Beto and Tato are half brothers eking out a living in Southern Mexico. When we first meet them, they are at a banana plantation. Little do they know what their lives will turn out to be after they meet Batuta, an unscrupulous soccer scout, who just happens to stop at their small village in the South of the country. Batuta sees an opportunity to sell the boys, who he sees playing and show great potential, to professional teams in the capital.
Tato, who becomes cursi, or a cornball, loves to sing the sugar sweet ballads and has dreams of really making it as a singer. Beto, the tough one, has a passion for gambling; Beto appears to have a knack for winning. As both guys settle into the game, they prove themselves to be assets for the different teams they play. With fame comes money and an opportunity to explore what they really wanted to do in the first place.
After Tato records a video, he attracts the opportunist Maya, who sees in this man, her ticket to a better life. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize that Maya only wants to get whatever she can from this hick boy. Beto, on the other hand, falls prey of a loan shark who introduces him to a private gambling club where, after winning initially, he ends up owing his life to the ruthless people that want to collect their money no matter what.
Carlos Cuaron, brother of Alfonso, comes from a family that are deeply involved in the Mexican cinema. In fact, he was part of the team behind the much better ¨Y tu mama tambien¨, directed by his brother Alfonso. This film was not exactly his first one as a director, and he could have used a lighter tone. The movie goes downhill after the somber fate the brothers suffer toward the end of the picture, which should not surprise anyone because in most cases, these unsophisticated boys become victims of their own successes.
The best thing in the film are Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. Both actors show an amazing chemistry where one compliments the other. They give excellent reading to the two peasant boys that go from rags to riches, back to rags. The next best thing is Argentine actor Guillermo Francella who as Batuta gives a surprising performance as the scout that gives the boys a taste of an unexpected life they would never have thought they could have.
Tato, who becomes cursi, or a cornball, loves to sing the sugar sweet ballads and has dreams of really making it as a singer. Beto, the tough one, has a passion for gambling; Beto appears to have a knack for winning. As both guys settle into the game, they prove themselves to be assets for the different teams they play. With fame comes money and an opportunity to explore what they really wanted to do in the first place.
After Tato records a video, he attracts the opportunist Maya, who sees in this man, her ticket to a better life. Unfortunately, he doesn't realize that Maya only wants to get whatever she can from this hick boy. Beto, on the other hand, falls prey of a loan shark who introduces him to a private gambling club where, after winning initially, he ends up owing his life to the ruthless people that want to collect their money no matter what.
Carlos Cuaron, brother of Alfonso, comes from a family that are deeply involved in the Mexican cinema. In fact, he was part of the team behind the much better ¨Y tu mama tambien¨, directed by his brother Alfonso. This film was not exactly his first one as a director, and he could have used a lighter tone. The movie goes downhill after the somber fate the brothers suffer toward the end of the picture, which should not surprise anyone because in most cases, these unsophisticated boys become victims of their own successes.
The best thing in the film are Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. Both actors show an amazing chemistry where one compliments the other. They give excellent reading to the two peasant boys that go from rags to riches, back to rags. The next best thing is Argentine actor Guillermo Francella who as Batuta gives a surprising performance as the scout that gives the boys a taste of an unexpected life they would never have thought they could have.