Brown Is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream (2007)

Latinos, this nation's largest and fastest-growing ethnic group, are big business. Brown is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream examines how efforts to profit from this group are shaping the contemporary Latino identity. The documentary's focal point is comedian George Lopez, an icon and advocate for Latinos' move into the mainstream. Brown is the New Green offers rare behind-the-scenes access to Lopez's life and world as he shares his struggles to represent Latinos in a manner true to their realities and aspirations. As Cosby did for African Americans decades earlier, Lopez normalizes the image of Latinos in a way that delights and entertains. Brown is the New Green contrasts Lopez's endeavors with the efforts of marketers intent on spinning Latinos as a wholly distinct subculture. The show also features conversations with members of the much-coveted Latino youth market, whose tastes and interests are far more eclectic than the marketers would have us believe. Fast-paced, fun, and smart, Brown is the New Green updates our understanding of America and those who will inherit it.