2012 in Film: #66 – Y Tu Mamá También
2012 in Film: #66
Y Tu Mamá También (2001) | Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Grade: C
Thoughts: A film that tries so hard to be a mediation on life and pleasure and desire, but comes off as a very bad coming-of-age story where no one actually comes of age. So much teen angst, but none of the tenderness or emotional potency to follow up with it. Its screenplay, despite the interruptions (which are, personally, reminiscent of Wes Anderson), is full of incoherent profanity, that just becomes obnoxious after a half hour.
I Like Things That Look Like Mistakes 
March 22, 2012 at 12:24 pm
This film is a sexual masterpiece. And the characters absolutely do have experiences that find them coming of age, so I can’t imagine what film you’re watching, lonely cinephile. I’ll chalk this up to your usual distaste for sexual freedoms and exploration. You should get past your hangups in that regard because it is obviously clouding your judgement. A film like this does not reach the audience that it did being a “bad coming-of-age story”. Also, why does a film have to have tenderness to be good? Answer: it does not. You are far too treacly in your cinematic tastes and you seek to punish films that are boundary-pushing especially if it is w/r/t sexual mores. Your reviews re: sexually up-front films are virtually always off the mark. Also, the screenplay is only available in Spanish, so how do you know that it is incoherent when it is doubtful that you have even seen it and you do not know Spanish? How do you know that the dialogue was not improvised? In fact, Cuaron worked w/ Luna and Bernal to create language based on what was then current Mexican slang. There is a reason behind this in that it is the way that Mexican youths at the time actually spoke, both Bernal and Luna having been Mexican youths. You would know this if you had done any research. It is disgusting when “film reviewers” write such ill-informed pieces about great films, bashing them, when they obviously have little / no idea what they are talking about.
If you don’t like films w/ sex and profanity, why not stick to reviews of Pixar releases. Those may be more up your alley.