All of the poster boys for the recent Mexican film renaissance unite on this fun, heartfelt sporting drama – not just star actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, who broke through together in Y tu mamá también (2001), but also the heavyweight directors Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro González Iñárritu, here launching their hotly anticipated five-feature production partnership, Cha Cha Cha. A directorial debut by Cuarón’s younger brother Carlos, Rudo & Cursi follows two brothers, Beto (Luna) and Tato (Bernal), who live a drab life as banana farm workers until they’re spotted playing football by a talent scout of dubious repute. Soon they’re playing professionally under the respective nicknames ‘Rudo’ (which means 'rude') and ‘Cursi’ ('corny'). But Rudo has a wife and kids back home, and Cursi would really rather be a pop star; plus, both of them are a tad over the hill, and a little too susceptible to the perks of fame… For Rudo, the issue is high-stakes gambling, his fondness for which doesn’t mix well with his affection for cocaine. Cursi’s problem is an equally highstakes celebrity girlfriend, whose love comes at a very high price indeed – and proves surprisingly transferable to other prominent players when she doesn’t get exactly what she wants. The tale of Beto and Tato’s journey from obscurity to celebrity and back again may be a morally straightforward one, but the matchless charisma and endearing matey chemistry of its two leads ensures both energy and charm in the telling. Perhaps, indeed, the story of vulnerable Mexican lads pitched into national fame and exposed to leeches and exploiters has a certain resonance for two actors who shot to fame so fast and so young – albeit from arty, creative backgrounds rather than banana fields. Whatever the real reference points that might lurk behind the narrative, this charming, confident and funny fable is an auspicious launchpad for the Del Toro/Iñárritu/Cuarón stable (the second production of which will be Iñárritu’s Biutiful, starring Javier Bardem). And Tato’s linedancing-themed music video for his Spanish-language version of Cheap Trick’s I Want You to Want Me really does have to be seen to be believed…