Rudo y Cursi – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

Rudo y Cursi, the first film by Cha Cha Chá productions (Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro & Alejandro González Iñárritu), is a sports movie without the sports. It has a seedy talent scout, a gold-digging trophy girlfriend, a sibling rivalry, and a climactic big game – however most of the soccer is off screen. The focus of the film is of human relationships, of brothers, and it steals just about all of the rags-to-riches and sports movie clichés without lagging down the plot with lengthily in-game sequences.

The film is written and directed by Carlos Cuarón, the brother of Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), who co-wrote Y Tu Mamá También. The two stars of that same film also reunite in Rudo y Cursi as brothers – Beto (Diego Luna) and Tata (Gael García Bernal). The two work modestly at a banana plantation until, one day, a talent scout named Batuta (Guillermo Francella) finds himself stranded with a flat near Beto and Tata’s home. They take him to a shop to get his tire fixed, and meanwhile convince him to watch their soccer game.

Tata, with Batuta’s aid, finds success in soccer first, eventually earning the nickname of “Cursi”, meaning corny. Although now making good money as a professional athlete, his real passion lies in the pursuit of a musical career. One of the biggest laughs of the film comes when Batuta comes through with his promise of a music video for Cursi – it’s a cover of “I Want You to Want Me” performed with an accordion. Tata is eventually called up and becomes a star goalie, however his hot temper earns him the nickname Rudo, meaning tough. Rudo also has his vices, however, and ends up exercising a terrible gambling habit.

The film, at points, can be tedious. We watch as Rudo gambles the brothers’ fortunes away, and when Cursi eventually turns his back on his fans in favor of his television star girlfriend, Maya (Jessica Mas). Such clichés have long since run their course, and there comes a point where the charm of the two actors simply cannot overcome the familiar developments. That being said, however, both actors are in top form and have a wonderful chemistry.

Rudo y Cursi has it’s fair share of laughs at male machismo (“my gun is bigger than yours!”), and it’s philosophical voice-over also interrupts occasionally with humorous and self-aware observations. No joke falls flat because Gael and Diego are fully devoted to each frame, and because of their intoxicating charisma the film becomes an enjoyable, if predictable, ride.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: The video presentation, in 1080p with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, is pretty good. The outdoor scenes at the banana plantation look great for the most part, however the interior scenes are a bit dull and soft. The audio is great, however, from the sounds of insects chirping to the roars of a packed stadium. It’s an immersive experience that, despite being a busy track, doesn’t drown out the dialogue.

Audio Commentary: The commentary track features director Carlos Cuarón, and actors Gael Garcia Bernal & Diego Luna. Oddly enough, they chose to do the whole thing in character. They have a blast, poking fun at the casting and how, for example, Beto’s movie girlfriend is much hotter than the “real one”. It gets old pretty quickly, and it’s a bit hard to follow as they talk over each other so much. For what it is, however, it does have quite a bit of laughs and the guys are clearly having a blast.

Making Of Featurette: An interesting behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. It starts off with Carlos Cuarón hosting a sort of ceremony to wish well for both the production and the future success of the film, and moves on to discuss the personal nature of the material (which is mostly geographical). Many people are interviewed, including the three directors behind Cha Cha Chá productions.

Q&A with Carlos Cuarón, Gael Garcia Bernal & Diego Luna: A wonderfully insightful feature recorded in front of a live audience. The interviewer is no Charlie Rose, but the interviewees are incredibly thorough and still remain easy-going and accessible. This is the go-to feature if you’re looking for an in depth look at the film and the careers of the three men, whereas the commentary track is a bit more of a comedy piece. At over an hour in length, it’s consistently entertaining due to the performer’s charms.

Deleted Scenes: Six deleted scenes are shown, running a total of roughly five minutes. None of them provide remarkable insight on the characters or take the plot in new directions, however they’re nice filler pieces.

Music Videos: The disc includes both the music videos for Gael Garcia Bernal’s “I Want You To Want Me”, as well as “Rudo y Cursi” as performed by Juana Molina. A karaoke version of Cursi’s hit cover is also included, with no vocals and a soccer ball bouncing along with the scrolling lyrics at the bottom of the screen.

Turn Off Your Cell Phone!: A one minute PSA reminding the audience to turn off their cell phones. The two sit obnoxiously in a crowded theater, answering cell phones and yelling at the people who tell them to be quiet.

Theatrical Trailer: The Blu-ray disc features the film’s theatrical trailer.

Previews: The Blu-ray disc presents additional high definition trailers for the following: Coco Before Chanel, It Might Get Loud, Tyson, Sugar, “Blu-ray Disc is High Definition!”, The Class, Paris 36, Soul Power, Moon, and Whatever Works.

Conclusion: The film is entertaining, but not the sort of movie i’d be anxious to revisit. That being said, however, the special features are plentiful and the Q&A alone almost makes the disc worth a buy. At the very least, it’s worth a rental for the great performances, cinematography, and writing.

The Film: Rating:
The Blu-ray: Rating:

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