THE MEXICAN

2001

What a piece of crap! Featuring some of the worst and most annoying performances I've seen since The Blair Witch Project, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and James Gandolfini star in a comedy about a priceless gun that everyone wants. Roberts and Pitt who are supposed to be a couple have absolutely no chemistry and, thankfully, almost no screen time together. Their time spent interacting is almost always filled with their bickering, which apparently is supposed to be really funny. Its not. What it is is stupid, frustrating and basically something that Pauly Shore would have been embarrassed to have done. With the exception of a few cute scenes between Gandolfini and Roberts, this one is a total loser.

1 Star

CDF

It should come as no surprise to regular viewers of "The Sopranos," that James Gandolfini (as the oxymoronic "sensitive" hit man) steals this film right out of the hands of his very capable co-stars, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt. Unfortunately in this film, that's no great achievement. Had this been a Coen brothers project, it might have been a good film...even a great film. Instead, what we get is a poorly written, badly directed, convoluted, stupid and endless movie. It's the visual equivalent of a shaggy dog story that goes on and on and on, until all but the most patient viewer, has "gone South!" The only other redeeming qualities( besides Gandolfini's performance,) are the beautiful scenes in what may or may not be rural Mexico. In the future it could be shown in film schools, because it's a compendium of cliches from such films as "The Maltese Falcon," "Bonnie and Clyde," "Nurse Betty," "Snatch," etc. If you do chose to see it, bring a good book or a deck of cards; you'll have plenty of down time for doing either or both!

1 Star

NJB