Yucatan

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Yucatan
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Yucatan is a Spanish comedy (with English subtitles) about several competing scam artists working a cruise ship to target unsuspecting wealthy passengers, and creating elaborate ruses to part them from their money. Staged events that include dramatized but fake violence feature bloody chainsaw attacks, played for comedy. As part of a con, a fake Russian roulette game is set up with men shooting supposedly-loaded guns at their own heads. A gay man worries about having to have sex with a straight woman he's married for money. Adults smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol, and language includes "f--k," "s--t," and "f-ggot."
Community Reviews
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
In YUCATAN, cruise ship pianist Clayderman (Rodrigo De la Serna) and his paramour singer and dancer Veronica (Stephanie Cayo) make a nice living creating admirably crafty and intricate schemes to charmingly defraud wealthy vacationing passengers. On this particular voyage, they spot several worthy options, including Antonio (Joan Pero), a humble baker who just won 160 million Euros in the lottery. It's bad enough that Antonio's leaching sons-in-law are panting in anticipation of inheriting after the old guy dies. But they are no match for Clayderman and his crew. Clayderman's old partner-in-crime, and Veronica's ex, Lucas (Luis Tosar), shows up on board as a rival for the loot, masquerading as a grieving widower with a dying child, working to gain Antonio's sympathy and a major donation. These warring factions create situations that include a spur-of-the moment wedding between Antonio's youngest daughter, Leticia (Alicia Fernandez), and a gay dancer in Veronica's floor show, several kidnappings, mock violence featuring chain saws and fake severed limbs, and a budding romance between Antonio and a middle-aged woman who isn't what she seems. Antonio, sniffing out the various frauds and disgusted by what money does to people, vows to divest himself of the money that seems to be causing so many problems. He enlists Clayderman, Lucas, and their teams to achieve that goal without letting his daughters and sons-in-law know. The story begins with the advisory that lottery winners and their winnings are cursed. The ending confirms that premise.
Is It Any Good?
This movie is fun and inventive, sharing much in common with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Lady Eve, Fargo, and The Sting, other successful con-game comedies. Language and especially the violence, even the mock kind, make this more appropriate for teens, who may enjoy the crude language and frenetic comic acting designed to underscore the many personal and business conflicts that arise among the frustrated criminals whose multiple plans are repeatedly thwarted. At timesYucatan explodes into cartoonish exaggeration, but fans of such over-the-top fare will probably be amused.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how scam artists have to be students of human nature in order to be successful at their work. In what ways does Yucatan show how human failings, like greed, jealousy, and envy, make people easy marks for financial predators?
Did you root for the criminals or the victims? Why?
How does the movie take sides? What do the filmmakers do to make the criminals seem more charming and intelligent than most of their victims?
Movie Details
- In theaters: August 31, 2018
- On DVD or streaming: February 15, 2019
- Cast: Rodrigo De la Serna, Luis Tosar, Joan Pera, Stephanie Cayo
- Director: Danierl Monzon
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 129 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 27, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love to laugh
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate