Rudo y Cursi (2008)

Two siblings rival each other inside the world of professional soccer.

Director:

Carlos Cuarón

Writer:

Carlos Cuarón (screenplay)

Stars:

Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Guillermo Francella

1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gael García Bernal	...	Tato
Diego Luna	...	Beto
Guillermo Francella	...	Batuta
Dolores Heredia	...	Elvira
Adriana Paz	...	Toña
Jessica Mas	...	Maya
Salvador Zerboni	...	Jorge W
Tania Esmeralda Aguilar	...	Nadia
Joaquín Cosio	...	Arnulfo
Alfredo Alfonso	...	Don Casimiro
Fermín Martínez	...	DT Obdulio
Eduardo Von	...	DT Bruno López
Axel Ricco	...	Mena
Harold Torres	...	Trompo Tovar
Gabino Rodríguez	...	Mafafo

Storyline

Mexican half brothers Beto and Tato--who will eventually be appropriately nicknamed Rudo (rough) and Cursi (corny), respectively--have a typical love/hate relationship with each other. They both work on a banana plantation and live with their extended family consisting of their mother, abusive stepfather, sister Nadia, and Beto's wife Toña and their children. The family are rural peasant class and are barely making ends meet. The brothers' fortunes change when into their lives comes Batuta, a soccer scout. Despite their advancing ages, both Beto and Tato are naturally gifted at soccer, Beto as a goaltender and Tato as a striker. Playing professionally has always been Beto's dream, although Tato has other professional thoughts on his mind. Batuta eventually recruits both for different teams in Mexico City. Beto's and Tato's fortunes rise and fall, the falls based on those things which hold more passion for the brothers. For Tato, he loves fast women, specifically television ...

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Plot Keywords:

character names as title | three word title | soccer | gambling | mexican | 

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Taglines:

La Vida es Un Volado

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive language, sexual content and brief drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

Mexico USA

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

15 May 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rough and Corny

Filming Locations:

Cihuatlan, Mexico

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$211,460, 10 May 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,826,674, 21 August 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features International (FFI), Universal International Pictures (UI), Canana Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Carlos Cuarón's directorial film debut.

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Quotes

Jorge W: Catch me up Rudo, it's not me, I'm just the executive, I lead the operation, it's just that they want their money, that's obvious.
Beto: Well, tell them to rise my credit.
Jorge W: I swear you man, I'm really ashamed but that's impossible. You got a Tsunami like debt, dude.
Beto: I can over pay them if they want, just give me more time, please.
Jorge W: No Rudo, I'd love to but I really can't
[Asks a Market Attendant]
Jorge W: Excuse me, you got Pampers Ultra Supreme?
[the attendant says no]
Jorge W: Shiiit! Look Rudo, you ain't got a limit, ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Wolverine/Ghosts of Girlfriends Past/Battle for Terra (2009)

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Soundtracks

Mi amor Contiki
Written by José Stephens
Performed by The Mangos
Courtesy of Futura Ediciones Musicales (Fem) and Musicomedia, SC

User Reviews

Brotherly Love

In 2001, Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna starred in Y tu mama tambien, a film I would place in the top ten for this decade. Their dynamic on screen was palpable. The combination of a their performances as well as a gripping story from the Cuaron brothers, Carlos and Alfonso. Alfonso directed the film and went on to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Children of Men, the latter being a gem. Now, Carlos has taken the reigns as director for his first feature with Rudo y Cursi.

He reuintes with his Y tu mama stars Bernal and Luna, who have had stellar careers since 2001. Here they play brothers in a small Mexican town who dream of one day leaving and making it big. Beto (Luna) wants to become the greatest goalie in the country while Tato (Bernal) wants to be a singer, but can play soccer better than he can sing. They are discovered by Batuta (Guillermo Francella) during one of their games and offers one of them the chance of a life time: to become a professional football player. The scene to decide who gets to go is one of the best in the film, so I won't ruin it.

The majority of the film centers on the two brothers trying to fulfill their dreams but struggling along the way with gambling, women, and the sport they love. What I love so much about this film are the characters of Beto and Tato. They are so developed. You can tell exactly what their life has been life without knowing too much about them. They are simple folk and talk as such, regardless of how rich or destitute they become. Cuaron makes this unbelievable story as believable as possible, throwing the characters curveballs, much as life does.

Luna and Bernal work so well together. They look nothing alike yet I believe that they are brothers here. There is a scene where Luna is very upset with his brother and venting about it to his wife, but when she chimes in and talks down about Bernal, Luna tells her not to speak about his brother like that. It's the little things that they do that give their characters depth and feeling.

Cuaron uses narration throughout the course of the film, much like he did with Alfonso in Y tu mama tambien. This narrator however has an identity (Batuta) while in the other film it is anonymous. I think I would have liked it better that way or simply done without. The anonymous narrator can bring some interesting details and histories to the story, almost like watching a documentary. This narrating is bias and doesn't get quite as personal. It could have been dealt with in a better manner.

Although Carlos has been involved with several movies, I was very impressed with his directorial debut. Some people are born screenwriters, but step behind the camera and things fall apart. Luckily for us Carlos is multi talented like his brother. There are some very nice scenes here with solid camera work. One particular shot of the two brothers sitting across from each other at a table was beautiful in my opinion.

After the film was over and the credits began to roll, I happened to notice the names under the "Produced by" title. They were Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandoro Gonzalez Inarritu, and Guillermo Del Toro. They recently made a production company called Cha Cha Cha films. These three filmmakers won world wide acclaim in 2006 when they each released brilliant pieces of cinema. Cuaron with Children of Men, Inarritu with Babel, and Del Toro with Pan's Labyrinth. A pretty impressive threesome to have on your film's credits. I was impressed.

Rudo y Cursi is a very satisfying film for those who aren't looking for a typical story. Some might get mad at the ending but that's understandable. Such is life. Not everybody can be happy. I guess that's the film's underlying message that if you accept what life has dealt you, happiness will come to you.