Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna (the reunited stars of Y
Tu Mamá También) are brothers Tato and Beto, aka the
titular Rudo and Cursi as they are known on the soccer field. Rudo y
Cursi is at heart a sports movie, a Mexican dramedy (heavy on the
drama, lighter on the comedy) about how professional soccer—like
most sources of swift and massive fame—uses up and discards its
participants without regret.
Fortunately, Rudo y Cursi has something most sports films
lack: subtlety. It doesn’t hit you over the head with any morals;
instead, the direction tends toward casual, sympathetic observation of
the characters as they struggle through the pitfalls of fleeting fame
and wealth—cheating spouses, drugs, gambling, and public
criticism. Refreshingly, director Carlos Cuarón (Alfonso’s
brother) withholds judgment of his characters in favor of simply
telling their story.
The only truly annoying thing about the film is the narration by the
brothers’ manager (Guillermo Francella), which is frequent and composed
almost entirely of soccer analogies. “You know, romance is a lot like
kicking a soccer ball…” “A woman is like a goalkeeper…” “A soccer
team is like a family…” It starts off as kind of novel and profound,
but it becomes cloying in a hurry. Guess what, Guillermo? Not
everything on earth is analogous to the game of soccer. Why don’t you
just shut the hell up about soccer and let me watch this movie, okay?
Because it’s pretty good, but it’d be better if you’d stop yammering
over it. 