Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with another shining review of THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES. This reviews adds on to the pile of good advance word this film has gotten already! Can't wait to check it out!
Hi Harry,
I attended a screening of Walter Salles' "The Motorcycle Diaries" at the AMC Studio 30 in Olathe, Kansas last night; my girlfriend scored a free pass from her parents and I decided that I didn't have anything better to do. I'd go into the layout of the theatre and it's significance to the community but the fact is, it's just one multiplex in an area full of them. We arrived early, and I bought an expensive soda and some Sour Jacks after getting molest... errr.. wanded by security. Maybe it's just me, but the film industry is in a pretty sad state if they're not allowing camera phones into theaters. I'm PRETTY sure those things take thumbnail sized photos (and only from close range) at about 72 dpi. Real high quality stuff. (Perhaps they should be more worried about the fact that the phones RING while I'm trying to watch a movie. Perhaps not.) Unfortunately, I also had to listen to all the "regulars" who eat up free movie screenings as they discussed their boring opinions in great detail. At about this time I discovered that yellow sour Jack's taste about as shitty as every OTHER lemon flavored candy in existence. There you go, my obligatory set-up paragraph to annoy the talk-backers.
Now, my knowledge of "El Che" Guevara is limited to his image on the shirts of countless wannabe "revolutionary" rich, white boys from Johnson County. (I'm a below the poverty level, post-collegiate, struggling-artist white boy. I just live in Johnson County for the insurance break.) I didn't know what to expect, as I was under the impression that Benicio Del Toro was working on a Che biopic of his own. The invite mentioned only that this movie was about the events in Ernesto Guevara's life that lead up to his becoming El Che.
Essentially, this involved a road-trip. (Bob hope was nowhere to be seen.) Guevara and his best friend, soon to be 30 Alberto Granado, organize a long journey through South America on a rickety motorbike, dubbed "The Mighty One." The movie is based on the book of the same name, which is a collection of Guevara's journal entries during the trip. The idea is that Ernesto and Alberto will end their journey on the day Alberto turns 30. Most of the humor (and there's a lot of it) is based around the issues (and many other things) they run into with their motorbike. Both were medical students, and when they embark on their journey, Guevara apparently only had a semester of schooling left. (There are several jokes with their status as "doctors" as the setup.) Along the way, they plan on meeting with a respected doctor and also have an extended stay at a colony for the care of lepers. (I should also mention that Guevara was apparently a lifelong sufferer of Asthma. It's a lot worse than it sounds.) Guevara and Granado begin with youthful idealism, but it's evident fairly early that Che is the more serious of the two. He's portrayed as painfully honest, sensitive and compassionate. There are several events involving migrant workers which begin to open Guevara's eye's to the plight of the working class. To be honest, I found this to be the most under-developed portion of the movie. I think the script needed a bit more of that in order to drive home what exactly made 'Ernesto' into 'Che'.
Still, for the most part, I was really impressed. The guy who played Guevara brought a lot to the role, and made you believe that he had decided what he needed to do with his life, even if the movie doesn't QUITE back him up. (I've only seen him once before, in Y Tu Mama Tambien; he's grown a lot.) I'm far too lazy to go to the imdb to check on either name, but the actor who played his friend seemed really natural too. He was the "gimli" of this movie, and could easily have become a tired joke, but he manages to seem funny and at the same time believable as a caring human being. I have a general rule that if I can pick out symbolism in a movie, it's probably too obvious. There's a scene towards the end where Guevara swims a river and it just screams "baptism" or "threshold being crossed." Joseph Campbell would have been proud. (Seriously, it was a bit much.) The cinematography was amazing throughout the movie. (I can give it without hesitation an unqualified rave... not least because they managed to film Machu Picchu without a single tourist stumbling through the frame.)
I suppose the best compliment I can pay this film is that it made me a bit more interested in Che Guevara (I googled his name after I got home) and also made me feel as though I've accomplished nothing in my 26 years on this earth. I may be starting a revolution soon... I'll keep you posted. Certainly, I find a movie that explains Che's motivations for becoming a revolutionary to be more interesting than a movie about Che AS a revolutionary. (No offense Benicio.) It leaves room for a lot of humor, and also allows the public to get to know Che as a person... before he becomes a "Figure." All in all, very touching, very funny, and probably educational as well. For a film about a controversial political figure who's death is still a bit mysterious, this is saying a lot. Pay to see it. Or, download it. See if I care. Studio plants aren't really affected by your rampant piracy. Bastards.
Regards,
Staff Sergeant X
