Rudo & Cursi (2008)

This 2008 film from the newly formed film production company of Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna follows two brothers (played by García Bernal and Luna) who get caught up in fame and an extreme case of sibling rivalry. Starting out as banana farmers they are discovered by a talent agent and begin to play professional soccer. They are swept away by fame and it eventually takes over their lives.I must confess that I was expecting something a little bit better, especially coming from such big names such as García Bernal and Luna. The plot line is interesting but the characters themselves were somewhat annoying. García Bernal's Cursi and Luna's Rudo are both overly immature – they fight with each other and whine when they don't get their way, even though they are grown men! It seems like there is no depth to the characters and it is hard to find any redeeming qualities.The only deeper meaning to be found throughout the movie comes in the form of a voice- over commentary made by the talent scout at various points throughout the movie making comparison between life and the game of soccer. I get the connections, but the movie is still lacking some serious character development.

I'm a sucker for foreign films and I must say this one is in my top three. Why? Because it's not just a movie about two Mexican brothers playing soccer. Rudo y Cursi is a cinematic tribute to the love-hate relationship between brothers and their individual struggles; one with women and fame and the other with gambling and drug addiction. The plot and the script were both well written. I especially liked Batuta's comments after each "event" in the movie; his metaphors for how life is like the game of soccer. You've got all sorts of layers in this movie involving family, culture, personal perspective, and a great ending that defines the quality of the story. Definitely a film worth watching.

This Mexican film follows two working class brothers who are catapulted into fame when they become soccer stars. Their skills as footballers are obvious, but the heights of fame, as we are often told, can come with a price. One brother seems to handle it better, whilst the other discovers drugs and gambling.It's perhaps a story we have seen before in one guise or another and this felt very formulaic. I just couldn't be get involved in the story because of this. I might not be a sports fan or indeed a soccer fan, but whilst I'm sure you would enjoy the film slightly more if you were, the film isn't so much about the football, but about the brothers and their rise and fall.The film looks good, it's beautifully shot and there are quite nice performances from the leads, Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal, who lets face it is always good and cute as well, but for me there wasn't enough depth to the story which seemed to skim through the motions leaving me unsatisfied. The highlight is the video of Gael Garcia Bernal singing some cheesy pop song.More of my reviews at iheartfilms.weebly.com

The first film from the newly formed Cha Cha Cha Productions, consisting of Mexico's finest filmmakers Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, Rudo y Cursi is a hugely enjoyable warm-hearted genre piece which re-teams the writer and stars of Y Tu Mama Tambien, Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna.Though, admittedly, not my greatest area of interest, there is always something very engaging about the sports movie. This film is a shining example of the genre. It tells the story of two poor country brothers, Tato and Beto. Tato dreams of becoming a pop star and Beto dreams of becoming a goalie. However, when Tato gets picked up, by random happenstance, by a soccer talent scout, Beto is horrified. Tato sees it as an opportunity to become famous and therefore get a record deal. Soon afterwards, Beto is given a shot at being a pro at a different club and they both become soccer sensations. Trials and tribulations ensue and the whole film builds up towards the inevitable climactic game with everything riding on it; brother versus brother.On some level this is an entertaining rags-to-riches story like all the other ones that have come before it. But there is a deeper level of sentiment at work here that allows the audience to engage fully with these characters and love them and hate them as necessary. The tragedy of simple men being seduced and quickly destroyed by fame is examined here, and to great effect due to the nicely rounded characters and undeniable chemistry between the two lead actors.Writer and director Carlos Cuaron (who co-wrote Y Tu Mama Tambien) does a fantastic job here. There is not a superfluous scene in the piece and the dialogue is not only hilarious but also snappy and natural. The screenplay flows along so nicely that by the time the film ends, you wonder where the two hours went and feel sad to be leaving these characters.A major problem with the film, particularly as a genre piece, is its lack of actual football footage. Most of the football is off-screen for some reason, perhaps the actors just aren't very good footballers. This hampers the excitement and the build-up of the third act somewhat. It is a huge pity because with so much invested in the characters, it seems a shame to take the excitement down a peg by not showing the matches. This is however merely a tiny problem in an otherwise splendid film.This is an impossible film to dislike. Devoid of sentimentality yet consistently heart-warming throughout, the lead and supporting characters light up the scenes throughout with subtle quirks and elegant tragedies. As dark as the story can sometimes get, it is never bleak, and always rousing. What more could one want from a summer popcorn movie?