Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, the acclaimed duo from Y Tu Mama Tambien, are back together in Hulu’s new series, La Máquina. While their reunion might excite fans, the show takes a sharp turn from their coming-of-age drama, plunging into the gritty world of boxing and personal turmoil. For parents considering watching La Máquina or allowing older children to view it, understanding its content is crucial. Is La Máquina another Rocky-style feel-good sports story, or does it lean closer to the anxiety-inducing intensity of something like Uncut Gems? Let’s delve into what parents need to know.
Far from the inspirational spirit of the Rocky saga, La Máquina presents a more claustrophobic and morally ambiguous narrative within the boxing scene. This miniseries, rated TV-MA, doesn’t shy away from exploring mature themes, hinting at the political undertones often found in Garcia Bernal and Luna’s work. However, instead of grand political statements, La Máquina focuses on the corruption, deceit, and personal disasters within the sporting world. The backdrop is a stage for two friends battling to regain control of their lives and legacies as past decisions come back to haunt them.
La Máquina: More Uncut Gems Than Rocky in Its Approach
While Rocky movies often glorify their characters and champion the idea of achieving stardom through sheer resilience, La Máquina inverts this trope. Esteban “La Máquina” Osuna, played by Gael Garcia Bernal, is presented as deeply flawed and human. Behind the carefully crafted image by his promoter Andy (Diego Luna), Esteban is grappling with very real, very normal problems. He is not a superhero, but a man wrestling with addiction, the terrifying long-term effects of his boxing career, and the crushing realization that he may never have truly been in control of his own destiny.
La Máquina ventures into uncomfortable territory, echoing the moral dilemmas found in Uncut Gems. It poses a stark question: What do you do when faced not just with the idea of compromising your integrity, but with the stark realization that your soul might have already been sold without your knowledge? The boxing element, while central, takes a backseat to the broader exploration of this existential crisis. Like a tense boxing match, the narrative delivers powerful blows, mixes in moments of hope, and keeps viewers engaged with its dramatic punches. The series excels in portraying Esteban and Andy’s desperate attempts to regain control as their lives spiral, searching for solutions neither seems willing to fully embrace.
The miniseries blends elements of Shakespearean tragedy, complete with morally questionable characters, with the melodrama of a Mexican telenovela, and a dash of the high-stakes anxiety of Uncut Gems. Gael Garcia Bernal’s portrayal of the aging boxer places him at the center of a storm of unfortunate events – hidden secrets, the looming threat of CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) and its devastating symptoms, and the menacing presence of organized crime, all threatening to dismantle his life and legacy. For parents considering the mature content, these elements signal a series that deals with heavy themes and may be too intense for younger viewers.
Plot Complexity: A Potential Hurdle for Younger Audiences
La Máquina is not a straightforward narrative. Its plot is dense and ambitious, sometimes to its detriment. While it raises important issues like the exploitation of boxers and the serious consequences of CTE, these storylines can feel somewhat diluted amidst a flurry of other plot threads. Some potentially significant characters fade into the background, while others emerge unexpectedly, shifting the narrative focus.
The series grapples with being both a tightly focused character study and a sprawling, conceptual narrative. By attempting to balance Esteban and Andy’s individual journeys with broader social commentary, La Máquina occasionally loses its narrative clarity. Certain plot elements can feel distracting, preventing the series from fully building tension towards the climactic fight and the resolution of core themes like corruption, legacy, and mortality. For younger viewers, this complexity might make the series harder to follow and less engaging compared to more streamlined narratives.
There are moments where La Máquina flirts with becoming a psychological exploration of Esteban’s inner turmoil, reminiscent of Heart of Darkness, but this is somewhat undermined by the prominent conspiracy plot. The integration of these disparate elements can feel disjointed, creating a sense of tonal inconsistency. The series struggles slightly with its identity, not fully committing to either a deep dive into Esteban’s psyche or a comprehensive critique of corruption. This shifting focus might be less satisfying for viewers seeking a clear and consistent thematic throughline.
