'Y Tu Mama Tambien' is another film that can be considered as part of the recent Mexican/Latin American new wave cinema that includes 'Amores Perros', 'El Mariachi' and 'City of God' to name just a few.
TWO'S COMPANY, THREE'S A CROWD
Tenoch and Julio are two Mexican teenagers; one ... Read review
If you're in need of a teen road movie that's more than a collection of "tit-n-bum" jokes, ... more
then look no further thanY Tu Mama Tambien("And Your Mother Too"). Alfonso Cuaron (yes, the director signed up forHarry Potter 3) has managed to create a sexy ro...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Julio and Tenoch are typical over-sexed and under-occupied teenagers. During a festive ... more
afternoon with their families they meet Luisa, a twenty eight year old Spaniard, and flirt with her with all the style and grace seventeen year old boys are known fo...
Rowdy Mexican youths Julio (Gael Garc'ƒ-a Bernal from Amores Perros) and Tenoch (Diego ... more
Luna) set off in a car to find a beach with older woman Luisa (Maribel Verd'ļ). At first the young men are more interested in drinking and seducing their passe...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Sexy, Funny, Clever Disadvantages: A little slow at times
'Y Tu Mama Tambien' is another film that can be considered as part of the recent Mexican/Latin American new wave cinema that includes 'Amores Perros', 'El Mariachi' and 'City of God' to name just a few.
TWO'S COMPANY, THREE'S A CROWD
Tenoch and Julio are two Mexican teenagers; one summer when their girlfriends are away they decide to try their luck with Luisa an older woman they meet at a wedding. Spinning her ... ...Cielo they invite Luisa to accompany them on a road trip across Mexico hoping that the trip will also give them an opportunity to seduce her to their surprise and delight she accepts. Luisa who is going through a tough time emotionally is desperate to escape the city and is intrigued by the two young men, thus begins a journey both physical and emotional, at times funny at times passionately charged, which will lead all three to learn new things ... more
'Y Tu Mama Tambien' is another film that can be considered as part of the recent Mexican/Latin American new wave cinema that includes 'Amores Perros', 'El Mariachi' and 'City of God' to name just a few.
TWO'S COMPANY, THREE'S A CROWD
Tenoch and Julio are two Mexican teenagers; one summer when their girlfriends are away they decide to try their luck with Luisa an older woman they meet at a wedding. Spinning her a tale of a beautiful secluded beach called Boca del Cielo they invite Luisa to accompany them on a road trip across Mexico hoping that the trip will also give them an opportunity to seduce her to their surprise and delight she accepts. Luisa who is going through a tough time emotionally is desperate to escape the city and is intrigued by the two young men, thus begins a journey both physical and emotional, at times funny at times passionately charged, which will lead all three to learn new things about themselves and the country they live in.
CAST, PERFOMANCES AND OPINION
Maribel Verdú .... Luisa Cortés Diego Luna .... Tenoch Iturbide Gael García Bernal .... Julio Zapata
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, written by Alfonso Cuarón, Carlos Cuarón
There is a lot more to this film than the teenage sex romp/road movie that a brief outline of the story would suggest. In fact this is a funny, at time sad and often titillating story of the coming of age of two spoilt rich teenage boys and the emotional journey of the older woman that is the object of their desire.
The boys played by the up and coming Mexican actors Diego Luna (The Terminal) and Gael García Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries) are not endearing characters, the are basically loafers with plenty of money thanks to their rich indulgent parents. They live it up with their attractive girlfriends, their similarly wealthy friends and partake in a lot of sex and drugs…what more could a teenage boy ask for. The truth is that despite or because of their easy living they are always on the look out for something else to try. In the older Luisa they find a challenge and deciding to dupe her in to taking a trip with them with intention of bedding her is also a way for them to prove their passage into manhood. Although Luisa is emotionally vulnerable at this time she is in total control when it comes to fending off their immature advances and any relations that might take place are going to be very much on her own terms.
