Le Mexicain

I'm genuinely surprised at the number of people who disliked this movie. Perhaps because it was a bit disjointed, chaotic, uneven, unpredictable and even incoherent at times. And that's just why I loved it. It's life. Yes, it's the crazy, seedy, shady lives of these people (the main characters being Pitt's and Roberts' characters), but at least it's honest... and darned funny. I thought the self-deprecating jabs at how most Gringos view Mexico/Mexicans were priceless. Raul!! The grainy flashbacks had my sides splitting.

People, this is a classic melodrama told in today's yucky, dirty, gritty, ugly times. A beautiful (if you look closely) story that doesn't take it self seriously at all. This is anything but formula Hollywood hype. It is a genius inside-joke that sandbagged most of the people hoping to come out and see a Pitt/Roberts version of Sleeping in Seattle or some similar chick-flick dreck.

When is enough enough? Never.

What do you get when you combine two of Hollywood's most famous sex symbols, the director of "Pirates of the Caribbean" and Mexico? Apparently, an overlong, boring mix of comedy, romance and violence -- which, in this case, is a rather lackluster result considering the potential.

Jerry (Brad Pitt) is one of the most inept criminals in history. Five years ago he crashed into the back of a crime lord's car and, as a result, found himself working off the accident by running errands. Jerry's last retrieval before retirement involves skipping the border into Mexico, finding a rare and beautifully crafted pistol (The Mexican), returning it to Margolese (Gene Hackman) and walking away from everything happily. But Jerry's girlfriend, Samantha (Julia Roberts), is tired of Jerry's continual lying and criminal feats, so she dumps him and heads for Las Vegas.

After arriving in Mexico unscathed, Jerry soon finds himself at the wrath of thugs, murderers and hit men intent on stealing The Mexican from him. Meanwhile, Samantha finds herself taken hostage by a gay hit man with a heart named Leroy (James Gandolfini of "Get Shorty" and TV's "The Sopranos"), who -- by following all of the Hollywood cliches -- is an amiable, likable guy who wouldn't harm a fly.

The advertising for "The Mexican" had it all wrong. The studios advertised it as a sweet, funny comedy starring two of Hollywood's biggest stars. The major cop-out is that Pitt and Roberts share most of the film far apart from each other -- which isn't a huge problem anyway, as it provides a pleasant twist on the repetitive buddy formula. But the movie's twisting, turning, violent, harsh style soon grows weary -- especially as the second hour draws nearer. The end almost redeems the rest of the film, but not quite.

"The Mexican" is primarily interested in doing things that have already been done before, such as culture clashing. Take, for instance, the scene where Jerry spends a good minute or so trying to tell a band of traveling hombres that he needs a ride to the nearest town. Somehow, Jerry confuses "carro" for "deniro" and the driver's eyes suddenly light up. "Robert De Niro?" he asks with a big gap-toothed grin. Another joke that indicates foreign countries know more about Hollywood than actual language. Har-har. It'd be funny if it hadn't been done before.

If you're looking for something harsh, "The Mexican" may very well be too sweet. And vice versa. The movie is too wish-washy -- sometimes it wants to be the next gritty comedy ("Trainspotting") and sometimes it's aiming for cute gimmicks and completely silly characters.

And then, even worse than trying jokes and failing, "The Mexican" never even strives to give us funny moments. In that scene where Jerry tries to hail a ride to the next town, the punchline is never delivered. All road travel movies are about confusion, usually resulting in two people misunderstanding each other. What should have happened is this: Jerry has a hard time explaining to the Mexican driver that he wants a ride. Finally, they both understand each other, and Jerry thinks everything is OK, but soon finds himself being left in the dust by the car, which continues driving on. Because confusion is funny, and "The Mexican" never understands this. That is one of its most fundamental flaws.

The Mexican really has it all. It has the feel of an old Western, mixed with gangster flicks and a nice romantic comedy. It's really entertaining and pleasing.

Pitt plays a bumbling slacker gangster criminal dude who makes a mistake on a job, and is forced to undertake one last job. The gig is retrieving an ancient pistol. Little does he know he will have to go through great lengths to retrieve that pistol, and everyone around him may be feeding him lies to attain it as well.

Pitt plays his character so well. It's fun watching him throughout the movie. He is what the slackers should look upto, and it's his best role yet. I couldn't suggest a better time in the cinematic world.

Spend some time with this movie. You may regret it, but I liked it at least.

7 stars

I have heard a lot of criticism (sp?) on this movie for various reasons. I have to say that I agree to pretty much every one. The plot is sketchy and incoherent at times, it crosses too many genres, etc. etc. The characters don't fit together right, but that's alright. For me all the flaws are what makes me want to watch The Mexican. For some reason I love this flick, even though I don't really know anyone else who cares for it! Why do I like this movie? I haven't figured that out yet, but I believe it's because I never tried to read that much into it, just sat back and took the trip. It will never make my top 10, but that doesn't mean its not worth repeated viewings. If you haven't seen it, give it a shot.

Gore Verbinski's "The Mexican" (2001) attempts to blend a quirky road trip comedy with a crime thriller, but ultimately falls flat, delivering a lukewarm and utterly unmemorable cinematic experience. The film suffers from a severe lack of narrative cohesion, meandering aimlessly between its comedic elements and moments of genuine peril without ever truly committing to either. The supposed "charming" interactions between the characters, despite the star power of Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, feel forced and contrived, lacking the genuine spark necessary to engage the audience. The dialogue, often laden with repetitive bickering and uninspired attempts at humor, feels painfully artificial, as if the writers simply strung together a series of disjointed scenes without any regard for natural conversation or consistent tone. Instead of a fresh and engaging genre blend, it offers a superficial and often irritating spectacle of mismatched intentions.

Is it worth watching? No, unless you have an exceptionally high tolerance for tonal inconsistency and a desire to see talented actors wasted in a meandering plot. There are far more cohesive and entertaining crime comedies available.