Two teenage boys, whose girlfriends are on vacation in Europe, embark on a road trip with an older woman in the hope of getting laid.

A smart and surprising little odyssey, Y Tu Mamá También manages to include plenty of eager copulation while it investigates the themes of identity, trust, destiny, and the ways in which all of these things are hopelessly entwined. The film also reveals how changeable it all is, this darned shifting reality, weaving together hilarious observations on male friendship and female wisdom with a purposely jarring, third-person voice over.

It’s nearly impossible to make a meaningful erotic movie in any language. First of all, the act itself can be pretty comical when viewed by a third party. Laughter tends to undercut emotional depth, unless the director is of Billy-Wilder-caliber, and though the people involved in the eternal clinch onscreen are no doubt having fun, it’s hard not to feel left out from any distance. If the moviemaker succeeds pornographically, appealing to the prurient interests of a sizeable portion of the audience, then the humping tends to stop the show in its tracks. Better to fade out as things are getting hot, let the audience fill in the blanks, and get on with the story, if you have one. (more…)