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The Mexican

The Mexican

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Filled with spunky performances and rip-roaring humor!
Review: You may be disappointed to know that Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts don't share a lot of screen time in "The Mexican," part romantic comedy, part man hunt comedy thriller. Having said that, what there is of the two is plenty of fun, and for the most part, so is the rest of the film. It tends to be slow in the beginning, but it ends with a lot of heart and charm, and quickly becomes an above average movie.

Pitt stars as Jerry, who is called upon by his mob boss to complete one last mission that involves retrieving a gun from Mexico and bringing it back to the states. This means disappointment for his girlfriend, Samantha, played by Roberts, who dumps him and heads for Las Vegas once he is on his way to Mexico. Once he finds the gun, he soon learns its precious history and value, and soon becomes the target of various hit men and greedy bosses.

This beginning isn't all that interesting, and may discourage some from paying attention to the film's later moments. There are light moments of comedy, including a perfectly funny argument between Jerry and Samantha, but once he is on his way to Mexico, things begin to get sluggish.

However, once Samantha becomes a hostage held by hit man Leroy (James Gandolfini of HBO's "The Sopranos"), things begin to get interesting, and funnier than before. Sam and Leroy develop a bond that is completely offbeat, considering their relationship as kidnapper and hostage, yet his quiet homosexuality provides some light touches of comedic brilliance that are sure to induce laughter.

Things in Mexico begin to get interesting as well, once Jerry begins putting the pieces together about who is actually on his side, and who's out to get him. This provides for a few good action scenes, and a few controversial scenes as well. One scene in particular involves Jerry's discovery about Leroy's real agenda, a reversal twist that comes as more of a disappointment than a welcomed surprise, considering how much we have come to like and care for his character.

One very smart thing about "The Mexican" is its ability to play by the rules, giving us a mystery plot that is not too complex, and ties all of its loose ends together when the ending draws near. You won't have to think to hard about what's going on, as most of the characters are given exposition dialogue to explain such things as the history of the gun, and some of the twists involving hit men and mob bosses. Those seeking a highly energized mystery thriller may find this story a bit too juvenile, while those looking for something that won't insult their intelligence will be delighted.

Kudos and more just praise goes to the cast, all of whom give some of the greatest performances in a comedy this year. Pitt proves his ability to do comedy as Jerry, and his action sequences are top of the line. Roberts is back in fine form, her best performance since "Erin Brockovich;" if she can't carry off the phrase "I can't find my Kotex cards or my credit pads," then no other actress can. She shares a nice chemistry with Pitt, as well as with Gandolfini, who gives one of the greatest performances of the year as Leroy. Gandolfini's acting is the film's best, which is why that aforementioned reversal twist comes as such a shock to the audience.

For the most part, "The Mexican" delivers in some places, and really hits the mark in others. It's plot may seem second rate for those looking forward to the first big film starring both Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, but it packs a nice punch of comedy, heart, and even some action as well. It's cast is superb, and the characters are real, and the end result is great fun; I loved it!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Forget Pitt and Roberts
Review: James Gandolfini is the highlight of this movie -- but sad to say he can't carry it alone. Pitt has always struck me as a wooden actor and he seems to infect Roberts to become similarly shallow in quality. Poor movie -- don't bother.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Very weird but has its moments
Review: Very odd but often entertaining comedy that features humorous performances from its stars, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt. A disappointing factor for those hoping to watch these two lovelies together is the fact that they hardly share any screen time together. After a very shaky start of watching this odd couple fight over a trip to Las Vegas (which are terribly acted, revealing either too little rehearsing or actors not actually performing scenes on the set together), the film gets going when Pitt is forced by a group of gangsters to whom he owes a favour to retrieve a supposedly cursed handcrafted gun from Mexico. While he is gone Roberts is kidnapped by a hitman (James Gandolfini) who is possibly one of her boyfriend's enemies. Most of the film is funny, but some twists and turns will feel so odd as to not actually be quirky but actually be very uncomfortable. Considering the mean tone the film has, it seems like a real let-down when the ending turns out to be much sappier then expected, and director Gore Verbinski can't seem to decide if he wants to actually make a grungy movie or show his actors up as gorgeous icons. A worthwhile, if halfhearted, effort.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Adios Amigos
Review: I like Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, but together they do not click. Throughout the entire movie I wondered if that was the reason that they rarely were in the same scene together. While Pitt and Roberts made no sense together, neither did the plot. Nothing clicked and we said "Adios" before the finish line.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Pitt pitted with Roberts
Review: Pitt plays a hopeless, screw-up mob grunt, in love with a just-as-hopeless, still-finding-herself girlfried, played by Roberts. Pitt is on the quest for The Mexican, the most beautiful gun in all of Mexico, or probably in all the world. The supporting actors are hilarious with these two. It's good to see Pitt and Roberts try a hand at romantic comedy. The plot about the gun is infinitely fascinating to someone like me who used to live near the Texas-Mexico border, and the movie brought back fond memories of Mexico. More romantic than "Traffic," more comical than the guy who took me on a date to Mexico. I used to know a guy who looked like Pitt, so, I can't own this movie. It would give me the willies. I give the movie 4 stars. I can't take Pitt enough to give it 5 stars.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Surprisingly funny
Review: This is one of the few films which do not give away much of its contents through its trailers. When I saw the trailer first, I immediately scrapped "The Mexican" in my 'to watch' list of movies. My husband brought the DVD home one day & I sat grudgingly with him to watch & surprisingly, I found it funny. Well...black humor, if you may call it...coz despite seeing the characters being shot at, killed or punched, the scenes came out funny isntead of horrible.

