Everyone knows MTV's dirty little secret for success. Most networks rely on producing quality programming in order to keep viewers tuned to their channel. But MTV doesn't have to worry. The fact is, there are many people who watch MTV because they hate it and want to make fun of the people on it.
With that said, this formula returns in their first major "reality film" (it doesn't deserve the title "documentary"), "The Real Cancun." It is not easy to watch without making snide remarks and painful sounds of agony.
The main selling point to this film is that it's "uncensored." The film tagline states it is rated "extra R" for strong sexual content and drug use. This is supposed to be a draw for people - mainly students - to see the movie live vicariously through the rag-tag bunch of kids on spring break in Cancun and experience secondhand all of the rumored spring break debauchery.
But it is not a full length "Girls Gone Wild." The drug use is limited to alcohol and cigarettes, the latter of which is featured rarely. Of course, anyone who has went down south to spring break knows students use a lot more than that.
Yet, the lack of drugs is okay because of the sex right? Nope. There is probably a total of five minutes of nudity in a film that is stretched over an hour and a half. There are a few wet T-shirt contests, and a scene featuring two lumps moving around under a blanket in grainy black-and-white film, when the "characters" got busy. Thus, the two reasons to see this film are really not present.
But wait - there are also actual people and events in this film. This is where "The Real Cancun" becomes unbearable. As stated earlier, sometimes viewers just want to make fun of the people for being so shallow and egotistical in their affairs. The problem is, this does not translate into film. It is an experience more suitable for television.
In "The Real Cancun," MTV got together a group of 16 different people from different backgrounds, and just like in a fictional film, everything they set up ends up happening.
For instance, there is a character named Alan who actually doesn't drink. When pressed for a reason he says, "I've just never done. No reason to start now."
The proof of his confession comes a little bit later in the film when he takes his first shot. Alan is like Will Ferrell in "Old School," except instead of being funny, he is just painfully dorky and sloppy. He spends his whole time sober and trying to get laid.
The rest of the cast have their little subplots, but they represent pretty standard, "Real World" material - guy tries to get girl into bed, she plays hard to get, they have sex, the girl gets mad, a big fight ensues, and then they are better friends than they were before.
This happens about three times in "The Real Cancun." Everything is social politics, tame drinking and clubbing. But any students who have been on spring break will easily realize it is more fun to be there than to watch this movie.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
