I love this movie, flaws and all. It's a fun, albeit pointless story with some good funny dialogue, enough violence and gun play for the guys, romance for the girls, and entertaining, if not Oscar-worthy, performances from an excellent cast. I'll be honest, in spite of the pacing flaws and overall pointlessness, I really can't say I didn't enjoy the hell out of this movie because it delivers a little bit of everything.
The story follows Jerry (Brad Pitt), a mob errand boy who has a knack for screwing things up, resulting in him always being in the mob's debt. He is ordered to fly to Mexico to pick up a priceless, legendary pistol known as "The Mexican," and bring it back to the states. Not quite comprehending the fact that his life depends on the assignment, Jerry's overly emotional girlfriend Samantha (Julia Roberts) isn't happy that he's blowing off their romantic trip to Vegas for it, and breaks up with him. Shortly after retrieving the pistol, Jerry manages to royally screw up everything, and as a result, the mob sends a hit man, Leroy (James Gandolfini) to take Samantha hostage until Jerry gets the gun back. Samantha and Leroy soon become good friends, and over the course of their separate adventures, Jerry and Samantha realize they still love each other.
The first thing anybody should know about this before they watch it is that it isn't really a romantic comedy. The majority of the comedy is in the first thirty minutes, and Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts don't spend nearly as much time on screen together as the misleading ads suggested. The film is not as much of a romantic comedy as it is a messy mixture of comedy, crime/gangster thriller, romance, action, adventure, and drama, never content to settle on a single tone. One minute you're chuckling heartily at some goofy, innocent dialogue about love and romance, and the next minute, someone's being shot to death in a very bloody fashion. It isn't necessarily a dark movie, but it's by no means a lighthearted one either. The constant shifts in tone will put many people off.
The dialogue between Julia Roberts and James Gandolfini is a lot of fun to hear, and it's quite insightful on the subject of relationships. Their scenes are the heart of the movie, and provide the emotional core. The performances here are excellent. Julia Roberts is excellent and really brings her over-dramatic loudmouth character fully to life. James Gandolfini is perfect as the gay hit man with a heart of gold. He is believable as a soft-hearted gay man as well as a cold-blooded killer. Brad Pitt's journey in Mexico is the more slapstick of the two, and also the more mean-spirited and violent. Brad Pitt is very funny when he needs to be, but his performance feels rather awkward at times, and in many scenes, he talks with his hands as if he has no idea how to deliver his lines. He's still a fairly likable character.
Although they would be just fine as their own movies, these two stories manage to give the movie a little something for everyone. It would be a great date movie for patient couples. I use the word patient, because the movie is needlessly slow at times, and would have greatly benefited from an editor. This is the biggest flaw in the film. Many shots of nothing happening in certain scenes, as well as various pointless moments in general could have been easily cut. The film's 130 minutes could have become 110 or even 100 without in any way diminishing the entertainment value or effecting the story for the worst. This is some of the most lazy editing in any movie I've seen. Another problem is that the stories really don't go anywhere. Although you'll come away most likely having been entertained, you won't be able to help but wonder what the point to everything you just saw was.
The Mexican was originally intended to be an independent movie, and perhaps it would have been better-received if it had stayed independent. When a story this quirky and different attracts the two biggest stars in Hollywood, it only sets itself up for disappointment. That and the slow editing. But flaws and all, The Mexican is a fun and enjoyable journey to nowhere. It's funny, it's violent, and it's got entertaining characters, and in spite of these flaws, I really love this movie, and recommend it to anyone willing to endure a few slow stretches of an otherwise fun time. 8/10.
The Mexican is rated R for Violence and Language. Sex - 3/10 Violence - 8/10 Swearing - 10/10 Drugs - 2/10.
The story follows Jerry (Brad Pitt), a mob errand boy who has a knack for screwing things up, resulting in him always being in the mob's debt. He is ordered to fly to Mexico to pick up a priceless, legendary pistol known as "The Mexican," and bring it back to the states. Not quite comprehending the fact that his life depends on the assignment, Jerry's overly emotional girlfriend Samantha (Julia Roberts) isn't happy that he's blowing off their romantic trip to Vegas for it, and breaks up with him. Shortly after retrieving the pistol, Jerry manages to royally screw up everything, and as a result, the mob sends a hit man, Leroy (James Gandolfini) to take Samantha hostage until Jerry gets the gun back. Samantha and Leroy soon become good friends, and over the course of their separate adventures, Jerry and Samantha realize they still love each other.
The first thing anybody should know about this before they watch it is that it isn't really a romantic comedy. The majority of the comedy is in the first thirty minutes, and Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts don't spend nearly as much time on screen together as the misleading ads suggested. The film is not as much of a romantic comedy as it is a messy mixture of comedy, crime/gangster thriller, romance, action, adventure, and drama, never content to settle on a single tone. One minute you're chuckling heartily at some goofy, innocent dialogue about love and romance, and the next minute, someone's being shot to death in a very bloody fashion. It isn't necessarily a dark movie, but it's by no means a lighthearted one either. The constant shifts in tone will put many people off.
The dialogue between Julia Roberts and James Gandolfini is a lot of fun to hear, and it's quite insightful on the subject of relationships. Their scenes are the heart of the movie, and provide the emotional core. The performances here are excellent. Julia Roberts is excellent and really brings her over-dramatic loudmouth character fully to life. James Gandolfini is perfect as the gay hit man with a heart of gold. He is believable as a soft-hearted gay man as well as a cold-blooded killer. Brad Pitt's journey in Mexico is the more slapstick of the two, and also the more mean-spirited and violent. Brad Pitt is very funny when he needs to be, but his performance feels rather awkward at times, and in many scenes, he talks with his hands as if he has no idea how to deliver his lines. He's still a fairly likable character.
Although they would be just fine as their own movies, these two stories manage to give the movie a little something for everyone. It would be a great date movie for patient couples. I use the word patient, because the movie is needlessly slow at times, and would have greatly benefited from an editor. This is the biggest flaw in the film. Many shots of nothing happening in certain scenes, as well as various pointless moments in general could have been easily cut. The film's 130 minutes could have become 110 or even 100 without in any way diminishing the entertainment value or effecting the story for the worst. This is some of the most lazy editing in any movie I've seen. Another problem is that the stories really don't go anywhere. Although you'll come away most likely having been entertained, you won't be able to help but wonder what the point to everything you just saw was.
The Mexican was originally intended to be an independent movie, and perhaps it would have been better-received if it had stayed independent. When a story this quirky and different attracts the two biggest stars in Hollywood, it only sets itself up for disappointment. That and the slow editing. But flaws and all, The Mexican is a fun and enjoyable journey to nowhere. It's funny, it's violent, and it's got entertaining characters, and in spite of these flaws, I really love this movie, and recommend it to anyone willing to endure a few slow stretches of an otherwise fun time. 8/10.
The Mexican is rated R for Violence and Language. Sex - 3/10 Violence - 8/10 Swearing - 10/10 Drugs - 2/10.