Rudo y Cursi

Director: Carlos Cuarón Carlos Cuarón

Overview

Carlos Cuar?n, who co-wrote the script for his brother Alfonso Cuar?n's breakthrough hit, Y Tu Mam? Tambi?n, makes his feature directorial debut with Rudo y Cursi. The film also reunites the stars of the earlier film, Gael Garc?a Bernal and Diego Luna, and is the first release from the production company Alfonso started with Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro Gonz?lez I??rritu, Cha Cha Ch?. Rudo y Cursi depicts the changing relationship between two brothers who become soccer stars. Beto (Luna), the goaltender, is nicknamed "Rudo" because of his hard-nosed style of play, while Tato (Bernal), a forward, gets the nickname "Cursi" for his flamboyant goal celebrations and his flashy lifestyle. They both start out picking bananas in remote Tlachatl?n, where they share a devotion to their mother. Then Batuta (Argentinean comic Guillermo Francella), a charmingly shiftless professional scout, happens by. He can only sign one of the brothers, so they battle it out on the pitch to see who gets his break. Instead of throwing the match to his brother as plan, Tato scores a goal and is on his way to stardom. He's more interested in becoming a pop star than a soccer star, but when he meets Maya (Jessica Mas), a famous TV hostess he's dreamed about for years, he begins to enjoy the trappings of fame. Meanwhile, resentful Beto waits for his chance. When he finally gets his break, he leaves his disapproving wife, To?a (Adriana Paz), and his kids to sneak off to Mexico City. The brothers' fortunes rise and fall, with Tato distracted by a demanding girlfriend and a hopeless singing career, while Beto deals with marital strife and a serious gambling problem. Rudo y Cursi had its New York Premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/25/2009
UPC:	0043396310728
Original Release:	2008
Rating:	R
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:42:00
Sales rank:	54,998

Special Features

Commentary with director Carlos Cuarón and actors Gael Garcia Bernal & Diego Luna; Deleted scenes; Making-of featurette; "I Want You to Want Me" music video; "Rudo y Cursi" music video

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Gael García Bernal	Tato 'El Cursi' (Corny) Verdusco
Diego Luna	Beto 'El Rudo' (Tough) Verdusco
Guillermo Francella	Batuta
Dolores Heredia	Elvira
Adriana Paz	Toña
Jessica Mas	Maya
Salvador Zerboni	Jorge W
Alfredo Alfonso	Don Casimiro
Tania Esmeralda Aguilar	Nadia
Eduardo Von	TD Bruno López
Axel Ricco	Mena
Harold Torres	Trompo Tovar
Gabino Rodríguez	Mafafo
Alexander Da Silva	Gringa Roldán
Armando Hernandez	Ciempíes
Alexandré Barceló	Fito
Jorge Mondragon	Porro
Enoc Leaño	Referee
Jose Carlos Rodriguez	TD Merodio
Joaquín Cosio	Arnulfo
Fermín Martínez	DT Obdulio
Gael Garcia Bernal	Actor
Felipe Pérez Santiago	Composer
Leoncio Lara	Composer

Technical Credits

Carlos Cuarón

Carlos Cuarón	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu	Producer
Guillermo del Toro	Producer
Frida Torresblanco	Producer
Manuel Teil	Casting
Martin Hernandez	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Not all reunions of memorable screen couples work -- think Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride. But the reunion of Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna in Rudo y Cursi is one that does, and joyously. The stars of Alfonso Cuarón's Y Tu Mamá También are working for Cuarón's brother this time, and Carlos Cuarón harnesses their chemistry to give us an engaging story of competing soccer prodigies and their roller-coaster careers. Although told in a predominantly comedic fashion, Rudo y Cursi works as a cautionary tale on the trappings of fame, as well as a philosophical meditation on both the concrete (soccer) and the abstract (fate). The poetic observations on soccer come via the narration of the talent scout who discovers the brothers, Batuta (Guillermo Francella), who strings together metaphors about soccer and life without over-stretching or assigning significance that isn't there. But Rudo y Cursi is also interested in the idea of fate, in a manner that goes beyond the clichéd coincidences that are designed to make inferior scripts seem clever. Insignificant details, miscommunications, fateful flips of the coin...they all play as much a role in the brothers' rise to fame as in their potential downfall. Neither is this to suggest that Rudo y Cursi is overly ponderous. Bernal and Luna appear to be having a grand old time playing eccentric superstars with a zest for their passions, and Cuarón finds the vibrancy in every camera setup. Naturally, there's enough game action to hold the interest of soccer's many fans, but it would be taking a narrow view of Rudo y Cursi to define it merely as a sports movie. Like most good films, it's a film about characters, and Beto (aka Rudo) and Tato (aka Cursi) happen to be endlessly watchable ones.