The movie everyone loves to hate . Review on The Mexican Movie

This is one movie that everyone loves to hate . To tell you the truth , it’s one of those movies that you will either like a lot of hate it completely .I didn’t even know that this movie existed until I saw it on DVD a few days ago…

Brad Pitt plays Jerry, a man who literally crashed into the mobster-crime lifestyle. After hitting the ''big boss'' with his car and, in the process, getting him busted by the police, he’s put to work. After numerous screw-ups he’s given a simple job: go to Mexico, get a special, hundred-year-old gun and bring it and the man holding it back to the U.S.

Jerry has a girlfriend, Anna (Julia Roberts), who nags him about commitment and her feelings.

Jerry gets to Mexico, gets the gun -- and, of course, nothing works out from there.

This is a hybrid crime-romance-comedy-drama pot pourri ( a hideous amalgamation of adjectives if there ever was one… ) .. It’s Quentin Tarintino meets P.G. Wodehouse. The jokes aren’t your American Pie style jokes involving mostly sex and bodily functions . They are more in the style of say, Intolerable Cruelty or Bandits . It’s never over the top . But they are presented in such a way that even the most mundane of situations comes out funny . Candid is the word that I would choose to describe them . e.g. After Julia Roberts get kidnapped by Leroy the hit man , he ends up counselling her about her relationship with Brad Pitt . Or after she finally meets up with him in Mexico she starts reprimanding him for rescuing her in a broken down pick-up truck .

The on-screen chemistry between Julia and brad is great and some of the funniest situations involve him trying to soothe her while he is on the receiving end

Brad Pitt has done a great job . His expressions are a treat to watch . Julia Roberts is also great as his pushy and overly-emotional girlfriend( She makes him attend marriage counselling sessions even though they’re not married )

The western feel is there throughout the movie . You have typical western music as background music . Most of the movie takes place in Mexico , so there’s no shortage of clichés … Tough looking people with moustaches , corrupt local sheriffs , overloaded pick up trucks ,rival gangs, local fiestas and Spanish accents . The flashback sequences , with their sepia tones and ominous background music are especially funny . And of course , which western movie is complete without a good gunfight .

Of course, since this is a “crime-romance-comedy-drama”, there’s a romantic angle also and it’s presented in a very charming way… you have feeling throughout the movie that both of them were really made for each other .

’’When do you get to the point of enough is enough?

“Never.’’- the instant reply by Brad Pitt – touches a nerve , considering that Julia Roberts had to consult her kidnapper to get the answer . Class acting there by Brad Pitt .

The violence isn’t grim and explicit violence .It’ presented in a way that is both absurd and funny at the same time . After recovering his stolen truck , Brad Pitt is about to shoot the unfortunate bloke …

U.B: Why are you going to shoot me ?

B.P: You stole from me . That’s very bad . Besides , this is the American way . I’ll shoot you in the right foot…

U.B; No ! No! not the right one …

B.P(Pointing towards the left foot): Oh, sorry about that .

The movie is just under 2 hours in length and moves along a fairly decent pace , though it does get a bit slow in between . Also, it tries to imitate the Tarintino style a bit too much in some of the scenes .(Musafir/Kaante anyone ?) . There are many plot holes such as the one involving the passport .

Many people didn’t like this movie because the humour was too off-beat. Well , I’ll have to warn you , if you don’t like movies like Bandits or Cruel Intentions (although it’s not in the same league ) , you probably won’t like this movie also .

Overall , I really liked this movie (That’s why I’m giving it 4 stars , and there’s nothing any of you can do about it ) .But then , most of friend whom I watched it with didn’t like it that much . It offers something much more refreshing than the usual American-Pie type trash and it just grows on you.