The Mexican

Reviewed by:
Jane Crawford

Have you seen the trailer for this movie? Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts making goo-goo eyes at each other and trading cute lovers’ barbs? Vomit-inducing, no? As it happens, The Mexican’s a cinematic masterpiece compared to the mushy, inane pap we were expecting.

Pitt plays an accidental mob bagman (Jerry) sent to Mexico to retrieve an antique pistol much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, Sam (Julia Roberts), who is frustrated by years of living “his life” and dreams of moving to Vegas. When things don’t go as planned, Sam is kidnapped by a thug (James Gandolfini) to ensure the pistol’s safe return. Oh, the hijinks!

The movie definitely has its flaws: a plot hole here, a lame joke there, etc. And, it contains every Mexican stereotype imaginable. (Characters are drunk on tequila, covered in dirt, shooting guns in the air, muttering things like “You’re in dee wrong place, gringo.”)

It’s also a testament to the fact that even when filming in the middle of nowhere, there’s always room for product placement. A villain munches Doritos, every character flashes an American Express, and in one of the film’s strangest moments, Jerry bumps into an hombre with a donkey who looks suspiciously like Juan Valdez, giving us a sudden hankering for a cup of Columbian joe.

But, thanks to a semi-original concept and a fine performance by Gandolfini, the movie is bearable even at its worst and amusing at its best.

Share