Just perfect...

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

While "South Of The Border" is an undeniably interesting and occasionally even chilling documentary, especially when it chronicles the results of IMF's involvement in the internal affairs of most Latin American countries (having been kicked off by most of these countries, those glorified loan sharks are now starting to cast their spell over Europe, aided and abetted by the EU's current masochistic worship of "free markets" and disdain for the "social state"; if, as they say, History Repeats Itself, the next few years look especially bleak for all Europeans!), it is just too slight, and way too short, to have the impact that its subject deserves: 78 minutes are not nearly enough for an in-depth analysis of these phenomena. What's more, Oliver Stone spends more than half of those minutes of the Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, leaving far too little time to focus on the other figures he interviews: all of them get short-changed, but I would particularly like to see more of the two Argentinian leaders, Cristina Kirchner (who is one smart babe!) and her husband. Also welcome would have been more interviews with political scientists & professors, as well as simple-everyday people, in place of scenes whose only purpose is to show the leaders' simple-everyday side, such as Chavez riding a bike. Considering the time and effort that Stone invested into making this film, it ultimately comes across as a bit of a missed opportunity, though it's still worth watching. **1/2 out of 4.

Argentinian ex-president Néstor Kirchner's death last month brings to mind his role as one of the progressive leaders who rose to prominence in South America in the early 2000s. Oliver Stone's "South of the Border" looks at this leftward swing.Prior to the release of "South of the Border", I had heard both praise of it and criticism of it, both coming from sources that one would expect. If you know nothing about US policies in Latin America, then the documentary might be a little hard to understand. But this is definitely something that everyone should see. Stone interviews a number of the leftist leaders who rose to power in South America in the early 21st century: Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and Bolivia's Evo Morales, to name a few. The leaders explain how the US had kept Latin American economies beholden to the IMF, and often kept despotic regimes in power to enforce its will. To be certain, Argentina's Cristina Fernández de Kirchner details exactly how the IMF sent Argentina's economy into turmoil.Part of the documentary's focus is on the misleadingly negative portrayal of people like Hugo Chávez in the media (and in particular, how they manipulated footage of the failed 2002 coup against him to make it look as though his supporters attacked protesters).The criticism of the documentary has been that Stone does not interview critics of the leftist leaders. Of course, we have heard mostly criticism of these leaders - of which Stone shows an example from a Fox News talk show - so this documentary IS the alternative view. As Stone also notes, the US ally Colombia always gets a free pass despite its atrocious human rights record. I certainly recommend "South of the Border". And remember: Bush, you are a donkey!

South of the Border (2009) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Director Oliver Stone certainly isn't shy when it comes to controversial subjects but at the same time I'm really not sure he's the one you'd want to deliver a documentary. In this film he travels to five countries in order to tell the American people that the media is evil, George Bush is nothing more than Hitler and that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is one of the greatest men on the planet. Look, I don't know how much truth is in this film and let's pretend that every second in the 78-minute running time is nothing but the truth. That's fine but I have a hard time believing anything here because Stone clearly didn't set out to make a documentary but instead he wanted to give his political point of view without any other opinions coming in. I was a little surprised by the short running time but I guess that should be expected because we never hear from the "other side" and instead we just hear from the main guys as they tell us why they're so great and why the American media wants to paint them as monsters. Again, I'm perfectly fine in someone telling me that these guys are angels but at the same time I want to hear from those who are trying to paint a different picture. Stone clearly wants this film to be a love story to Chavez, Luis Inacio Lula de Silva, Evo Morales, Fernando Lugo and Rafael Correa. He interviews all of these people and they tell us all the great things they've done and inform us (again) that the American media has them all wrong. The film spends plenty of time telling us why Bush is evil and we hear why the American people are simply being fed lies and are too stupid to figure anything out on their own. SOUTH OF THE BORDER is a decent movie and I must admit I had a good time watching Stone interview these people. Again, perhaps everything said here is true but I still want to hear from the other side. I also have a hard time with any documentary that tries to show the subjects to be "down to Earth" by having them do childish things. This includes a scene where Stone directs Chavez to ride a bike like a kid and another scene where he plays soccer.

The Revolution is not being televised. But thanks to Oliver Stone I can see some of it anyway. This film clearly exposes the growing gap between our "news" media and what's really happening in the world. It's not just the lies from the usual Fright Wing suspects; it's the complicity of even our 'alternative' media when even my precious Maddow mouths flippant digs on Hugo Chavez's refusal to allow the renewal of a license of an opposition TV station. She either doesn't know or doesn't care that the station in question makes FOX look rational.What is happening in South and Central America is inspiring and newsworthy. So why do I have to go to a theater to see it? This information should be on 60 Minutes or PBS at the least. And why the shallow critical dismissal from such supposed media luminaries as the NY Times and LA Times, while the mindless pablum that dominates the major theaters is being discussed as if it comprises more than 90 minutes of cinematic wanking? South Of The Border contains real conversations with the men that our corporate owned government is trying to paint as tyrants and petty dictators. They are in fact the duly elected leaders of a revolutionary trend started by Fidel Castro and renewed by Hugo Chavez. They have ousted the empire and proved they can function just fine without our imperialist interventions. They have also disproved the myth of free market solutions for their societal problems. Perhaps this is the reason the official word is no word at all. Socialism is scary, especially when it makes people lives better.This film is one of the few moments of reality you're likely to see on the big screen right now. So catch it, or at least get the DVD.Ignore the critics this time. Better to trust their opinions on who should play the next Hulk than on matters of political relevance.