the Havana Film Festival. According to Marin, he also received praise from Richard Pryor, who Marin says left him a phone message stating, "I went in not expecting much and was blown away. You made a great film. You should be proud." Critical response Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Born in East L.A. is an across-the-board winner" and said that it had "more energy and drive" than La Bamba. More negative response, however, came from critic Richard Harrington of The Washington Post, who wrote: Caryn James, film critic for The New York Times, wrote: Accolades Wins Havana Film Festival: Winner, Best Production Design & Best Screenplay; 1987. Havana Film Festival: 3rd Place, Grand Coral Prize, Cheech Marin; 1987. Home video releases and alterations An extended version of the film was produced for television, containing a longer, alternate ending. The movie was released in VHS and DVD format. Shout Factory released it on Blu-ray under their Shout Select banner on March 19, 2019. The Blu-ray edition included new interviews with Cheech Marin, Paul Rodriguez and Kamala Lopez, an audio commentary by Marin, the trailer, the theatrical cut in high definition and the extended television version in standard definition and in 4:3 (1.33:1) aspect ratio, although High Def Digest reported that the television cut was presented in widescreen at 1.85:1. References External links 1987 films 1987 comedy films American comedy films Films based on songs Films set in Los Angeles Films set in Tijuana Films about Mexican Americans Universal Pictures films Films scored by Lee Holdridge 1987 directorial debut films Films produced by Peter MacGregor-Scott 1980s English-language films 1980s American films 1980s Mexican films