Get the Gringo (AKA “How I Spent My Summer Vacation”) (2012) ***

There once was a time when Mel Gibson was a Golden Boy: young, handsome, faithfully married with a large family, and the apotheosis of conservative values in an otherwise Liberal Hollywood landscape. He was the guy Hollywood could point to and say, “Look. We aren't all a bunch of degenerates.”

It's been a long time since those days. Gibson is now the guy infamous for an anti-Semitic rant during his drunk-driving arrest. He cheated on his wife, fathering an illegitimate child, and is now divorced. He isn't young and beautiful anymore, either. Now his face is craggy and world-weary. Now he's another degenerate.

He's also a better actor now. As I discussed in the entry for the movie "Payback Straight Up: The Director's Cut", Gibson's tarnished status has freed him to take roles and do things that he couldn't do as a Golden Boy. Like play a true, gritty criminal.

In “Get the Gringo,” Gibson plays an unnamed criminal who steals from other crooks and lands  in a very gritty, Mexican prison called "El Pueblito.” The prison is truly a little town, where inmates' families are allowed to come and go, bringing them all sorts of contraband. Some prisoners are even allowed furloughs, including the drug-lord, Javi, who rules “El Pueblito.” Gibson's character has to use all of his skills to survive in this world, while figuring out how to escape and get his money back.

“Get the Gringo” isn't by any means a classic, but it's a decent-enough crime-thriller. The movie gets its story told in about 90 minutes, which is way more efficient than most films today. The scenes are taut and terse, and the film doesn't waste much energy on sentimentality. Gibson's character is a hard guy with a decent side, but the film doesn't beat us over the head with that; they just let him do his thing. The movie went straight to video-on-demand here in the U.S., but it is tighter and more entertaining than most of the films that get cinematic releases.

3 stars out of 5

Dodgeball (A True Underdog Story) 2004 ***1.2

Looking for a hilarious movie that won't change your life, but might make your night? “Dodgeball” could be your medicine. The movie features a rogue's-list of comedy stars and character actors from the 20-oughts, including stars from comedy classics like “Office Space,” “Zoolander,” and “Arrested Development.”

Vince Vaughn plays Peter, the like-able, easygoing owner of “Average Joe's”, a struggling gym. He can't bring himself to demand payment from his members, so it shouldn't come as a surprise when the bank shows up to foreclose on the place. Fortunately for Peter, the bank's representative is the impossibly-cute Kate (Christine Taylor). Kate is actually sympathetic to Peter's plight but can only do so much to help Peter. The bank has a ready buyer for the property, White Goodman (Ben Stiller), the intense, mullet-sporting owner of a competing gym. Facing the loss of their beloved gym, Peter and his friends enter a dodgeball tournament with a $50,000 prize, just enough to pay Peter's delinquent debts.

“Dodgeball” has an absolute blast with its “Bad News Bears” premise, with a combination of clever writing and a stellar cast. Supporting players include Rip Torn, as a crusty old dodgeball coach, Alan Tudyk (who played Wash on “Firefly”), and Stephen Root (an amazing chameleon of an actor who played Milton in 1999's “Office Space”). Vince Vaughn and Christine Taylor basically play straight-men ably enough, but it is Ben Stiller who really makes the movie. He fully commits to his goofy, mulleted character to hilarious effect.

“Dodgeball” doesn't break any new ground in comedy or explore anything deep. It just has a great time and invites you to do the same.

3.5 stars out of 5