Rudo & Cursi (2008)

It is a performances centric movie

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

In his debut as director someone could expect something more from Cuaron especially if we see starring Gael Garcia and Diego Luna this time as two province ingenuous brothers, amateur futbol players who are tempted for a kind of mercenary scout,played by the Argentine actor Guillermo Francella(exceptional in this role)to try their luck at Mexico City in a Professional team,the movie plays with different situations around the futbol business ,some of them very attached with the reality ,for example that the agents of the futbol players make a lot of money and become the futbol in a very expensive show, the agents have to spread some money to trainers and others in order to their player could have the opportunity to play,some of these points I guess Cuaron could be advised by Hector Gonzalez Iñarritu, Director of Mexican Futbol Federation and brother of Alejandro Gonzalez one of the producers of the film,about these facts difference others very far of the reality as futbol Players begin their career at their thirty and without experience even in amateur competition Aside these points the movie result very entertaining as the way of Garcia and Luna develop their characters although sometimes Luna overact especially his way to speak, sounds like "Ponchito" the personage of Andres Bustamante famous in TV,besides Gael make funny his perform of singer despite of his awful interpretation, a kind of parody of Valentin Elizalde,unlike others very pretentious characters that he plays in different films,the movie got a very good reward in ticket offices mostly because of its starring couple

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?

I enjoyed Rudo y Cursi, directed by Carlos Cuaron, but it's hardly a ground breaking work of art. I might describe it as a pleasant way to while away a couple of hours but it's fairly lightweight.The story follows the fortunes of two banana plantation workers in Mexico who are 'discovered' by a football scout Batuta (and by football I mean the game that the whole world barring America calls football, ie soccer) and taken to play in the Big City, in this case, Mexico City. The moral of the story is be careful what you wish for. Escaping a mundane life of dull mediocrity and relative poverty in the countryside, our heroes find the life of a professional soccer player a mixed blessing and never reach their full potential, but instead slip into bad habits and totally lose any semblance of self discipline they ever had.Rudo harbors delusions that he can be a pop star (fabulous scenes of Gael Garcia Bernal making a music video! Probably worth the ticket price alone….) and Cursi cannot escape his gambling habit. Caught in a cycle of debt, Cursi must 'throw' a match to keep creditors off his back, while Rudo must win to keep his career on track, or sink without trace back into the obscurity from which they both came. His woman has already dumped him and moved on.Overseeing all this, with an air of Latin American Magic Realism, is the world weary scout Batuta (Guillermo Francella).The movie features nice performances from Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. If Gael Garcia Bernal isn't one of the cutest guys on the planet, then I don't know who is? And not only is his face fabulous to look at for extended periods of time, but he can act and I also get the feeling he has a sense of humour and can laugh at himself just a little, an asset I always find attractive! There is a wonderful scene of Rudo – and Bernal is not the tallest guy in movies – pants around his ankles having sex in his kitchen with his leggy girlfriend who is built like a giraffe. There aren't many actors willing to make themselves look that undignified, but it's a priceless attribute! Cursi meanwhile, is being outshone by his wife Tona (Adriana Paz) who has taken advantage of his migration to the city to launch her own career. But unable to escape his gambling, he falls into the clutches of creditors.It's an interesting but fairly superficial look at a culture where soccer is a cut throat game to be won at all costs, a way of life and an escape from poverty, as well as a game of skill and beauty. As a pairing of Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, I much preferred Y tu Mama Tambien, which I felt was a film with much more substance. But Rudo y Cursi whiled away a not unpleasant two hours on a Friday evening. Rent it if you missed it in theatres.