# Mexican, The (2001)

### reviewed by
Homer Yen

    "The Mexican" – Super Cast Sizzles, Story Fizzles
    by Homer Yen
    (c) 2001

The good news is that for two hours, "The Mexican" brings together actors who are currently at the pinnacle of their careers and popularity. Though longevity in Hollywood is frequently ephemeral, heartthrob Brad Pitt is still the recipient of much adoration from moviegoers. Effervescent Julia Roberts is the hands-down favorite to walk away with her first Oscar as Best Actress for her recent work as the sassy "Erin Brokovich." And burly James Gandolfini is known as everyone's favorite Mob boss in HBO's incredibly edgy drama, "The Soprano's." The 'star-studded' wattage generated by these three could solve California's utility crisis.

The bad news is that for most of the film, this quirky romantic comedy separates Pitt and Roberts, who play Jerry and Samantha, two star-crossed lovers with their own agendas. In fact, they each go their own way about 15 minutes into the film. It's a move that, unfortunately, hinders the film's romantic cuteness from really taking off.

In one of the first scenes, for example, Pitt and Roberts are discussing their divergent priorities. He's an accident-prone bagman for a crime boss and has promised Samantha that he won't take any more jobs. Samantha wants to go to Vegas to become a croupier. But when he is forced to take one more job or face death by fire, Samantha becomes furious. There's zest in their emotions and these two make an adorable couple.

Samantha leaves for Vegas while Jerry heads to Mexico. Well, maybe these two stars are so big that they just couldn't fit on the screen at the same time. But it does give an opportunity for both of these stars to flex their comedic muscles.

Jerry's final job takes him to some pallid village so that he can pick up "The Mexican," a fabled antique gun. All he has to do is collect the antique and then go home. This fabulous weapon has quite a bit of interesting lore, which is told through sepia-toned flashbacks interspersed throughout the film. This is actually a nicely presented sequence, which tells a tale that is fantastical and preternatural.

Poor Jerry. Our hapless gringo is mired with bad luck. His rental car gets stolen, he gets arrested, while allies become enemies. He can only raise his arms in disbelief. We may raise our arms in disbelief too. This portion never has few precious funny moments; and the bizarre violence isn't consistent enough to add pep. Jerry is probably just as annoyed with his lack of luck as we are with the accompanying harmonica and banjo soundtrack that makes it feel like a bad Spaghetti Western.

Samantha represents the better half of this relationship as well as the more enjoyable portion of the story. On her way to Vegas, she is intercepted by a hitman (Gandolfini) who uses her as a hostage to make sure that Jerry succeeds. During the course of her ordeal, they establish a connection with each other. She talks about Jerry; he talks about his love woes. Their dialogue scenes add a needed sense of character dimension. It's actually the most entertaining element of this film.

Pitt, Roberts, and Gandolfini give fine performances. But it's a bit hard for us to stay in synch as the momentum shifts between the two stories. Overall, "The Mexican" is sometimes cute, sometimes funny, and offers a few neat surprises. But its offbeat qualities are uneven.

    Grade: B-
    S:        1 out of 3
    L:        2 out of 3
    V:        2 out of 3

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