
Most critics respond warmly to Y Tu Mamá También, praising a frank, funny road film that gives teenage desire more serious attention than the usual sex comedy. The praise centres on Cuarón’s loose, assured direction, the performances and a narrator who draws attention to Mexican class divisions beyond the travellers’ immediate concerns. The reviews also value its challenge to machismo and the melancholy beneath its restless energy. RogerEbert.com singles out Maribel Verdú as the performance that drives the story.
The differences concern how fully those elements work together, with responses ranging from enthusiastic praise to qualified approval rather than outright rejection. Slant Magazine admires the sexual playfulness but finds that the sexual and political threads do not connect deeply enough. Eye for Film praises the leads’ energy while finding that the journey eventually loses direction. The broader consensus, however, sees the social observations as a substantial part of the film’s appeal.
G
The Guardian
12 April 2002 · Peter Bradshaw
90*
The critic praises this outrageously sexed-up road movie for its frank, unapologetic treatment of sex, death and social realities alongside strong performances and stylish direction. It is called an exhilarating adventure in narrative, eroticism and social commentary.
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Sight and Sound
· Paul Julian Smith
85*
Cuarón's smart and sexy road movie marks a new moment in Mexican cinema with its loose technique, subtle politics and coming-of-age story that has universal appeal. The film revises models of gender and national identity through graphic yet pointed scenes and a Godard-inspired voiceover.
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The Independent
13 April 2002 · J. Romney
85*
The critic hails it as the most sophisticated and lyrical teen sex comedy ever made. The road-trip story of two boys and an older woman is praised for its frank sexuality, omniscient narration revealing Mexico's social realities, and strong performances that add depth and melancholy.
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The AV Club
29 March 2002 · Scott Tobias
80*
The critic calls the film inspired and exhilarating, praising its spontaneous energy, lively road-trip vibe, and Cuarón's assured direction that blends raunchy teen adventures with subtle social observations.
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Time Out
1 November 2013 · TCh
80*
The frank, uninhibited sex is refreshing, funny and true, while the film also delivers a trenchant portrait of Mexico's vast social and cultural disparities. Luisa takes the metaphorical driving seat in this road movie that subverts machismo.
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Slant Magazine
2 October 2001 · Ed Gonzalez
70*
The critic describes the film as a playful, raunchier Mexican take on Jules and Jim, praising its celebration of teen lust and queer undertones while noting that its sexual and political threads do not mesh deeply enough.
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Radio Times
★★★ · Andrew Collins
60
More than a foreign-language version of American Pie, the film shows sex in all its greedy, awkward teenage haste and uses a deadpan narrator to highlight Mexico's economic rifts. It is not quite in the league of Amores Perros but led to bigger things for Cuarón.
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Empire
12 April 2001 · William Thomas
The review describes it as a sexy, funny road movie and coming-of-age tale that was a big success in Mexico and at the London Film Festival. It singles out the spot-on performances and Cuarón's use of gorgeous locations for praise.
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Los Angeles Times
15 March 2002 · Kenneth Turan
The film is a sophisticated road movie that is outrageously sexual yet unoffensive, managing to be comic, dramatic, erotic, sociological, and political. It is reminiscent of French New Wave classics and praised for its strong characters, humor, and erotic scenes that strike gold with the possibilities of cinema.
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RogerEbert.com
5 April 2002 · Roger Ebert
The film is a road movie about two teenage boys and an older woman on a journey of sexual discovery that also explores the two Mexicos and the fragility of life. It features frank depictions of sex and a parallel narrative about class and poverty, with Maribel Verdú singled out as the standout performance driving the story.
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The New Yorker
11 March 2002 · Anthony Lane
The film begins with sex and ends in death, following two horny teenage boys on a road trip with an older woman that reveals troubled times and personal maturation. It is celebrated for its grave sensuality, Godardian rhythm, and offhand profundity that unearths shards of a broken sublime from the ridiculous.
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The New York Times
15 March 2002 · Elvis Mitchell
The film is a coming-of-age story about two macho teenagers whose lives change after a road trip with an older woman, subverting expectations of the teenage sex comedy genre. It is praised for its quicksilver fluidity, frank sexuality, and devastating final moments that leave the characters and audience altered.
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Eye for Film
20 January 2002 · Angus Wolfe Murray
70*
The film is a road trip of self-discovery for two oversexed teenage boys and an older woman with a darker secret, delivering energy and verve through its lead performances but losing direction once they reach the beach.
Read the full review →Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate