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Cast: Matthew Stoneman
Matthew Stoneman dreamed of pop stardom. Instead, he went to jail, learned Spanish, and emerged as “Mateo,” America’s first white mariachi singer. Mateo is on the brink of completing an album of original songs in Havana. But his estrangement from friends and family, his criminal past, and his love for Cuban women could derail him on his quest for fame.
"Mateo" tells the story of Matthew Stoneman, a man who had big dreams of becoming a star in the music business. But those dreams were sidelined after he went to jail. While incarcerated he learned to speak Spanish and when he got out he became Mateo, America's first white mariachi singer. The documentary follows Mateo around as he does odd gigs in the U.S. in an attempt to raise enough money so he can go back to Cuba to do an album of original songs. Doing so is not an easy task for Mateo because of several distractions in his life most of which are brought on by himself. For starters and the most heart breaking of them all is his estrangement from his mother and father. While in prison he wanted his dad to do something for him but the father never felt right about doing it since his son was still in jail and Mateo never forgave him for it. Petty stuff in my opinion and I really felt bad for his parents during their interview in the film.
Another major distraction to him is Cuban women. He seems to have a major weakness for them and it certainly hurts his cause especially money wise. That is about all you need to know about Mateo before watching it.
I really enjoyed this documentary, I thought it was engaging and I found Mateo to be a very interesting character. The one big surprise to me was the fact that he can really sing. I was in shock the first time I heard his voice, I heard someone say he has the voice of an angel and I think that pretty much sums it all up. I do wonder where he might be today as far as his singing career goes if it were not for his problems. Mateo is certainly a complex character and when you combine that with beautiful music you end up with a very entertaining film. Available now on DVD, you can order it HERE.
Released by Xlrator Media
**** Out Of *****