Rudo & Cursi (15)
- Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, Guillermo Francella, Dolores Heredia, Adriana Paz, Jessica Mas, Salvador Zerboni
- Director: Carlos Cuarón
- Duration: 90 mins
- Year: 2009
Beto and Tato are a pair of rivalling, dim- witted brothers who work on a dusty banana ranch and play soccer for their local team. Beto, a goalie whose hot temper on the field earns him the nickname of Rudo, dreams of becoming a professional soccer player, while Tato wants to be a famous singer. They both share the dream of building a big house for their mother, Elvira, but all of their desires seem completely out of reach, that is, until a talent scout, Batuta, discovers their skill on the field. To Beto's chagrin, it is Tato, whose curlicue field play earns him the nickname of Cursi, who is chosen to become a star player. Not to be bested, Beto scores a goalie position on a rival team, further intensifying the competition between them. But success makes the brothers confront their own personal demons and sets them on a chase for more than just soccer balls. Cuaron keeps the energy high and the laughter rolling even as he crafts a moral into the story. But even if the duelling brothers do find a way out of the banana ranch, will the banana ranch ever find a way out of them?
Reviews
Alison Rowat's Review
If they were not scrabbling to make a living at a banana ranch in Mexico, brothers Tato and Beto (Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna) could be the next Christian Ronaldo and Artur Boruc.
After a talent scout passing through their village agrees, he takes the striker and the goalie to a big club in the capital.
Hero worship, fabulous homes, even a singing career are theirs for the taking - if only they can keep their heads, and stop arguing with each other.
The title of Carlos Cuaron’s comedy drama translates roughly as “robust and pretentious”, just two of the labels attached to the pair by the sporting press as the media frenzy begins. Bernal and Luna appeared together in Alfonso and Carlos Cuaron’s 2001 hit, Y Tu Mama Tambien.
They are wonderfully at ease with each other on the screen, which adds to the picture’s relaxed air.
It’s a bit too laid back when it comes to reinventing the familiar tale of poor boys making good on the football pitch, but it’s an amusing, warm-hearted watch all the same.