The Mexican: Good Fun

Samantha has had enough of Jerry. He promised her that the last job would be his last job with the mobs, but as luck would have it with Jerry, he somehow managed to land the mob boss, Margolese, in jail. To make amends, Jerry has to do an errand for Margolese's right-hand man, Nayman. The task: go to Mexico, meet a certain Beck at a bar, pick up a pistol and bring it back to the States. Screw this up and he's dead. Jerry tries to explain all these to an enraged Sam, but Sam just wouldn't have any of it. Either they both go to Las Vegas together or she goes alone. With death as his only option if he quits the job, Jerry flies to Mexico, while Sam drives to Las Vegas.

Things don't go well for Jerry in Mexico: Beck gets killed by a stray bullet; Jerry's El Camino gets stolen, the pistol with it; and he learns that Nayman is double-crossing him. Meanwhile, Sam is kidnapped by Leroy and held hostage until Jerry delivers the pistol.

A simple enough story but with lots of twists in between, it becomes altogether fun and quirky. I love Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, so seeing them together was a plus for the movie already. Surprisingly, they weren't together for long periods of time in the movie; surprisingly still, it worked. What made the movie entertaining to watch was the offbeat manner in which these two megastars portrayed their roles. They were so comfortable with their characters that it's relaxing to watch. In fact, the other casts blended so well with them, particularly James Gandolfini's Leroy to Roberts' Sam. The movie wasn't a romantic comedy, the way romantic comedies should be; but it was so comical in a romantic sort of way. This is a classic example of a funny movie without the buffoonery; witty dialogues and oh-so-natural antics do the trick.

"I need a lift on your el truck-o to the next town-o."

Beat that.

Director Gore Verbinski and Screenplay writer J.H. Wyman masterfully inserted within the story various versions of the legend of the Mexican, the pistol Pitt's character was tasked to deliver. I had a good laugh when these legends were shown because whatever be the story behind the antique pistol, the setting and the characters were the same, with additions each time the allegedly real story was being told by one knowledgeable about the handgun.

It was fun watching this movie. Smart comedy in ages.