The cleverness of the story and the direction is that through the course of the film we see how all the main three characters are changed by the road trip and each of them even the older Luisa develop and learn something about themselves. I was very impressed by Maribel Verdu a Spanish actress I'd never seen before as the beautiful and flirtatious Luisa. This was a complex role to play, Luisa is hurt by the break up of a longstanding relationship and she is desperate to get away, meeting the boys allows her to do this, they believe they are tricking her but she knows very well what is going on and she takes control. On the outside she has to be confident and assured to keep the boys in check but we see in quiet moment that she is still in a lot of emotional pain Verdu plays these two sides of Luisa's character very well and is extremely convincing in the part.
As the trip progresses the boys who are firm friends realise that their plans for seduction are going astray and a fair amount of the comedy in the film provided by their overestimation of the sexual experience as they try it on with Luisa. Their own relationship is put under a great strain as Luisa maybe unintentionally begins to play them off against each other and they both experience anger jealousy and insecurity.
The relationship between the main characters changes as the trip progresses, at first Tenoch and Julio are motivated by their hormones as most young men of that age are and Luisa represents nothing more than a new sexual experience. Luisa for her part is using the boys to escape from her failed relationship and is generally leading them on but as they spend more time together on the journey they form a real friendship, and develop a new respect for each other. The idyllic beach that they are heading for, the excuse for the trip is also an obvious symbol for the end of their journey in an emotional sense and certainly by the end of the film all three have come a long way as people.
The trip through the Mexican landscape is beautifully filmed and a little social realism is included as the wealthy lifestyle of the three travellers is contrasted with the poorer existence of the people they meet on the way. In many ways it is this attempt at social commentary that let the film down slightly. The director uses a voice over to make political points and this seems however worthy, a little incongruous with the rest of the film.
The film is also known for it's sexual content, which is obvious right from the very first scene and the 18 certificate is justified. It is true that the film does contain a fair amount explicit sex and it is sexy, which doesn't always follow, but the sex is not gratuitous and is for once essential to understand how the characters relate to each other and how they change through the film, so don't expect a teenage sex romp in the style of 'American Pie' it is a far classier film than that.
Despite some slights flaws in pacing and over complexity in the story Cuarón has produced a clever, funny, sophisticated and yet sexy film that will get you thinking as well and entertaining you. It rightly received a Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.
The film is in Spanish and I watched it with English subtitles, which might put some off but it wasn't very disruptive to the enjoyment of the movie and I always believe this is better then watching it dubbed.
'Y Tu Mama Tambien' is available on DVD from Play.com for £6.99 delivered and is well worth the money considering it comes with plenty of additional features. Highly recommended.
Advantages: a funny film with loads of sex, drugs, and alcohol Disadvantages: not for prudes!
A couple of weeks ago, 'Y Tu Mama Tambien' was playing in my university's film series. I'd never seen the cinema so packed. Hundreds of students packed the auditorium and dozens more queued outside. No doubt everyone had heard that this film features a lot of sex. That's certainly why my friends and I turned up! A lot of people assume that if a film is in a foreign language, it is sophisticated art appropriate for people of all ages. My grandparents' ... ...ended up walking out on this film. Knowing this, I had high expectations for its raunchiness. Yes, there is a lot of sex (5 sex scenes, one masturbation scene, and one shower scene) and a decent amount of nudity, but I wasn't SHOCKED by any of it. Nor was I particularly turned on, although it was fun to be in cinema full of cheering students when the thing everyone has been hoping will happen finally does. (I don't want to ruin anything... but the ...
OKkaraoke 08.11.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Y Tu Mama Tambien (DVD)
Advantages: A thoughtful film Disadvantages: Those subtitles
Much has been made of the sexual content of this film and yes, it’s probably not something you would want to watch with your parents in the room. However, this is a film of many layers and there’s a lot more to it than a bit of nudity and liberated behaviour. The comparisons that have been made with glib American productions like “American Pie” do absolutely no justice to this thoughtful, melancholy and beautifully shot film.
... ...(Gael Garcia), two seventeen year old boys, one middle class, one more upper class and well connected. Like adolescent boys do, they go out drinking and, having waved their respective girlfriends off on a holiday in Italy, they look for women. At a family wedding they bump into Luisa (Maribel Verdu), the Spanish born wife of Tenoch’s obnoxious writer cousin, and offer to take her on a trip to the mythical beach of Boca del Cielo (Heaven’s ...
pattiemason 21.05.2003
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Y Tu Mama Tambien (DVD)
Advantages: Good story, funny, sexy, poignant Disadvantages: Fast dialogue makes it difficult to keep up with the subtitles!
