Mexican Boarders (1962)

Excellent but underrated film

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

. . . Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes version of A-Rod, "Slowpoke Rodriguez," says during MEX!CAN BOARDERS of his drug abuse enabler Bud Selig (played here by Sylvester Cat). "He's nice and stupid," A-Rod\Slowpoke adds. I viewed BOARDERS for the first time the day that Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez announced his firing by the New York Yankees. Warner's uncannily accurate prognosticators draw Slow-Poke as a dead-ringer for his future namesake, right down to the drug-addled "Who, me?!" dazed and confused look which graced so many A-Rod interviews. When Slow-Poke demands that his cousin Speedy Gonzalez smuggle him some Tabasco Sauce to go with Speedy's welcoming stack of cheese (representing the Yankees' two hundred million bucks of A-Rod salary), my close-captioning scroll read "A-Rod's steroids--get it?" (if my Spanish did not fail me). The consensus among baseball experts is that A-Rod MIGHT have hit 399 career Dingers without the aid of illegal drugs. The over\under among Social Epidemologists about how many American Youths succumbed to "juice" overdoses (often via premature heart attacks), 'Roid Rage (often disguised as Suicide-by-Cop), and excess-testosterone induced rape slayings due to Selig's craven caving in to let the outlaw "Role Model" Slow-Poke Rodriguez enjoy his ill-gotten loot and records is 18,000 dead kids.

Mexican Boarders is perhaps a little too short, a little leisurely in the pacing and a little too slight in the story department. However, it is one of the better Speedy cartoons, as it is pretty funny. And I have to say the animation is an improvement over other Speedy cartoons, it is much more thought-out in the backgrounds and colours, and the music is good too, there have been times I have found it too repetitive and annoying, but it was good and authentic here. The dialogue is funny and the sight gags are clever. Speedy is less abrasive here than he has been, which is a good thing, while Slowpoke Rodriguez is an amusing supporting character, but it is Sylvester who steals the show. As always, Mel Blanc's voice work is outstanding. Overall, entertaining and worthwhile, not really a classic but it is an improvement over other Speedy cartoons. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This short sees Speedy Gonzales living in a fancy hacienda, a house he shares with Sylvester the cat who is constantly trying and failing to catch him. Sylvester thinks his mouse catching luck is about to change when Speedy's cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez comes to visit. Slowpoke seems to be constantly hungry and want to raid the fridge but Speedy realising the danger goes instead. When he returns with a pile of cheese Slowpoke is upset at the lack of Tabasco sauce so he makes another trip and is caught in Sylvester's glue trap on his return journey. Sylvester's joy at finally capturing Speedy is short lived however as just as he is about to eat him Speedy empties the Tabasco bottle into his mouth with painful results.Unfortunately this wasn't as funny as Slowpoke's introduction in "Mexicali Schmoes", there he was only in for a few seconds but ended the episode with a bang, literally, but here he is just slow and his final victory over Sylvester isn't as funny, also Sylvester isn't as funny as Manuel and Jose were. It isn't a bad cartoon, I just don't think it was a classic.

Usually, I don't think about whether or not extreme velocity runs in Speedy Gonzales's family. If so, it must not affect everyone, as his cousin Slowpoke Rodriguez is the most unhurried mouse in Mexico. But that gives "Mexican Boarders" an interesting aspect. In this cartoon, Speedy lives in the same house as Sylvester. As the most accelerated rodent in the United Mexican States, Speedy naturally never has to worry about Sylvester catching him (especially since Sylvester apparently suffers from listlessness).Anyway, one day there arrives Slowpoke, who has even less energy than Sylvester. But Slowpoke is desperately hungry, and only Speedy can get the food. I shouldn't have to tell you what Speedy does to Sylvester, but I will say that one trick involves Tabasco sauce! The lackadaisical Slowpoke is certainly an eye-opening counterbalance to the expeditious Speedy, and he eventually plays a bigger role than we assumed. He even sings "La cucaracha" and includes the line "marijuana que fumar"! So I like this cartoon.And yes, Sylvester is kind of stupid. Unfortunately, dictators get stupid people to carry out their evil deeds (of course, I'm not comparing Speedy and relatives to despots).