Product Details

• Actors: Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Spanish
• Subtitles: English, French
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
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• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
• DVD Release Date: August 25, 2009
• Run Time: 103 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001UV4XC4
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,270 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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• For more information about "Rudo Y Cursi" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The charismatic young stars of Y Tu Mama Tambien bring dynamic life to a familiar tale of lives ruined by ambition and rivalry. Rudo y Cursi are the nicknames given to two brothers who rise from provincial obscurity to stardom in soccer (or, as it's known everywhere except the U.S., football). Cursi (Gael Garcia Bernal) takes his gift for sport for granted as he dreams of success as a singer, despite his modest talent. Rudo (Diego Luna) is ferocious in his dedication to being a goalie, but succumbs to the compulsive highs of gambling. The arc of their rise and fall is predictable, but Luna and Garcia Bernal bring such vibrant energy to their roles that the movie becomes richly involving; the rapport between the actors (who have been friends since childhood) makes their sibling rivalry potent. Narrating the movie is the devil in their ears, their manager Batuta (Argentinean actor Guillermo Francella). Batuta weaves in and out of the story, his wily charm and self-serving manipulation undermining what little hope the brothers have of lifting themselves back up. Batuta's rueful commentary, full of sometimes comic, sometimes barbed sports metaphors, also helps lift Rudo y Cursi beyond the cliches of a sports tragedy. Written and directed by Carlos Cuaron, who co-wrote Y Tu Mama Tambien.--Bret Fetzer




Stills from Rudo Y Cursi (Click for larger image)

Product Description

Genre: Foreign Video - Spanish/Misc.
Rating: R
Release Date: 25-AUG-2009
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Two Brothers in Search of a Goal, May 20, 2009

By	Chris Pandolfi (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Rudo Y Cursi [Theatrical Release] (Theatrical Release)

Like any good sports movie, the subtitled "Rudo y Cursi" is not at all about sports. The competition exists on a much more fundamental level: One brother is pitted against the other in a battle over who the better person is. Even more fundamental is the battle each brother wages with himself between his talent and his passion, neither of which seem to go hand in hand. The strength of this film is that it relies on these simple, understandable ideas to get its point across. It also relies on clearly defined characters that behave realistically. The brothers, for example, seem not like archetypal clones but rather like actual human beings, shifting back and forth between loving and hating each other. While none of this makes for groundbreaking cinema, it does allow for an enjoyable film that's sometimes fun, sometimes dramatic, and always charming.

The film, written and directed by Carlos Cuarón (Alfonso's brother), is about Tato (Gael García Bernal) and Beto (Diego Luna), brothers from a rural Mexican village where life revolves around a banana plantation. As they play soccer, they're spotted by a stranded talent scout named Batuta (Guillermo Francella), who doubles as the film's narrator. As smooth as can be, he offers them a chance to try out for a professional team. From this, we get a much better understanding of who the brothers are: Tato clearly has talent on the field, but his real dream is to be a famous singer; Beto's dream is to be a goalie, although he seems better suited for a career in gambling. Both seem determined to help their mother, who's married to a new husband neither one of them have any patience for.

It's the eager and ignorant Tato who Batuta chooses first, and within no time, he's taken to Mexico City and given the nickname "Cursi" (which translates as "vulgar"). The quick-tempered Beto eventually joins his brother, leaving behind a wife, a few children, and a steady job. He earns the nickname "Rudo" (which translates as "coarse").

As they both go through the ups and downs of playing on a professional soccer team--and this definitely includes the many hazing rituals in the locker room showers--they engage in other activities. Tato begins dating a beautiful TV personality and produces a music video for the Spanish version of "I Want You to Love Me." Beto gets sidetracked by fame and fortune, resulting in risky games of high stakes poker and a line or two of cocaine. It also results in a considerable amount of debt ... the kind that comes with death threats from shady people. This isn't good, especially since his wife has made the journey to Mexico City hoping to make it big pitching health supplements.

All this inevitably leads to a climactic soccer match, made more interesting by the fact that Tato and Beto find themselves on opposite teams. Were this all "Rudo y Cursi" were concerned with, it would be a very mundane film. As it is, it's an absorbing tale of two conflicting personalities, both so convincing that they effectively overshadow the conventional plot. One of my favorite scenes takes place on the beach, where the brothers are spending time with their visiting mother. As they sit in the sand, each son tries to one-up the other by promising to build a big house right along the shore. It's a perfect example of evoking a rivalry, and I say "evoking" because one gets the sense that it's been building within them ever since they were children.

This very intentionally functions as a counterpart to Batuta's narration, which seems made up almost entirely of proverbs and facts. He begins the film, for instance, by giving us a brief history of soccer: Long, long ago, the Ancient Aztecs invented a game in which they kicked around the severed head of their enemies. We know right then and there that "Rudo y Cursi" will be a story of competition and sacrifice with just a little bit of game-playing thrown in for good measure. To extend the metaphor, the story that we're about to see will be just like a soccer match, with opposing forces working towards their own set of goals.

By the end of the film, there's the implication that every gets exactly what they wanted out of life, albeit in unconventional ways. To elaborate would give too much away, but rest assured that the story resolves itself appropriately, if not unexpectedly. What "Rudo y Cursi" lacks in originality is more than made up for in depth of character and simplicity of theme; we watch this film aware yet forgiving of its conventions, and that's because we're being told a relatable story with protagonists who seem real. This would have been very difficult to achieve were it not for the natural onscreen chemistry between Bernal and Luna. They just seem like a natural fit together. More to the point, they seemed like actual brothers--perpetually caught in that gray zone between love and hate, driven by the need to upstage each other, united in their desire to please their mother. This, I feel, is so much more compelling than a simple game of soccer.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Your Standard Sports Movie, August 12, 2009

By	Indie Insomniac (Bradenton, FL USA) - See all my reviews

I saw "Rudo y Cursi" this year at the Sarasota Film Festival and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the movie. The main reason I went to see "Rudo y Cursi" was because it starred Gael Garcia Bernal, whose films I generally enjoy. I felt a little unsure about the film going into it, because I didn't know much going into the film and felt this would be a typical sports movie, but I really enjoyed seeing this. The film is truly a story of two brothers more than anything, and, though it does revolve around their passion for sports, it didn't feel like your regular sports film. It does have some of your stereotypical sports film moments, but in the end it was a very unique movie experience. Anyone who enjoys Gael Garcia Bernal films, will definitely love this movie. He is equally serious and humorous in the film and serves as a great counterpart to Diego Luna who plays his brother. I feel that this film can be enjoyed by a wide array of viewers and would suggest this film to anyone, as it is an all around great movie.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars LOVE THIS MOVIE!, November 20, 2009

By	J. C. Rodarte "yiyo" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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If you are a follower of Gael Garcia and Diego Luna this is a must have movie. Love the drama and comedy that is involve in these two brothers!!