Mexico 86 Parent Guide

Martín De La Torre (Diego Luna) is trapped in a thankless job and a loveless marriage, but his ambition and passion for football won’t allow him to stay stuck for long. When Colombia is forced to withdraw from hosting the 1986 World Cup, De La Torre sees his opportunity to bring the competition to Mexico and further his career in the process. With a mix of tenacity, passion, and a tendency to bend the truth, De La Torre soon finds himself in the middle of a whirlwind campaign against the Americans, with national pride on the line. 

As someone who is not into any sports at all, I had never heard about the Mexico 1986 World Cup and the story surrounding it. I’m sure football/soccer fans are already familiar, but it was all new to me. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s all that interesting of a story, at least not enough to stretch to 90 minutes. Assuming this is a somewhat faithful portrayal of Martín De La Torre, he seems like an interesting figure, and Diego Luna does a fantastic job in the lead role, but there isn’t enough meat on the story to justify a full-length film. I was bored, and it’s not because I don’t like sports. In fact, there is very little game play as the story revolves around the politics surrounding the event, not the tournament itself. 

My personal boredom aside, Mexico 86 is a well-made film with decent production values. I already mentioned Luna’s fantastic performance, and the other actors around him are just as good. The costumes and hair perfectly capture the mid-80s, as does the set design. Some archival footage is mixed into the film, which I found to be a fun addition since I’m not old enough to remember the era. 

So, while this isn’t a bad movie by any stretch, it’s not terribly interesting and doesn’t have much to say. With high amounts of swearing and drinking, Mexico 86 is not a good choice for most audiences. Perhaps people with more of a stake in either football or Mexico will enjoy this film more than I did, but if you don’t fit into either of those groups you should give it a pass. If you are going to give it a try, stick to the original Spanish with subtitles; the English dub is atrocious. Why they didn’t get Diego Luna (who is fluent in English) to do his own dub I’ll never understand. Unfortunately, great performances and high production values aren’t enough to score a goal.