Y Tu Mama Tambien êê ( R )

Reviewed By Cathy Edsey Collins

American Pie goes Mexican

30 Second Bottom Line: Hormones rage in this road movie about two 17-year-old buddies whose obsession with sex prompts them to invite an "older" woman on a road trip to a remote beach in the hopes of a sexual adventure.

Story Line: Not missing a beat after bidding their Europe-bound girlfriends a lusty goodbye, Julio and Tenoch are on the prowl looking to fulfill their sexual fantasies. Their savior arrives in the form of the captivating Luisa, a 28-year-old whose confident sensuality provides the perfect antidote to their fumbling libidos.

Spurred on by alcohol and pot, this dynamic duo invites Luisa on a road trip to a remote beach, aptly named Heaven's Mouth. At first Luisa declines the offer but changes her mind after she learns of her husband's infidelity. In the spirit of retaliation and an attempt to recover her own self-esteem, she joins the ragamuffin adolescents on their journey.

During this carefree escapade, the trio shares a carload of laughs and some serious moments as well. Luisa eventually makes love to each boy, gently offering sexual "lessons" to hone their love making skills. Their summer exploration finally ends with Luisa staying behind with a family the group had befriended.

Cut to years later when Julio and Tenoch-obviously out-of-touch for many years-meet again and discuss Luisa. They share the sad news of Luisa's death and the revelation that she had been suffering from cancer even during their trip. As they leave the restaurant, the disparate economic backgrounds of the two men are apparent and it is not surprising that their promises to keep in touch are not believed.

Tell Me More About It: Writer/director Alfonso Cuaron returns to his native Mexico after commercial and critical success with his 1995 remake of the classic The Little Princess and 1997's modern take on Dickens' Great Expectations with Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow. With Y Tu Mama Tambien (And Your Momma Too), Cuaron dramatically shifts gears and descends into the sweaty, lusty oeuvre of teen sexuality-a world where young men think of sex thirty hours a day.

A Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Film and winner of a Best Screenplay Award at the Venice Film Festival, Y Tu Mama Tambien has been critically praised for its comic and touching glimpse at teenage boys' sexual angst. Indeed, the film celebrates friendship and coming-of-age with a fearless sensuality. Its good intentions are laudable but buried under an unrelenting desire to titillate.

I suspect these redeeming themes could have been explored with even greater success without dragging this screenplay to levels lower than that of the latest American Pie clones.

The dried drool on the mouth and the vomiting has become routine in these adolescent sexual capers. But is it really necessary to have not one, but two scenes of the guys peeing in the toilet? How about simultaneously masturbating on the country club swimming pool diving board with a shot of their semen floating in the pool? Yuck.

The graphic sexual scenes, the full frontal nudity-fine for adult minds, but we all must acknowledge that the marketing for this film is aimed at a much younger audience. Once again, the bar has been lowered.

Gael Garcia Bernal: "Amos Perros"	Diego Luna: "Before Night Falls"
Maribel Verdu: "Belle Epoque"	Alfonso Cuaron: "A Little Princess", "Great Expectations"

Julio: Gael Garcia Bernal	Tenoch: Diego Luna
Luisa: Maribel Verdu	Director: Alfonso Cuaron