Camilla (Salma Hayek) is a fiery, beautiful Mexican café waitress who aspires to make something of herself and give her and her future children a place and chance in the world.

Arturo (Colin Farrell) is a struggling writer who comes to Bunker Hill, Los Angeles to start his writing career.

[citation needed] Another delay was Hayek initially rejecting the role to avoid being typecast as a Mexican immigrant.

[citation needed] Part of the film was shot at Pinelands High School (Cape Town, South Africa), on fields modified to simulate a Los Angeles scenery.

The site's consensus states: "Though Hayek is luminous, Farrell seems miscast, and the film fails to capture the gritty, lively edginess of the book upon which it's based.