Tenoch and Julio are Mexican teenagers who seem to have little to do over the summer holidays. Their girlfriends have left to go backpacking in Europe, and the boys pass the time drinking, taking drugs, masturbating and trying unsuccessfully to pick up girls.
At a wedding they clumsily try to chat up Luisa, Tenoch's cousin's wife, by inviting her on a trip to a special beach called 'Heaven's Mouth'. After a miserable day attending the hospital for ... ...of infidelity Luisa decides to take them up on their offer, much to their surprise. The beach only exists in Tenoch and Julio's imagination, but after frantically seeking directions to a suitable beach, they pick up Luisa and set off. During their travels through remote Mexican scenery the talk turns to sex, before Luisa seduces both the boys. I can't really say why I liked this film so much without giving away what happens to all the characters ...
Florentine 18.05.2004 (19.05.2004)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Y Tu Mama Tambien (DVD)
Advantages: Great performances Disadvantages: None to speak of
...Spanish with English Subtitles
Y Tu Mama Tambien or and your mama too its translated title is a coming of age road movie. Julio and Tenoch are best friends that have just seen their girlfriends go off travelling for the summer and the boys are left teaming with testosterone and adolescent hormones.
The boys befriend Tenochs older cousin's wife, Luisa and tell her tales of a magical beach, Boca del Cielo. Luisa who is already unhappy in her relationship ... ...trip to the beach.
The journey takes them out of their home in Mexico City. During the trip they explore their sexuality and their friendship is tested by their attraction to luisa. They learn more about each other on their trip than they could have hoped or wanted to.
You may recognise Gael Garcia Bernal from Amorres Perros or in his recent portrail of Che Guervara in the Motorcycle Diaries. This is an ecellent performance from a young actor with ...
Matt.Blundell 30.01.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Y Tu Mama Tambien (DVD)
Advantages: it will get you hooked on foreign films Disadvantages: not for people who are obsessed with american comedys
Cast :
Maribel Verdú
.... Luisa Cortés
Diego Luna
.... Tenoch Iturbide
Gael García Bernal
.... Julio Zapata
Story : Tenoch and Julio are two seventeen year olds who typically spend all their time having sex, talking about it or getting high. That is until they meet Luisa, a twenty something Spaniard who is married to Tenoch's cousin and invite her on a road trip to find a beach called "heavens Mouth". The catch is they neglected to tell ... ...During this road trip they find a lot out about each other and themselves. The movie gives a good portrayal of teenage life as well as life around Mexico City. When this movie came out it was very popular and won several awards at a number of independent movie awards. And catapulted Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal into international film scene, with Luna starring is Havana Nights and the criminal and Garcia Bernal starring in Dot the I and motorcycle ...
Elishagamble31 03.06.2005
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Y Tu Mama Tambien (DVD)
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to ...
Similar reviews »
Reviews which might be of interest for "Y Tu Mama Tambien (DVD)"
Advantages: Shocking but Effective Filmwork Disadvantages: Graphic Violence
. What is even more attractive are the 'Stress' and 'Outrage' additions, exhibiting more of the nauseating camerawork alongside Thomas Bangalter's (of Daft Punk) wonderful soundtrack. It is a while since I saw special features that were original, yet fit into the scheme of things also. On the YTuMamaTambienDVD we are offered a psychedelic special feature that, although pointless on its own, is something extra to enjoy and sums the film up; weird, drugged and playful. The Irreversible DVD goes beyond that and intrigues further. As you can see, these features packed onto the one DVD are well thought out, apt and entertaining, or at least that is my perception of them.
-Cast
Directed by Gaspar Noë - born 27 December 1963 in Argentina. Irreversible is his 5th film in total, if you count a 1995 short release on French television.
Alex ...
heideroosjes 19.05.2005 (21.05.2005)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Irreversible (DVD)