CINEMA: Rudo Y Cursi

In which director Carlos Cuaron and actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna are reunited after the success that was Y Tu Mama Tambien.

The story here is a lightweight tale of two footballing brothers who both become stars for opposing teams in the Mexican domestic league.  Rudo (Luna) is the more talented of the pair, although he has problems with his mercurial temper, but it is baby brother Cursi (Bernal) who becomes the biggest star, giving him the clout to launch a doomed foray into music.

Like many brothers, Rudo and Cursi love each other and are fiercely loyal to each other, but they are also fiercely competitive and their bids to gain the upper hand produce much of the movie’s humour. You don’t actually get to see much football action, but the brothers’ frequent spats certainly make the time pass quickly. There’s also the rather incongruous sight of Bernal, in outsize cowboy hat, slaughtering I Want You To Want Me – in Spanish of course.

Even a more serious storyline about gambling debts and throwing games can’t dim the film’s lightweight sunny nature, which Cuaron handles with delicately deft fingers. So, it’s not what you’d call compulsive viewing, but it is entertaining in a sub-Premier League kind of way.

Dee Pilgrim