Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Macho chatter, ribald jokes and a very real and human story
This Mexican film by director Alfonzo Cuaron is about more than the seemingly simple plot. Two teenage boys have just seen their girlfriends off for a summer in Europe. Bored, and with raging hormones, they invite a slightly older woman on a road trip. When she discovers her husband has been cheating on her, she agrees. What follows is funny, bittersweet and filled with outrageous carnal experiences as they travel through a Mexico with wide social and political disparities.Gael Garcia Bernal is cast as Julio, the rich boy who attends parties where there are more bodyguards than guests. Diego Luna is his middle-class friend. Both are excellent actors and their macho chatter and ribald jokes kept me giggling throughout. Miribel Verdu is cast as Luisa, who joins them on their trip and teaches them a thing or two about life in general and details of eroticism in particular. She is a sensual beauty and the focus of every scene. There is also a voice-over narration, which points out details along the road such as accidents that happened several years ago or the place where a servant in Julio's home had been born. All this is background for the three main characters though, whose joyful romp is filled with fun and erotic discoveries. The dialog is explicit and real and the situations very human.It is not until the ending though that it all gets tied together, and, like the characters, I was sad and yet filled with a sense of completion and a deeper understanding of the fragility of life. Recommended.
Rating: - Delightful, meaningful coming of age movie
Adult-themed movies are rarely made these days in America, the country which, ironically, is the porn capital of the world. The MPAA's rating system is confusing and often contradictory. No studio wants the dreaded 'NC-17' rating because, among other reasons, many newspapers and TV stations won't carry ads for movies so rated. To me, it's a sad, hypocritical situation. Fortunately, other countries do make movies for adults. "Y Tu Mama Tambien" is from Mexico, and, while its graphic depiction of sexual situations may seem startling to American audiences, it is far more honest, compelling and intelligent than its timid, childish American counterparts. ["American Pie" is a perfect example.]Two teenagers, Julio and Tenoch [Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna] are looking forward to the pleasures of summer. They've just graduated from high school, and their girlfriends are going off to Italy for an extended stay. After biding the girls a fond farewell, the boys set out to have as much fun as they can. At a fancy party, they meet Luisa [Maribel Verdu], the wife of Tenoch's cousin. The pair is smitten by the older woman. Impulsively, they invited her to take a road trip with them to a beach they know called Heaven's Mouth. She politely refuses. Later, when she catches her husband being unfaithful, she announces that she is ready to see the beach. [Her real reason for going is not revealed until the film's final scene.] The problem is that the guys made the beach up. Despite this technical problem, the trio sets out for the long drive to the ocean. At the end of the journey, they find a wonderful surprise. Along the way, Luisa teaches both young men how to treat a woman. They also learn other, more serious lessons about life. On the surface, this is a comedic 'road trip' movie, one of the best ever made. Beneath the surface, there lies a poignant, meaningful coming of age tale. This lively, well acted and beautifully photographed film is highly recommended for adults but not for children, for whom it was never intended. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Rating: - And Here's to You, Mrs. Verdú
Image a much more overtly sexual "The Graduate." Transplant the setting to Mexico. Make Benjamin Mexican, younger (17), and give him a best friend. Make Ms. Robinson younger (28), Spanish, gorgeous, and give her a deep secret. Now imagine a road trip movie, but one with intelligence, sensitivity, and depth (in addition to the usual sex, drugs, and rock & roll). Got it? You now have the foundation for a delightful, thought-provoking film-- Y Tu Mama Tambien. I really loved this film. It perfectly captures the coming of age adventures of young men. There is only one thing on the top of their minds, and this film gives a realistic, frank look into those minds. The sub-plots deal with deeper issues: friendship, honesty, trust, commitment, betrayal, sexual identity, death, memory, class, Mexican culture, and politics- all blended into a delightful, beautiful film. Julio and Tenoch (Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna) are superb as the raging-hormoned 17 year olds. They mix machismo, sensitivity, recklessness, teen stupidity, and soul-searing, life-changing discovery. As the older woman, Maribel Verdú, Luisa Cortes shines. She is gorgeous, frail, emotionally shattered, strong, in control, and teaches the two young men about the richness of sex. There is a LOT of sex in this film; after all, it is about two seventeen year old boys, on a road trip with a gorgeous older woman whose husband just confessed to infidelities. Maribel Verdú has reason to experience new sexual adventures; she talks intimately and frankly with the boys about sex, and Julio and Tenoch are willing students. Director Alfonso Cuarón gives us a view of real sex, raw sex. The film is frank about the psyche of teenage boys-- a lot of talk (and action) related to self-gratification and sexual acts of all sorts. But it is handled differently from most American teen sex films: not the brainless, sniggering, puerile portrayal but rather the naked facts of life and love. If you are offended by such frankness, this is not a film for you. But if you would like a film that directly and beautifully deals with the subject, you will love Y Tu Mama Tambien.
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