The Mexican

(2001)
I already know by now not to judge a movie by its cast -- Ive been let down far too many times to do that. Still, seeing that a movie would have the finest actress of her generation, Julia Roberts (oh, come on, no ones better right now and you know it) teamed with one of the super hotties of his generation, Brad Pitt (whos no slouch in the acting department either), well, you expect things. Excitement, maybe some romance, some chemistry, certainly some fun. The Mexican has none of these things in great quantities. Essentially a light-hearted crime movie, The Mexican is about a fabled gun that is supposed to be cursed. Dim-witted mob stooge Jerry (Brad Pitt) is dispatched to Mexico to retrieve it for his shadowy boss, Mr. Margolese (whom we find out far too late is Gene Hackman). But since Jerry is an oaf, he screws it up, and comic hilarity attempts to ensue as he tries to retrieve the gun from a variety of zany characters. Since Margolese doesnt trust Jerry to get the job done right, he sends a professional hit man, Leroy (James Gandolfini) to kidnap Jerrys troublesome girlfriend Samantha (Roberts) so they have some collateral while attempting to control Jerry. Pitts part of the movie is mostly okay; he scrambles around Mexico alternately getting screwed by the locals and then putting one over on them. There are some nice comic moments with him, and Pitt displays his usual light touch. The plot thread with Sam and Leroy, however, is lifted from a wholly different movie and has nothing to do with the plot at all. Gandolfini gives a nice performance, but his character has no business being in this film whatsoever. He and Roberts play off each other okay, but it occurred to me halfway through the film that any number of young actresses could have played this part ably. You didnt need Julia Roberts at all. You could have gotten away with Samantha Mathis or Jennifer Jason Leigh or any of a host of lighter-weight actresses. The poor decision to have Roberts spend almost no screen time with Pitt -- and what little she does have with him is pissed away on comic arguments -- hurts the movie tremendously. You keep thinking how much better it would be if the two of them were together -- not that either one is bad by themselves, mind you. The Mexican is not a bad film, and I dont regret seeing it (like I regret, say 3000 Miles to Graceland); but its not a very strong film either, and youll only get a few really good laughs out of it. If you want to see Pitt in a truly great comedic role in a crime caper, rent Snatch. If you want to see Roberts shine, hell, youve got a whole video library to pick from. But youd be better off giving this bland dish a pass. April 15, 2001