Spare Parts

Spare Parts

Year: 2015

Runtime: 83 min

Language: English

Director: Sean McNamara

DramaSport

Four determined Latino students, with the help of their dedicated and unconventional teacher Fredi (George Lopez), create a robotics club despite limited resources. They challenge the seemingly unbeatable MIT champions, learning valuable lessons about engineering, teamwork, and perseverance as they build a winning robot and strengthen their friendship. The experience ultimately sets them on a path toward a brighter future.

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Timeline & Setting – Spare Parts (2015)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Spare Parts (2015). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

2004

Set in 2004, the events unfold during a high-stakes underwater robotics contest sponsored by NASA and the U.S. Armed Forces. The era's technology relies on DIY engineering and PBASIC programming, with donations filling the gaps in funding. The narrative also foregrounds immigration status as the four students strive for recognition in a field dominated by well-funded teams.

Location

Carl Hayden High School, Phoenix; University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), Santa Barbara

The story follows students in Phoenix, Arizona, attending Carl Hayden High School, as they prepare to travel to Santa Barbara for the Marine Underwater Robotics Competition at UCSB. The competition is held on the University of California, Santa Barbara campus, a hub of high-tech research and marine robotics. The film contrasts a budget-constrained hometown with a prestigious coastal campus and the challenge of crossing state lines for opportunity.

🎓 Education 🧭 Competition 🚗 Travel

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:54

Main Characters – Spare Parts (2015)

Meet the key characters of Spare Parts (2015), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Oscar Vazquez (Carlos PenaVega)

A determined student born in Mexico and raised in Phoenix, Oscar pursues a path to a better life through education and robotics, but his status as an undocumented immigrant complicates his options, including a barrier to joining the U.S. Army. He pushes the team to take risks and seek opportunities beyond traditional channels.

💪 Determination 🌎 Immigrant Experience

Fredi Cameron (Jamie Lee Curtis)

A substitute teacher with an impressive engineering background, Cameron becomes the team's mentor and organizer. She balances skepticism about her stay at the school with a commitment to building a capable, collaborative engineering club. Her guidance helps convert raw talent into a disciplined design process.

🏫 Mentorship 🎯 Focus

Gwen Kolinsky (Marisa Tomei)

A teacher who lends PBASIC programming expertise and technical know-how. Kolinsky helps translate classroom theory into the practical steps of prototyping and coding. Her support is instrumental in shaping the team's approach to the competition.

👩‍🏫 Education 💡 Technical Expertise

Cristian Arcega (Alexa PenaVega)

A key programmer who takes on a technical leadership role, coordinating the robot's control systems. Cristian combines curiosity with hands-on problem solving, pushing the team to iterate quickly. His role underlines the importance of software and systems thinking in hardware projects.

🧠 Programming 🔧 Engineering

Lorenzo Santillan (George Lopez)

Initially a troublemaker who is forced into the robotics project after being caught stealing, Lorenzo becomes a crucial team member with physical strength for lifting the robot in and out of the pool. His arc shows redemption through collaboration and hard work.

🧱 Strength 🤝 Teamwork

Luis Aranda

A strong helper recruited for his physical abilities to assist with handling the robot during setup and pool tasks. His inclusion highlights the team's reliance on diverse skill sets beyond pure technical know-how.

🧰 Hands-on 🎯 Cohesion

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:54

Major Themes – Spare Parts (2015)

Explore the central themes of Spare Parts (2015), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🏁 Underdog Spirit

A scrappy, underfunded team challenges elite university squads and regulatory hurdles. The students improvise with scavenged parts, tight budgets, and equal parts nerve and ingenuity. Their perseverance culminates in a surprise recognition that underscores the power of grit over resources.

💡 Ingenuity

The team designs a remote-operated submarine from donated parts, repurposed materials, and clever hacks. They prototype, test, and iterate under pressure, using PBASIC for the robot's intelligence module. Innovations like the 'Stinky' waterproofing approach reflect their practical resourcefulness.

🤝 Mentorship

Two teachers step in to guide the students, bridging gaps in funding and experience. The mentors teach problem-solving, project management, and teamwork, helping students translate raw talent into a functioning robot. The relationship emphasizes trust, guidance, and belief in unlikely achievers.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:54

Unlock the Full Story of Spare Parts

Don't stop at just watching — explore Spare Parts in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Spare Parts is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Spare Parts Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Spare Parts, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Spare Parts Summary

Spare Parts Timeline

Track the full timeline of Spare Parts with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Spare Parts Timeline

Spare Parts Spoiler-Free Summary

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Spare Parts Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Spare Parts

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