Brad Pitt: 5 More Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

2. Jerry Welbach - The Mexican

The Mexican, directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Brad Pitt alongside Julia Roberts (who actually spend very little time on screen together), is another one of Pitt's movies in which the shortcomings of his performance can be attributed as much to the screenplay as his own rendition of the character. In The Mexican Brad Pitt plays Jerry Welbach, a man on a mission to pick up the titular antique gun after hitting the car of mobster Arnold Margolese. Billed as a romantic comedy star vehicle for Pitt and Roberts, the film is actually anything but, and Pitt's road movie scenes suffer from being tedious, which unfortunately is reflected in his performance, which is perhaps best described as functional. The real star of The Mexican - and the only reason really worth watching what is ultimately a very average movie - is James Gandolfini. His turn as the gay hitman Leroy stands head and shoulders above his A-list co-stars, which is a sad summary of a movie with so much potential on paper.