her with a

switch. She was like that. Move your hand. Move your hand.

Then her dad came home and beat her mom because dinner was late.

That's horrible.

Did anyone beat him?

Tequila and a curb in the freeway.

Max, go wash up for dinner.

Uh -oh, she's here. You know what? I'm going to go out the front door.

You don't want to meet her?

Dude, she gave birth to Benny.

Dad, can she be? I mean, she must have mellowed if she came all the way down

here to help Benny.

Actually, I told her that my mom was shot.

You lied to her? I thought you were going to use the Lopez charm.

It didn't work. I can't do my puppy dog eyes over the phone, I bet.

Grandma. Here.

It's great to finally meet you.

It's too bad that it took my mom being in the hospital to finally bring us

together.

I'm his wife, Angie.

Nice to meet you.

Yeah, you too. So, how's Betty doing?

She's in a semi -private room, and there are people watching her like 24 hours a

day.

You rushed me off the phone before I could ask. Well, she wrote you a letter

asking for your forgiveness. And then she went to the post office to mail it.

Then a postal worker who had just been fired. Wait a minute, that makes sense.

Shut up the place, Grandma.

All right, so we'll go to the hospital first thing in the morning.

I figured you'd be too exhausted to cook, so I brought some homemade

When are you going to tell her the truth?

If you could cook, I'd tell her right now.

Isn't there some news you should tell your grandma before you eat?

Yeah, I guess I could tell her now.

Tell me what?

Okay. I lied.

My mom didn't get shot. I just said that to get you down here.

She's in jail.

That's why I'm here?

Let's see. You owe me 100 bucks for the gas, 30 bucks for the tamales that I

bought down the street.

Look, my mom needs your help.

If you say something nice about her at her sentencing hearing tomorrow, she

might not have to go to prison.

And 12 bucks for the salsa verde.

You know, you got a lot to make up for, too, you know, with the beatings and

everything. I never laid a hand on Benny.

If anything, we were much too easy on her, and look what happened. She got

pregnant and ran away.

Wait a minute. She said you kicked her out. I kicked her.

She left on her own, and my husband, may he rest in peace, never got over the

shame that she brought on this family.

Well, as the shame...

I'd

like to ask you for a favor.

Look, I've had my own problems with my mom, but I'm going to suck it up and say

something nice on the stand, and I'd like for you to do the same.

This could be your last chance to make up with your daughter.

I'll do it.

You can get past what she did to you.

I can get past my own problem.

Thank you. And I'll tell you, that girl has caused us both a lot of grief.

Amen, Granny.

Donitos.

you wonder what it would have been like if that other family had kept you?

What other family?

The one she tried to give you away to.

Uh -oh.

No, you mean my sister, right? She tried to give my sister away.

No, no, no, no, no. She gave you away first.

But the family returned you.

Honey, you know how much I love you, but I have to say, your life

is really jacked up.

Did you reach your mom?

No, the jail wouldn't put my call through.

Honey, I know you're still upset about Benny trying to give you away, but I

that's not going to influence your testimony. You know, just a little at

end.

So I don't think my mother should go to prison for an old robbery charge when

her real crime was giving away her only son. I hate her, hate her so much.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury.

George, you can't do that to your mom.

Yes, she tried to give you away, but she did raise you. Because she was stuck

with me.

She never wanted me, Angie. I mean, you know what it's like to feel unwanted.

No, I don't.

I've been wanted my whole life.

But the people who don't get to have me are disappointed, and I have to live

with that.

Okay, it's not the same.

But, George, you can't get on that stand and condemn Benny.

Look, I don't think I can go up there and say anything nice about her. Not

I know she hurts you, but this is your chance to be the bigger person. I don't

want to be the bigger person!

I want to be small and mean.

Like a scorpion, I'll be like that.

And I get you all distracted by my pincers.

Oh, but you forgot about my tail.

consumed by your own anger. And when you sting her, your tail is going to fall

off and you'll die.

That's a B. You don't know nothing. I win.

Hello, Benita.

Mom?

Let's get started.

The defense may call its first character witness.

Or maybe he'd rather send an email two weeks later to let her know it's over.

My

client

has been found guilty.

But I know that once you hear from her loved ones, you're going to see her in a

different light.

I think your son, George Lopez, would like to say a few words.

Pass.

What are you doing?

Pass. I've got nothing to say. Adjourned.

Okay. We call Louisa Diaz, the defendant's mother.

Mrs. Diaz, would you like to tell the court something about your daughter?

Benita was smart and hardworking.

So she had to quit school and go to work to help support the family. Oh, no, no,

no, no, no. She never helped us.

She had to leave school because she got knocked up.

And it took a lot of courage to keep the child and raise it on her own. I

wouldn't know. That's the choice that she made when

she decided to leave home.

What? That's not what happened?

I had to leave. What was I supposed to do? Stay there and let you hit me some

more? Order.

Why do you have to twist things? We spanked you, sometimes in the face.

You shouldn't have done that.

Well, you got what you deserve for running around like a little whore.

Order.

I told you never. to call me that. Then you should never have acted like one. I

knew you would end up like this.

Worthless.

All right.

You can step down now.

I've changed my mind.

Got something to say. Why not?

I wasn't going to come up here today, but now I feel I have to.

My mom may have made some mistakes in her life, but when someone like that

raises you, what do you expect?

She doesn't deserve to be punished for a stupid decision she made a long time

ago.

She's never committed another crime.

She's worked at the same job for...

30 years.

So I'm asking you, as her son,

you'll send my mom to prison.

George. Yeah.

Testimony helped a lot.

I got probation, a couple hundred hours of community service.

All I have to do is pick up trash from the freeway.

Really?

Which one? Maybe I'll run into you.

Angie told me what my mom said. I know you got some crying to do, so let's just

get over with. Go.

We don't have anything to talk about.

I'll see you at work tomorrow, Benny.

Benny. So I'm not your mom anymore?

Hey, you didn't want to be my mom when you gave me away.

I got you back. I begged for you.

Look, after a week, the family gave you back and got a puppy instead.

You didn't care about what happened to me, did you?

Here, I stopped at the house and got this.

What's this?

It's an agreement that I made with the Delgado.

The family that took you.

Raise him as if he were your own.

Tell him you love him.

Hug him every day and make him feel like he's special.

I had conditions, George.

What's this? It looks like you tried to wipe something out. No.

No, no. I didn't give it back.

700, 600, 500. What is this?

We... We're negotiating.

You sold me?

What did they pay for the puppy?

Now, George, that dog came from a long line of champions.

So I'm worth less than a dog?

Not just any dog, George. A championship dog.

Look, they offered me. The money wasn't about that.

I was 16, and I was scared, and I wanted to give you a better life.

Well, then why didn't you do the things you asked the other family to do?

Because I didn't think I could do it.

You saw my mom?

She wasn't exactly a great teacher when somebody needed to feel special.

You know, you're supposed to do better for your kids.

Believe it or not, I did.

Good to meet you, George.

And I guess I'll see you at your next trial, huh?

Not unless I see you at your funeral first.

I've outlived your father.

And your brother, we'll see who's next.

Damn, I think some flowers died when she walked by them.

Okay, well, you know what? Maybe you did do better.

I'll see you tomorrow at work, Mom.

Hey!

Hooray, I'm back.

Now I suppose you want a hug and say I love you.

No, you know, I don't need that.

Hey, Max.

Love you, ma 'am.

Okay.

Say it back or next time we do it in front of your friend.

I love you, Dad.

Come on, man.

Hug me.

Give me a hug.

Come on, hug me like you mean it.

I'll trade you for a puppy.