Review: ‘Mexico ’86’ Scores with Charm & National Pride, But Misses the Ultimate Goal
With the World Cup in full gear, México 86 is a timely release on Netflix. On its surface, this is a story about Mexico’s chaotic and unconventional bid to host the 1986 World Cup, and the mess that led up to the tournament. However, at its core the film is a hustler romance about ambition, deception, and national pride that uses this historical event as scaffolding to create memorable characters. While the movie suffers from flawed characterization and tonal overextension, it offers enough for soccer and drama fans alike.
México 86 follows Mexican Football Federation bureaucrat Martin De La Torre (Diego Luna) and his quest for glory. He wants to elevate Mexico, its soccer team, its people, and consequently himself. However, there are a few things that hold Martin back from seizing that greatness. His set-in-his-ways boss lacks initiative, his marriage is full of resentment and spite, his mistress is seeing other men, and Mexico’s soccer team is in pitiful shape. Everything changes when Colombia announces that it will be unable to host the 1986 World Cup due to the political turmoil the country is facing. Seeing his boss’s complacency and the opportunity this opens for Mexico, Martin decides that he’s had enough and calls in a favor with his friend at a news station.
Martin, riding a wave of pure confidence and willpower, calls out his boss on live TV and later convinces the head of Televisa (Emilio Azcárraga Milmo played by Daniel Giménez Cacho), that if put at the head of the MFF, he could secure Mexico’s bid to host the 1986 World Cup. The cherry on top of this chaotic scramble is that when Martin is told to bring his woman to Switzerland to meet with FIFA, Martin divorces his wife and confesses his love to his mistress Susana (Karla Souza). With Susana at his side and the 1986 World Cup up for grabs, Martin is determined to win recognition for Mexico with charisma, deception, and sheer willpower.