Performance Intensity: Bernal & Luna Deliver Contrasting Excellence
Despite the plot’s occasional muddiness, the performances in La Máquina are a significant draw, particularly the contrasting yet equally compelling portrayals by Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna. Bernal’s performance as Esteban is marked by subtlety and nuance. He effectively subverts the stereotypical image of a boxer, presenting a character who is outwardly unremarkable but inwardly tormented. While hints of volatility surface, Esteban largely appears as an ordinary man burdened by extraordinary pressures. Bernal’s understated portrayal powerfully conveys a man haunted by his past and slowly unraveling under pressure.
Diego Luna, in contrast, delivers a flamboyant and almost theatrical performance as Andy. Visually transformed with prosthetics to suggest cosmetic enhancements, Luna embraces a caricature of a promoter, a peacock-like figure grappling with his own insecurities, symbolized by his fertility issues and dependence on his overbearing mother (Lucía Méndez). This role is a significant departure from Luna’s more understated work in projects like Andor, but it is evident that he relishes the material, delivering a performance that is both entertaining and impactful. The intensity of these performances, while captivating for adult audiences, contributes to the overall mature tone of the series.
Beyond Boxing: Exploring Life, Legacy, and Control
While set in the world of boxing, La Máquina transcends the typical sports drama. Like the best boxing narratives, it incorporates elements of an underdog story, particularly as Esteban fights to reclaim his career at its twilight. The series touches upon themes familiar to the genre, including medical and mental health challenges, and the pervasive influence of the criminal underworld. However, La Máquina adopts a more contemporary and critical perspective, moving beyond the ring to explore deeper issues.
Rocky and Creed often romanticize boxing, portraying the ring as a sacred arena. La Máquina sharply deviates from this, depicting boxing as a world populated by flawed individuals and questionable ethics. The series challenges the glorified image of boxing, presenting a more realistic and less romanticized view of the sport and the media circus surrounding it. This unflinching portrayal contributes to the show’s mature themes and might be unsettling for younger or more sensitive viewers.
Ultimately, La Máquina is less about boxing itself and more about the characters’ struggles with their past choices and the pressures exerted by parental figures – an absent father in Esteban’s case and an overbearing mother in Andy’s. The actors themselves have noted the parallels between the series’ themes and their own careers, particularly the focus on performance, control, and the weight of expectations. The series functions as a commentary on both the boxing world and, perhaps surprisingly, the acting profession itself.
While La Máquina has moments of brilliance, its narrative inconsistencies and shifts in tone can be somewhat disappointing. The series occasionally loses focus on its most compelling ideas in favor of more conventional plot developments. This is evident in the storyline of Irasema (Eiza González), Esteban’s ex-wife and an investigative journalist, who initially threatens to expose the dark side of boxing with revelations about CTE, but whose storyline becomes somewhat diluted as the series progresses.
What begins as a potentially somber reflection on the physical and personal costs of Esteban’s career and a critique of those who exploit athletes, evolves into a more sprawling, albeit less focused, tale of broader corruption. Irasema, initially presented as a key figure, ultimately becomes a pawn in a larger game. La Máquina, in the end, feels slightly overextended, tackling too many thematic opponents simultaneously. While it may not reach the level of greatness due to these narrative shortcomings, it remains an engaging series that attempts to subvert genre expectations.
Parental Guidance Verdict: La Máquina, with its TV-MA rating, is clearly intended for mature audiences. Its exploration of corruption, addiction, violence, and complex moral dilemmas, combined with intense performances and a sometimes convoluted plot, makes it unsuitable for younger viewers. While it shares thematic intensity with Uncut Gems, it carves its own path in exploring the darker side of ambition and control within the boxing world. Parents seeking a gritty, thought-provoking drama with strong performances may find La Máquina compelling, but should be aware of its mature content and complexity before watching themselves or allowing older teenagers to view it.
All 6 episodes of La Máquina are available for streaming on Hulu.
