The Mexican (2001)
Grade: C
Cast: Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and James Gandolfini
Director: Gore Verbinski
Rated R for language and violence


Julia Roberts. Brad Pitt. Those four words alone are probably enough to get the behinds of most of the moviegoing public in seats. Throw in someone like James Gandolfini and you'll have TV fans lining up to buy a ticket. Add some Tarantino-esqe stylistics and you'll have some art house folks buying popcorn at your concession stand. So, why is it that with all of these elements and a public that is more than willing to watch, "The Mexican" just isn't all that good? Well, it all boils down to one thing: a case of split personality disorder.

Yes, that's right, split personality disorder. Have you ever known a person that caters hand and foot to a lot of different people? Someone that tries so hard to please so many people, that they begin to spread themselves thin and their seams begin to show? Well, that's exactly what happens to "The Mexican." It tries to appeal to those who like a romantic storyline, and those who want to see gunfire. Then there are others who want screwball comedy. Some people even want twist endings. And so the story goes. The Mexican tries to incorporate all of these film trends and ends up never really ending or bringing closure to it's two main flimsy characters or their mundane situation.

At the beginning of the film we are introduced to Jerry (Brad Pitt) and Sam (Julia Roberts). Jerry and Sam are the personification of a modern day unmarried-but-thinking-about-it couple: they bicker incessantly, but then swear up and down that they really love each other. Well, it starts to get serious when Jerry is called by his mobster boss to go across the border to Mexico and pick up a famed gun that is supposedly worth a lot of money.

Since he had told Sam that his last job was his final one, she gets mad when she discovers that he plans on going to Mexico. She decides to leave him once and for all, and heads to Las Vegas with Nancy Sinatra blaring out of the speakers of her ever-so-chic brand new VW Bug. It's en route to Las Vegas that she comes into contact with Leroy (James Gandolfini), a hitman hired by Jerry's boss to capture her as collateral for Jerry's retrieval of the gun. This only makes Sam more irate.

As the story progresses, things in Mexico aren't going so well. Jerry finally gets the gun, but is then pillaged and has his rental car (which just happens to contain the coveted trinket) stolen. But Sam and Leroy are becoming fast friends and sharing secrets. Leroy is also helping Sam come to terms with hers and Jerry's relationship. Sounds sweet, eh? Well, things only get more contrived and muddled from there.

What I think is really funny is that the screenplay wastes no time portraying Sam and Jerry as a couple so in love with each other that they argue with each other every single time there is a lull in the conversation. Heck, they even fight while talking on the phone as each one have just gotten so fed up with each other over this whole sordid situation. But, don't forget, they love each other.

There are some parts of the film that are enjoyable. I would have to say the look of the film is a definite plus. The cinematography by Darisz Wolski sets the perfect tone for the film. Like the cinematography in Traffic, the camerawork in The Mexican uses different filters and colors to show a contrast between the two stories.

The scenes in Mexico aren't much to write home about. Most of them just show Pitt trying to break the language barrier, and are pretty much just slapstick comedy that tends to get old after a short passage of time. However, the scenes with Gandolfini and Roberts lift the film up. Their conversation feels real, and they have a great on-screen chemistry with each other. Julia's performance is definitely hightened because of Gandolfini's presence. I can't imagine another actor playing his role as effectively or just plain as good as he does. He is able to make us sympathize with him, and we really care about his actions and what he does.

The film then turns around and smacks us in the face, by finishing off the character of Leroy with one stunningly pretentious plot twist. Any emotional feelings we have towards the film completely fly out the window at that point, and the film just looses us altogether.

Jerry and Sam are just irresponsible and unreasonable people. They don't seem to have any self esteem. They just aren't made out as really caring about themselves. Thus, we don't care about them or their relationship. That presents another problem. We can't really care about what happens in the film unless we care about the characters who partake in each separate scenario. So, in return, we really don't care about this film.


-Brian Jones, July 2002