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Carlos Cuarón's Rudo y Cursi, starring Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna
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A typical story: poor country boy is discovered by worldly man from the city, boy makes it big, boy blows it all through vice and excess, boy is humbled by the experience and returns to his roots.
Heard that one before? How about this one: two brothers, teammates on the soccer field, have a falling out, become bitter rivals, then reconcile, only to have another falling out before the big match.
Heard that one too? How about if the two stories are combined and we have two footballer brothers who have a falling out, who each make it big, who become bitter rivals, who each blows it all through vice and excess, they reconcile, then have another falling out before the big match..jpg)
Now we’re talking.
That, in a nutshell, is Rudo y Cursi, the Mexican production that reteams Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, who last parted ways after a moment of awkward homoeroticism in the superb Y tu mamá también. That film was directed by Alfonso Cuarón, brother of Carlos Cuarón, who co-wrote the screenplay to Y tu mamá también with his older sibling and who moves behind the camera for Rudo y Cursi.
His new film is a slight affair, as innocuous as a rolling stream, but about as deep. The title pertains to the nicknames given to the Luna and Bernal characters as they make their fame on the pitch. “Rudo” (“rough”) is the handle bestowed upon the Luna character for his aggressive goalkeeping style, and “Cursi” (“corny”) is the moniker applied to Bernal as he ridiculously pursues a singing career off the field (his unintentionally funny music video cover version of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You to Want Me” is the highlight of the movie). Their rise to godlike status is rapid and improbable, as Bernal goes from an unseasoned hick from a banana town to a 1st division goal scoring machine in the course of a few weeks, while Luna challenges the league’s shutout record in his first full season as keeper.
Their respective downfalls have been seen many times before, normally in movies about rock stars. Bernal gets mixed up with a gorgeous TV personality (Jessica Mas) who milks him for all he’s worth before dumping him for another player on a hot streak, while Luna develops a gambling addiction and manages to blow his entire bank roll in a single hand at the poker table. It’s a silly scene: he goes all in on an obvious flush draw, a hand any halfway decent poker player would have folded on the turn.
For those expecting to see a movie about the ins and outs of professional soccer, it would be best to look elsewhere. There is very little in the way of actual soccer footage, with most of the matches staged through reaction shots of Guillermo Francella, who plays their suave agent. He gives a good performance when not saddled with a voice-over monologue that pretentiously acts as a Greek chorus to the tragedies playing out on-screen.
Inevitably, the boys’ personal and professional travails will hurtle to their conclusions with the Big Match and a penalty kick that pits striker against goalie, brother against brother. I won’t divulge the ending, but will only say that unfortunately, like the rest of the movie, it's both rudo and cursi.
The trailer for Rudo y Cursi:
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