On a country road, two brothers meet a silver-tongued man who will change their fortunes. But first, he torments them with the proposition that he can alter only one of their destinies.
If that sounds like the start of a fable, it is.
“Rudo y Cursi” — starring Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna as half-brothers Tato and Beto Verdusco — recasts sibling rivalry as a story of bumpy migration and crazed football.
The messenger in the Corvette is Darlo, a manager of soccer players who travels Latin America looking for talent.
Writer-director Carlos Cuaron’s title means “tough and corny” and refers to the brothers’ nicknames.
Tato Verdusco (Bernal) is the younger, more romantic of the pair. A talented scorer, he really wants a musical career.
Beto, or “Rudo,” (Luna) bristles. A banana-plantation foreman, he dreams of being a professional goalie. Beneath a drooping mustache, his mouth is set in frustration.
A thug on the field, Beto inspires a mix of emotions. He’s married to practical, gentle Toña (Adriana Paz), whom he clearly loves. But he gambles, badly. He is devoted to his mother.
Rivals for her affection, the boys have an ongoing competition to see who will provide her with a beachfront home.
A penalty kick proposed by the soccer scout decides which brother gets the opportunity to make good on that dream.
This being a fable, the brothers eventually play for competing teams. And another penalty shot will be just as freighted.
Bernal and Luna work well with, and against, each other. The two came to international prominence in “Y tu mamá tambien,” which Cuaron co-wrote with his older brother, the director Alfonso. The characters’ dislike is tricky, their loyalty believably complicated.
With its “from the provinces to the big city” trajectory, the brothers’ migration is familiar.
It is also fresh. This is not a story of vexed border crossings but of the bumpy sojourn from the hinterlands to “the show,” as we could call the world’s No. 1 sport.
Neither man is built entirely for success in the biggest of burgs. Bernal makes Tato easy to root for. Even when he captures the attention of a famous TV personality, Maya (Jessica Mas), he’s such a naif.
Argentine actor Guillermo Francella brings the right notes of rascal to manager Darlo, a part that is very much about the charm of monsters — to paraphrase one of his much-rehearsed riffs.
He too goes by his nickname, Batuta or Baton. As narrator, he believes he conducts this tale in which the brothers never seem to meet fortune in harmony.
Deliberately, “Rudo y Cursi,” (Spanish with English subtitles), mimics its title.
There is plenty of coarse, macho humor. There are nearly as many moments that are goofy and sentimental. A music video of a Norteño cover of a classic- rock staple is particularly inspired.
“Rudo y Cursi”
R for pervasive language, sexual content and brief drug use. 1 hour, 42 minutes. Written and directed by Carlos Cuaron; photography by Adam Kimmel; starring Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Guillermo Francella, Adriana Paz, Jessica Mas and Dolores Heredia. Opens today at area theaters.
