Y Tu Mama Tambien, or "And Your Mama, Too," is not a
film to watch with your mother. Nor, however, is it a "sex"
film to snicker at. It is simply a film that is not afraid to be
erotic, and perhaps can be best described as being merely naturally
sexual. It explores more than the act itself; it's about the true
meaning of sex for its characters. It's both a road movie and a rich
tale of two friends discovering their humility and masculinity.
Our story revolves around two best friends, Julio and Tenoch; one
is from a well-to-do political family, the other middle class. Their
hormones just as much in charge as their social standing, they
graduate high school and their girlfriends leave for the summer. So an
older woman named Luisa - the wife of one of the friend's cousin -
becomes an attractive prospect. After she discovers her husband is
unfaithful, she agrees to go on a road trip with the boys to the
beach. A humorous story ensues; but underneath lies something more
serious, dramatic and discomforting. Mexican filmmaker Alfonso
Cuaron has directed yet another near masterpiece with his third
feature film, his previous efforts being the highly commendable if not
particularly profitable A Little Princess and Great Expectations.
(Cuaron is also poised to rescue the Harry Potter series from boring
mediocrity with the next installment.) Here, cowriting the script with
his brother Carlos, he has made an important, alive work rarely seen
in today's cinema. Both Maribel Verdu (Luisa), an accomplished Spanish
actress, and Gael Garcia Bernal (Julio) and Diego Luna (Tenoch) turn
in wonderful, often fearless performances. It's also a beautiful film,
with director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki (who has also crafted
the magnificent visuals of Sleepy Hollow and Ali) perfectly capturing
Mexico and the road trip in all its glory. Not to be missed
(Note: This review is of the "unrated" version of the
film, which is the only way to go. And for once, they truly mean
"unrated." This is not a few more seconds of naughty T&A
flicks as seem in such flicks as American Pie or Van Wilder. It's an
important cinematic art, and not just a sexy date film.)
Video: How Does The Disc Look
MGM Home Entertainment
has put together an excellent 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer for this
film, which looks every bit as expensive as any mainstream Hollywood
film despite a mere $5 million budget. The source print is nearly
pristine, with a few nicks and scratches both nothing particularly
distracting. Colors are exceptionally rendered and fully saturated,
with perfect fleshtones. While contrast is right on, black aren't
flawless, however, with an occasionally dull quality. But detail is
very good and edge enhancement kept to an acceptable minimum. An
excellent transfer all around, especially considering the film's low
budget.
Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
Included
is a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track with optional English
subtitles. The translations, as I understand, are decent but not
always complete, often leaving portions of longer dialogue exchanges
untranslated. Luckily, however, the story is still largely conveyed.
As for the soundtrack itself, it is well-recorded despite the lower
budget, with dialogue nicely rendered and always audible. There are a
few natural pans across the front soundstage, and some atmospheric
surround use that is subtle and delicate. There is next to zero heft
to the .1 LFE, however, but it's reasonable given the subject matter.
This is not an incredibly exciting track, but accurately sustains the
mood of this film. 
There are no additional soundtrack or
subtitle options, only English Closed Captions.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
MGM has produced
some nice supplements for this release, most of which, it should be
noted, are only available on the unrated version. All the extras
include English subtitles.
First up is the short film
entitled "Me la Debes" (You Owe Me One) by the director's
brother, Carlos Cuaron. A family comprised of Mom, Dad, a daughter, a
boyfriend and a housekeeper are all having sex with each other. Quite
humorous!
Next up are three deleted scenes in non-
anamorphic widescreen and 2.0 surround. All are super short and not
particularly interesting. Better is the 22-minute featurette Behind
Your Mother Too. Much more than your typical commercial
advertisement, it is quite funny and informative, with interviews with
Cuaron and the cast. Do not skip it!
Some promo material
includes an English TV Spot in non-anamorphic widescreen and
2.0 surround, and it is just an OK preview. The English-language
theatrical trailer, however, is fantastic. It's a marvelous
"teaser" that is devoid of dialogue, with only music. Very
groovy.
Last but not east is what should have been the best
extra on the disc, the screen-specific audio commentary with cast
members Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and Andres Almeida.
Unfortunately, it is in Spanish but completely lacks any kind of
subtitles. I tried to access them on a number of different player/TV
set ups just to be sure, but to no avail. So, unless you speak
Spanish, you are going to miss out.
DVD-ROM Exclusives:
What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?
No ROM
extras have been included.
Parting Thoughts
Y Tu
Mama Tambien is the rare film that lives up to all the critical
acclaim. Now available as a first-rate DVD, there is no reason for you
to overlook it on video if you missed it in the theater. A very nice
transfer and some solid supplements (aside from the missing subtitles
on the commentary), this is well recommended despite a $26.95 price
tag.
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