I was looking for a movie to watch the other night. Something happy, something funny, preferably something on Netflix. And I came across Road to El Dorado, a movie that I hadn't seen in forever but remembered loving. I just couldn't remember why. A story of two con men looking for the city of gold already sounds like it could be entertaining, but I was quickly reminded it was more than that.
From the growth of two best friends to learning that gold isn't everything, the fact that such a movie is so under appreciated and unremembered by everyone amazes me. Here's just a few of the reasons why you should take the time to rewatch this movie this summer, or maybe even watch it for the first time.
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Miguel and Tulio, the two con men, are hilarious from the start. There's jokes for your inner child and there's dirtier jokes that we all probably missed when we were younger. And when you throw Chel into the mix, hilarity ensues because she is a woman on a mission.
Speaking of Chel, she's reason alone to watch this movie. She knows what she wants, she has no shame, and she is even the one that initiates her relationship with Tulio. Talk about an amazing character that they actually took time to develop well instead of leaving her to be a damsel in distress. Without her, Miguel and Tulio would have been floundering a lot more during their stay in El Dorado.
And between the three of them, we can see how hard friendship can be. People aren't always after the same thing no matter how close they, and they have to figure out how to deal with that. They might be on the same page, but relying on each other like they do requires an understanding of themselves first. Their friendship is something we can all relate to.
Of course, they also have their animal sidekick to make things even better. Altivo, a wonderful white horse, has to try to keep up with their adventures and gets to enjoy the life of a god with Miguel and Tulio all because Miguel realized he was smart enough to let them out of prison. Admittedly, it wasn't the pry bar Miguel had asked for, but keys to the cell worked just as well for getting out.
Plus, they have a great soundtrack to accompany the whole adventure. Elton John and Tim Rice did an amazing job putting music to the ridiculousness that is the Road to El Dorado. One or the other wouldn't have worked as well on their own for this movie, so both is definitely good in this case.
I couldn't have asked for a better way to occupy my time that night, and I couldn't cover how amazing it was in just this article. The Road to El Dorado is far from being appreciated enough, and a rewatch should be in the future for all of us to appreciate Miguel and Tulio's ridiculous ideas this summer.
