Father's Day Isn't Today? It Should Be!

In the film, "Tortilla Soup", we are given insight into a somewhat dysfunctional Mexican family. The family's patriarch, Martin, is a stern, strong; but stubborn, loving man who only truly wants the best for his three daughters as they all try to discover what they want amidst the life's troublesome paths. As the movie progresses towards it's conclusion, Martin's character shows more and more of how much of a loving and selfless man he is amidst living alone for so long.


"Dad is such a purist", "he's stuck in the past" his daughters would often think of him, them believing how odd he is considering how big of a generation gap there is. Oh, isn't this nice? We have a father sitting at the table amidst his three daughters and they're all going to tell them how their day was! I SO have totally not seen this before! Eating at the dinner table, he is quick to ask what the going ons of his family, and his second oldest basically slaps him across the face like so; "HEY DADDY, I TOTALLY BOUGHT A CONDO ALL BY MYSELF WITH THE MONEY THAT I SAVED UP, WITHOUT YOUR HELP!" Ok, so it didn't quite happen like that. But to this man's ego it must have certainly felt like so. But why? Why does Martin get so offended that his daughter had not asked permission or any help in the process of moving out? Because he cares, that's why. Sure, Martin could have simply said "I'm proud of you, Carmen", but that doesn't happen. That's because Martin is quite a complex character.


Martin lost his wife some time ago, and all he has are his three daughters, and no one else. Oh, and he's a pretty self-incapable Chef due to his losing of sense of taste. He has yet to be remarried and is often subject to Hortensia's lustful stare, but she's not getting this player. Losing his wife has made him a markedly caring (and slightly depressing) individual, one who cares so much about others that he's pretty much forgotten about himself. How so? Well, he wants his daughters to go to get ahead in life, for one. And well, has he gotten remarried? Not yet, at least. Any father who does that, is a grade A Papi to me. He encouraged Carmen to get her MBA, Leticia is a blundering, but wonderful Chemistry teacher, and he gets agitated once his daughter announces she's moving with some smooth criminal she just met, and not going to college - the one she just got accepted to. How can he not get upset? His own daughter is so caught up in a deep infatuation that she fails to realize that all his father has are his three daughters, and mentioning (at the dinner table no less) that you're going to move in with a man you met 15 minutes ago in the movie is now the man you're going to live with is bound to raise some concern. Also, let's not forget that much later in the movie, amidst knowing full well that he's going to lose his daughter who just accepted a job in Barcelona, he strongly suggests that she takes it. He loves his daughters so much that he wished that they didn't move out; making him unhappy and lonely, but it's not a love that will chain his daughter's future opportunities.

Second, he cares for kids. Whenever his daughters wanted, he readily prepared candy jewelery for them, and we all know from Jessica Simpson, that edible fashionette is best. When Yolanda's daughter is subject to her mother's horrible cooking, he readily makes himself available to cook for her, trading his grade A cooking for her shabby ice cream bar and whatever other concoctions that'd be perfect for Dr. Frankenstein's Monster. Yolanda's daughter; April, is far from Martin's own, but the fact that he would go so far (when he doesn't even need to) as to ensure that she grow with adequate (and delicious!) nutrition is surely commendable. The final reason as to why Martin is so caring was when he approves of Yolanda's engagement (or should I say marriage) to Orlando after the horrid shenanigans of Maribel moving out with Andy. Despite being stubborn for so long - "he just doesn't express his feelings", "he's afraid of change", he proves to his daughter Yolanda and to us, the viewer, how much he truly cares about others, amidst losing his youngest. He had been so lost for so long, hardly having any faith in himself; "I don't know how to run a restaurant", that he mans up (even more) and approves of a man his daughter met only 40 minutes ago in a movie... and who's she's now married to. He even goes as far as wanting to befriend the man over America's greatest pasttime!. Do you know of any fathers who'd approve of your significant other without them knowing after you just married them?

Martin is a loving man, and a wonderful example of how all fathers should strive to be. Sure, he's far from perfect, perhaps a bit emotionally deprived for the majority of the movie, but he knows what's best for his family, without ever wanting anything for himself. It's not father's day today, but it very well should be.