roblesar99 To describe director Alfonso Cuarón's Y Tu Mamá También as simply a road movie featuring two immature best friends and an older, attractive woman would do it a disservice. While that is the premise of Cuarón's film, one that at times proves utterly hilarious, there is a stunning complexity to behold. Underneath the surface level, where sex and drug use runs amok, lies both a character study of the three main protagonists, Tenoch, Julio, and Luisa, and an exploration of the bliss of youthful ignorance that doubles as a provider of insights into the state of Mexican society circa-1999.Throughout the trip, Emmanuel Lubezki's camera often moves away from the trio, focusing on happenings outside the vehicle. The story is set against a backdrop of turbulent political change, made clear by the repeated mention of protests in the film's opening act. But as they travel to their destination, Tenoch and Julio remain unaware, immersed in their friendship and their blossoming relationship with Luisa. Yet Lubezki's beautiful camera-work shows everything from police brutality to the aftermath of a hit-and-run accident, displaying the style that he would later use in Cuarón's next feature Children of Men. His usage of long takes remains masterful as well, with some scenes carrying on for minutes with nary a cut to be found. These scenes make the film come alive, possessing a lively, fervent energy so rarely found in films today. His images gain further impact from an omniscient narrator voiced by Daniel Giménez Cacho, who provides intermittent commentary on everything from the protagonists' unvoiced thoughts to the history of an area. At its core, Y Tu Mamá También is a story about life, with the narrator's ruminations weaving a rich tapestry of the past, future, and present of not only these characters but Mexico itself.The friendship between Tenoch and Julio, the primary driving force of the film, feels as authentic as anything that's ever been put on screen in the history of cinema. Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal capture a spirit of boyish exuberance so perfectly, delivering plenty of laughs as they trade blows over their shared life experiences. And yet a profound sense of melancholy permeates throughout the film, made perhaps more noticeable by the presence of Maribel Verdú's Luisa. As we watch these characters on the road, we can feel that their last days of adolescence are slowly fading away. Luisa serves as the film's emotional core, a pained woman who shares with Tenoch and Julio the life experiences that have led to their trip. Verdú simply nails her character, sensual and emotional in equal measure, a reminder of both the pain that comes with living so much as the unbridled joy. The voyage these characters takes feels so real, so genuine, no doubt due to the wonderful script from Cuarón and his brother Carlos. It all comes to a head in a climax that left me breathless, one so full of passion and longing, and yet in the most unexpected way.With Y Tu Mamá También, Cuarón delivered one of the greatest coming- of-age films of all time. I was not only blown away by the performances from the main cast, but by the story that Cuarón tells. Despite the thematic complexity of the film and the potential to run into exploitative territory with such a premise, Cuarón instead masterfully directs a tale with poignant observations on sex, love, life, and the human condition. And the ending, meanwhile, is one for the ages. It left me in tears.Rating: 10/10 (Masterpiece)

eduardo ramirez Way before sweeping the Oscars with Gravity, and right before being in charge of Harry Potter's third movie, Alfonso Cuarón filmed in Mexico a little road movie that became a sudden hit around the world (and gave him and his brother Carlos an Oscar nomination for the screenplay), cemented his reputation as one of the top filmmakers currently working (and truth be told, his Potter gig wouldn't have happened without this one), and made the lead trio (Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Maribel Verdú) international celebrities.In Y tu mama tambien, Cuarón tells the story of Tenoch and Julio, two best friends, fresh off their high school graduation and looking for summer action after their girlfriends leave for European vacations. After they meet Luisa (the Spanish wife of Tenoch's cousin), they invite her to a trip to the beach (a fictional one) and she declines the offer at first, but when she receives life- changing news, Tenoch and Julio are forced to improvise everything for the journey along with her.Cuarón goes beyond the typical road movie and offers a luscious portrait of a Mexico marked by overwhelming social contrasts, as seen in Tenoch and Julio's friendship, the former son of a prominent politician with a turbulent past, and the latter, son of a working- class single mother, and also seen in the many places visited by them during their unusual trip (a country filled with poverty and misery, but with a strange vitality and beauty). At the same time, it's a seductive and fervid vision about sexuality, with a verve and naturalness closer to the French Nouvelle Vague, unafraid to question double standards that still prevail when it comes to sex and masculinity, especially in a society like the Mexican one.A movie of such nature requires the right actors, committed to this fearless task. And Cuarón chose wisely with Luna and Bernal to play Tenoch and Julio, for they've been friends in real life since their days as child actors in Mexican TV and their chemistry is indeed remarkable. But the movie's revelation is Maribel Verdú (already famous in Spain before this movie), who finds in Luisa the perfect opportunity to show her acting skills as a vulnerable woman, ready to leave the pain behind and enjoy life in every way.One can say Y tu mama tambien is a curious mix of coming of age movie + road tip + raunchy teen comedy, but the result is nothing like any of those. It just happens to be an invigorating creation from a master of storytelling.

SnoopyStyle In Mexico City, horny best friends Tenoch Iturbide (Diego Luna) and Julio Zapata (Gael García Bernal) aimlessly drift as college beckons and their girlfriends are traveling overseas. At a family wedding, they meet Luisa Cortés (Maribel Verdú), a slightly older woman and the wife of Tenoch's cousin Jano. Jano is cheating on her and she gets news from a doctor. She agrees to go on a road trip with the boys to a non-existent beach and find an intense rollicking sexual journey.What a trio! It was my first introduction to these three actors. It's incredible to discover both Luna and Bernal at the same time. Their magnetic personalities are obvious right away. Maribel Verdú is no shrinking violet either. The three of them are terrific together. Some of it is a little slow especially the beginning. There are also great scenes that are absolutely electric. It's also my first Alfonso Cuarón movie and I didn't connect him to my favorite Harry Potter movie Prisoner of Azkaban until much later. He has such amazing range.

Red_Identity As a huge fan of Alfonso Cuaron (well, maybe not huge) I felt like I owed it to him to give this a go. It's incredibly entertaining, sort of like a road-trio film that garnered a lot of controversy (and you can see why). The lead performances from the males are very good, especially Garcia Bernal. Maribel Verdu also gives a really solid portrayal here, although for some reason Diego Luna doesn't stick as much in the material. He seems out of place for whatever reason. I don't think it's Cuaron's best film, but it doesn't need to be. This is really absorbing, intriguing cinema that, at its best, provides a form of discussion for film buffs. Recommended.