I would agree to what most of the viewers said that ... Leroy gave a very interesting twist & perk to the story. True, he & Sam had a better chemistry going rather than Sam & Jerry. On the other hand, I believe Jerry & the drooling dog even made a better pair than him & Sam. Well, I guess the Director & the scriptwriter did not want to focus on the romance aspect so that portion really came out flat. & maybe, that's why a lot of viewers found that aspect quite bland because they expected an exciting romantic adventure for these 2 main characters.

Overall, I would give it a 4. I found the entire set-up & script funny. The twists were weird but interesting to some degree. (Forget the romance angle - don't even consider it when rating this film.) & yes, the trailer [was terrible] but that made my expectations low & therefore resulted to a higher rating.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A disappointment........
Review: Ever since I viewed this movie, I've been trying to figure out how they ever got two big stars like Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt to appear in it. The loosely-woven plot centers around a beautiful pistol, inlaid with silver, which seems to be valuable to a lot of people. Brad Pitt had the temerity to run into a big-time crook with his car and ever since then has worked off his debt by doing the bad guy's dirty deeds. (How unlikely is that?) His last assignment is to recover the gun and bring it back to his boss. Julia Roberts is kidnapped by another bad guy with a heart of gold and they form a real bond as the movie progresses. It's hard to tell who's a bad guy and who's a good guy and frankly, by the end of the movie, I didn't care!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A wonderful, surprise of a film.
Review: A film that was a pleasant little surprise especially considering how easily the people who made it could have turned it into a glossy, star-powered film. Instead, they have made a quaint, interesting and entertaining film where the supporting characters can be more interesting than the super-star mains.

It has been said before but the most interesting part of this movie is how the director has managed to get two of the biggest names in Hollywood, have them apart for three quarters of the movie and have it all work out for the better. This was an excellent choice to make. With this happening the film is no longer supremely star driven and it can focus more on its plot and other characters instead of Robert's and Pitt's pretty faces. It was a risk and I think the film may have suffered financially because of it (this was not a huge film for either stars) but critically the film has been praised.

Both Pitt and Roberts are excellent together and apart. Pitt is enjoyable to watch as his character squirms through all of the mishaps that occur. Roberts is delightful, as usual, and it was nice to see her in a more down-to-earth role. Both stars, however, are completely blown off of the screen by James Gandolfini's fantastic portrayal as a hitman sent to keep tabs on Roberts' character. The scenes with him are the best in the film and all of his verbal exchanges with Robert's are great. The two of them seem to work off of one another and they raise simple scenes to a higher level with genuine non-sexual, on-screen chemistry.

The directing is not flashy and that fits the story and the feel of the film very well. The decision to keep the stars apart was a brilliant move and it is what made the film great. The director appeared to know exactly what part of the story to focus on at each moment and this made a potentially confusing film easy to follow. He has a strong sense of story and an obvious talent.

A wonderful, fairly light film that is a hidden gem amongst many of the star-powered films out there. This film reminds us why these two are stars in the first place: they are great actors. The film is funny and exciting, at times romantic and highly recommended. Give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised too.

Thanxs...

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I'm going to ask you a question - Think before you answer
Review: Movie Summary: Jerry Welbach is pretty much a loser with bad luck. He is trying to get his life together before his girlfriend Samantha makes good on her threat and leaves him. It's no surprise to her or us that Jerry fails again and Samantha is on her way to Las Vegas without even listening to Jerry's latest excuse. Had she listened she'd have heard a long drawn out confusing story about Jerry having to drive to Mexico to retrieve an antique pistol for a mob boss whom he is in debt to. Why they send Jerry is beyond everyone, but they do. Soon Jerry realizes that he is in over his head and Samantha turns up missing. Is there any way Jerry can get lucky enough to pull this job off?

My Opinion: This movie is a case of all the pieces just not coming together. Mostly the story just never becomes engaging. I was stuck in a "yeah who cares" mood for most of the movie. Roberts and Pitt weren't bad, they just never had any chemistry with each other or the plot. The best relationship was between Pitt and the dog that came with the El Camino. James Gandolfini has a great part and may just be the best part of the movie. The plot tries to generate excitement with twists and turns, but none of them seem to work. I remember thinking that this was just a poor man's "Snatch" a movie which I thoroughly enjoyed by the way. When everything was said and done, I wasn't able to care about any of the couples in the film nor any of the characters (except the dog). I had a lot of trouble with the fact that they sent a screw up like Jerry to retrieve the pistol when it seemed that they really wanted the pistol. Had they been expecting him to fail it would have been more believable. I was able to make it to the end of the movie and even watched the deleted scenes, but I was looking forward to the next movie while I was watching it. As far as entertainment value goes, this one ranks low.

DVD Quality: Video: Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1 Sound: DD 5.1 Extras: Trailers, Making Of, Deleted Scenes, Production Notes. This is a nice full DVD release.

What You Should Do: Skip it unless you are really into Brad Pitt or Julia Roberts. Warning: This is not a normal Julia Roberts film. She is not the main character. This is not a romantic comedy.

Related Movies To Check Out: Snatch

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I am glad that I didn't see this is the movive theater
Review: ....this is movie is okay to rent....it did have some cute, funny momments....Brad Pitt did a pretty good as the doofus, ganster (or whatever you want to call him).......but I think that Julia Roberts is soooooooooooo over-rated, there I said it. I know she is America's Sweetheart Super Movie Star.....but, she always seems to be playing herself. This movie became drawn out.....get to the point.....I guess the point is that it is another "Julia Roberts perfect tooth smile movie."


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