Best of 2022: 10 of the Best Latinx Movies Released This Year

2022 has been quite the year for Latinx talent in film. While Hollywood has a long way to go to make an even, inclusive playing field and offer nuanced Latinx representation from different LATAM countries, there were a lot of positive strides made for the community this year. America Chavez, one of the first LGBTQIA+ Latinx superheroes in Marvel, finally made her debut in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) as a supporting character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Latinas made a splash as love interests in rom-coms like Crush but were also the leading ladies in movies like Do Revenge. Before 2023 begins, we wanted to celebrate the movies that stuck with us so here are 10 films that featured incredible Latinx talent as supporting characters or the leads of their own stories.

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Do Revenge on Netflix

Following in the footsteps of iconic teen comedies like Mean Girls, Clueless, and 10 Things I Hate About You, Do Revenge became hailed as one of the best teen movie of today’s generation not long after its release on Netflix. It follows Drea Torres (Camila Mendes) during her senior year as she hatches a revenge plot against her ex-boyfriend for leaking an intimate video of her online, risking her dream of attending Yale. When she collaborates with Eleanor (Maya Hawke), a new student at the school who also has a vendetta against one of their classmates, they decide to “do each other’s revenge” and things only go from bad to worse.

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Father of the Bride on HBO Max

Father of the Bride made a clear impact on entertainment and the Latinx community when it became the most-watched original film on HBO Max shortly after its release in June. Starring Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan, the movie is a fun, Latinx twist on the original 1950s film and 1991 remake. This time, the story centers on a Cuban American couple in Miami on the verge of divorce who choose to delay announcing it after their daughter announces her engagement. What follows is relatable comedic family moments, chaos as the wedding date draws closer, and also a whole lot of heart.

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Marry Me on Prime Video

After Maid in Manhattan, The Wedding Planner, and Monster-in-Law, we all know by now that JLo is the queen of the rom-com! Her latest film Marry Me featured her as Kat, a Latin pop superstar about to get married to Bastian, played by Colombian singer Maluma, after releasing their chart-topping single “Marry Me.” When she finds out he’s been cheating on her, Kat decides to marry a stranger in the audience holding a Marry Me? sign, later revealed to be Charlie, a math teacher (Owen Wilson). Throughout the movie, we watch the couple grow closer and bond, even as their respective worlds threaten to tear them apart at every step along the way. Shortly after its release on Peacock, it became the most-streamed film on the platform.

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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in theatres

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever made 2022 a year like no other for our community. Following the death of King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), Wakanda is struggling to keep world superpowers from mining their valuable vibranium for their own use. When these efforts threaten the underwater kingdom of Talokan, Wakanda meets Namor (Tenoch Huerta), who threatens them with war if they don’t help protect his people and prevent foreign powers from possibly colonizing them.To see an Indigenous Mexican community in their power headed by a leader as captivating as Namor (thanks to Tenoch’s performance) was a sight to behold.   We already can’t wait to see the people of Talokan return to a future Marvel project.

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Crush on Hulu

Another rom-com that made waves this year for the Latinx community was Hulu’s teen movie Crush. The film follows Paige, a budding artist who hopes to get into a summer arts program at CalArts but is having trouble with the application essay prompt. When she’s suspected of painting graffiti all over the school, she attempts to clear her name by launching an investigation into the mystery with the help of AJ (Auliʻi Cravalho), the twin sister of her childhood crush Gabriella (Isabella Ferreira). But things get more complicated when Paige realizes she may have a crush on both sisters and that they may both like her back. The movie was an amazing step forward for LBGTQIA+ Latinx visibility in media and put Latinas in the front and center not just as the main character’s love interests but also complex, nuanced people. 

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Scream on Prime Video

We all know the hit ’90s slasher film Scream but have you seen the latest sequel that was released this year, also titled Scream? Not only did it feature Latina sisters leading the story but they were played by none other than Wednesday star Jenna Ortega and In the Heights star Melissa Barrera! In this entry of the franchise, the small town of Woodsboro is yet again turned upside down by a new Ghostface, who’s determined to kill everyone who was involved in the original 1996 murders and their descendants. With a new killer on the loose, no one is sure whom to trust or if they will survive this modern murder spree.

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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on Disney+

The sequel to the 2016 Marvel movie Doctor Strange, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sees the titular character on another superhero adventure where he’s tasked with protecting America Chavez (Xochitl Gonzalez) from the Scarlet Witch and other demons since she can travel between multiverses. Throughout the film, we watch the pair bond through battle and attempt to save every universe. It was incredible to see Chavez in her film debut as one of the few LGBTQIA+ Latinx/Puerto Rican superheroes in Marvel, and we’re already looking forward to seeing her return to a future MCU project.

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Avatar: The Way of Water in Theatres

Avatar: The Way of Water, the sequel to the critically-acclaimed, record-breaking epic science fiction Avatar from 2009, hasn’t officially been released in theaters yet but has already received many accolades and positive reviews. Starring Zoe Saldaña as Neytiri, the film takes place in the decade after the original film and follows the Sully family as they are forced to leave their home and ignite yet another war with the humans above water. Three subsequent sequels have already been planned for release in 2024, 2026, and 2028. To have an Afro-Latina at the forefront of one of the most epic and successful films of all time is worth celebrating!

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The Valet on Hulu

Featuring a majority-Latinx cast, Hulu’s The Valet was a huge milestone for Latinx representation in media. The film follows Antonio Flores (Eugenio Derbez), a divorced valet and father who is caught in a PR love triangle with actress Olivia Allan and billionaire Vincent Royce, who are having an affair. To protect Vincent’s marriage, Antonio agrees to pretend-date Olivia for money, only for hijinks, drama, and chaos to ensue. This is a movie full of heart, laughter, and surprises at every turn and, as always, Eugenio delivers.

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Blonde on Netflix

We loved seeing Ana de Armas, a Cuban immigrant, shine in the role of American icon and actress Marilyn Monroe in Blonde. Based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, the film is a fictionalized version of Monroe’s early life, career, and death that was hidden from the eye of the American public for the entirety of her fame. We see her mental health issues, societal pressures, failed marriages and relationships, pregnancies, and more. More than anything, the story tries to show us the person behind the persona and reveal who she really was as Norma Jeane Mortenson and it’s thanks to de Armas’ critically acclaimed performance.