Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Guillermo Francella

Two siblings rival each other inside the world of professional soccer.

Flixster Users

61% liked it

17,236 ratings

Critics

73% liked it

102 critics

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Carlos Cuarón

Release Date: May 8, 2009

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DVD Release Date: August 25, 2009

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Stats: 725 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (725)


  • June 15, 2009
    Pretty good with some hilarious bits sprinkled here and there. However, there was a void of some kind; or maybe something looming like a dark cloud. It is something I can barely describe. It could have been perhaps the subtle presence of a dystopia that continues to remain unreck...( read more)oned with.
  • May 30, 2009
    ?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...( read more) most of the soccer is off screen and we only have the announcers to guide our imaginations. 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 Prizoner of Azkaban"), who 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 it fixed, and meanwhile convince him to watch their game.

    Tata finds success in soccer first, and earns the nickname "Cursi", meaning corny. Although now making good money, his real passion relies in 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 an 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 a humorous and self-aware observation. No joke really falls flat because Gael and Diego are devoted to them, and the film winds up being an enjoyable, if predictable, ride. You could probably wait to rent it, but "Rudo y Cursi? is certainly worth seeing somewhere down the line.
  • December 31, 2008
    I just can't take that Letters to Cleo cover out of my head! :)

    NOTE to all the haters: consider this is a dumb comedy meant to make an audience laugh, not think. Mexican cinema lacks on dumb comedies as we always think we must do serious movies with seri...( read more)ous topics. Relax a little, laugh a little.
  • May 25, 2009
    I really like Gael Barcia Bernal, but this wasn't all that exciting. The actors have definite chemistry but the film isn't quite funny or amusing enough.
  • September 28, 2009
    Carlos Cuaron's debut is a lot like his brother's film, Y Tu Mama Tambien. And that's not a bad thing. A great character study filled with humor and great acting.
  • November 22, 2009
    This is Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna's first film together since Y Tu Mamma Tambien. This one isn't as great as that, but it's a fun little comedy and they are very good.
  • November 22, 2009
    It's good, but I expected a little more. There's a lot more that i'd like to say about my opinion, but I don't wanna give spoilers...
  • November 21, 2009
    Esa historia mexicana pero que igual puede ocurrir en cualquier lugar de América Latina. Gael y Diego la magia no termina
  • November 19, 2009
    Good movie from start to finish.I was hooked all the way through
  • November 9, 2009
    Chistosa y serio tambien. Dos hermanos buscando una vida en los estados unidos. No es como pensaron.

Critic Reviews


July 3, 2009
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

Rudo and Cursi has enough vitality to transcend its air of formula. full review

May 29, 2009
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Carlos Cuaron, Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Y Tu Mama También, makes his directorial debut with this easygoing sports movie/family drama/musical comedy/crime story. full review

May 14, 2009
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

There are plenty of kicks: class struggle, wild crackups, Cheap Trick, occasional melodrama and lots of blackly comic moralizing on the lure and letdowns of modern Mexican celebrity. full review

May 14, 2009
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com

Anyone who has spent any time watching movies about competitive brothers playing the same sport for different teams knows where all this is going to lead full review

May 14, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Rudo y Cursi is the sort of high-level buddy movie every national cinema needs for export -- along with its masterpieces, to be sure. full review

May 8, 2009
Marcy Dermansky, About.com

To put it plainly, both actors play unlikeable dimwits. [...] It's a shame that Bernal and Luna could not have had a better project for their reunion. full review

May 8, 2009
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

You'd never know this was a debut film. Unlike Rudo and Cursi, who don't know their left from their right, Mr. Cuarón directs with a hand that's as sure as it is deft. full review

May 8, 2009
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

It mixes soap-opera sentimentality with playful, jumpy aggression and dresses a bittersweet, rags-to-riches fable in the bright clothes of pop satire. full review

May 7, 2009
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Luna and García Bernal display the kind of chemistry that makes you overlook the clichés in the script by first-time director Carlos Cuarón. Sometimes good-natured fun is enough. full review

May 7, 2009
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Rudo y Cursi is enjoyable, with an engaging ensemble cast anchored by the charismatic performances of Luna and Bernal. full review

View more Rudo y Cursi reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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