In the movie My Family the identity of Jimmy is very different than any other member of the family. In the beginning of the movie Jimmy is given the image of a lovable and pampered boy. Then later on, although being a good, loving person, his attitude towards life changes after his brother's death. .
As part of his culture, he values the work that his father goes through to survive and support his family. This is shown when his father, Jose, tells him about how the corn is planted and how big their field used to be. Jimmy exhibits admiration and awe towards his father's teachings and stories. A way in which the movie shows how he is pampered is when his brother, Chucho, is worrying so much to make Jimmy's pants look perfect for the wedding. Another sign of the affection and love that he stimulates is when Chucho teaches him how to dance.
The way Jimmy behaves immediately changes after he witnesses how Chucho is killed. Jimmy sees no other option but to act rebellious and commit crimes. Even though he rebels against the authorities, he remains respectful to his parents, revealing his loving and caring character. He also shows affection towards his sister Tony. When she comes to visit after a long time, he receives her with a warm hug.
Afterwards, Jimmy gets married, convinced by his sister Tony that with that act he is messing with the government. At this time Jimmy is still secluded from others because of his anger. Then he falls in love with his wife, Isabel, and switches from being enraged to being loving again. A display of his love is when he cries with Isabel over the loss of his brother and understands her pain from the death of her father as well. .
Once again, Jimmy is loving and caring, but another tragedy steals his happiness away from him. His wife dies giving birth, and he becomes cold and contained with anger. He becomes careless and shuts out the people he loves. He decides to rob a place and purposely gets caught, so he can be taken to jail, to forget about his life.
