The Real Cancun (2003)

34% of critics liked it
(87 reviews)
27% of users liked it
(4,819 ratings)

Following the style of the reality-based programming on the FOX network, The Real Cancun is a feature-length effort to capture R-rated footage of a group of upper middle-class college students on spring break in Cancun, Mexico. Made by the Bunim/Murray production team (responsible for MTV's The Real… More Following the style of the reality-based programming on the FOX network, The Real Cancun is a feature-length effort to capture R-rated footage of a group of upper middle-class college students on spring break in Cancun, Mexico. Made by the Bunim/Murray production team (responsible for MTV's The Real World) and released in the vulgar wake of Jackass: The Movie, this 90-minute movie features 16 conventionally attractive 18- to 23-year-olds coming from different colleges across the country and encouraged to party like they never have before. There's Alan, the innocent boy from Texas; Casey, the would-be model from Florida; Jeremy, the ladies' man from Arizona; Brittany, the pretty girl from California; and so forth. Romantic pairs, best friends, twins, and other couples are also figured into the group in order to boost the likelihood of hooking-up and/or breaking-up theatrics. Six camera crews follow the group around 24 hours a day during the weeklong vacation in order to catch the highest possible amount of alcohol consumption, nudity, and sexual activity. Participants give interviews and provide relationship updates in-between the dancing, drinking, sunbathing, and general partying. The Real Cancun was filmed in March of 2003 and released theatrically only a month later. Directed by Rick de Oliveira, who made his directorial debut in 2002 with the straight-to-video title Who Wants to Be a Playboy Centerfold? ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Rick de Oliveira
Genres: Documentary, Television, Art House & International, Special Interest

In Theaters: Apr 25, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Jul 1, 2003
Studio: New Line Cinema

Critic Reviews

Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Hardly qualifies as a movie.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
... I found it fascinating.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
This is the kind of fare that would be at home on late night cable, where its repetitiveness and mindlessness might offer channel surfers a cure for insomnia.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
There's a case to be made for The Real Cancun as a document of the mating dance as well as an unintentionally poignant film about the brevity of youth.
John Anderson, Newsday
I don't want to say that The Real Cancun, is boring, but I fell asleep on my arm during the last 45 minutes and chewed it off rather than wake myself up.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Terrible, explicit movie -- beware!
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)
True exploitation filmmaking. Watching it is getting fleeced.
Daniel M. Kimmel, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
It's not quite the end of civilization as we know it, but it's not a good sign.
David Foucher, EDGE Boston
As if we needed feature length versions of MTV's "The Real World," served up this weekend is two hours of Cancun hysteria. Is it real? Yup - real dumb.
Mark Dujsik, Mark Reviews Movies
It's a document of the decline of Western civilization, and no, it's not because everyone in it drinks, has sex, and parties but because when asked if someone could film it, they said yes.
Josh Bell, Las Vegas Weekly
Perversely, disturbingly entertaining, and as much of a glimpse into the dark depths of human nature as a Dostoevsky novel.
Bryant Frazer, Bryant Frazer's Deep Focus
With a strangely irritating editorial sensibility, the filmmakers work desperately at juicing up a narrative, but mostly meet with failure.
Shannon J. Harvey, Sunday Times (Australia)
Never has the word "real" been used in a more liberal way, because this reality movie seems to have a tighter script than American Pie - or at least one cloned from it.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Nicki M

For some reason I actually wanted to watch this when it first came out. Now that I have watched it, I am glad I missed out on it for as long as I did. Should have kept it that way. This has no real story at all except a bunch of teens getting drunk and acting like skanks (and I… More
For some reason I actually wanted to watch this when it first came out. Now that I have watched it, I am glad I missed out on it for as long as I did. Should have kept it that way. This has no real story at all except a bunch of teens getting drunk and acting like skanks (and I include the boys in that too, no sexism here!). Maybe I am just too darn old and showing it, but I could barely tell one from the other, they were all so tedious and interchangable. It is of no surprise to me at all that none of these people went on to bigger things.