The Real Cancun
Encyclopedia
The Real Cancun is a 2003 American
reality film
released on April 25, 2003 in the U.S.
Inspired by the reality television
genre, this film followed the lives of sixteen Americans from March 13 - 23, 2003 as they celebrated spring break
in Cancún
, Mexico
and experienced romantic relationships, emotional strife, or just had a good time.
The film was widely considered a box office bomb
and was a nominee
for Worst Picture at the 2003 Golden Raspberry Awards
. However, film director Michael Tully has noted that it's one of the most important films of its decade because of its historical context: the filming overlapped the U.S. invasion of Iraq
. Tully argues that this historical setting makes the film's depiction of young American hedonism "one of the more unintentionally brilliant statements of hypocrisy of the decade" and the film itself "a disturbingly relevant historical document".
However, the film was notable for several reasons. It was released to movie theaters only a month after filming was completed, and was released on DVD and home video only a couple of months after that, marking one of the fastest turnarounds ever from production to theatrical release to home video. The movie is also notable as one of the first American mainstream, major studio releases to show non-simulated sexual intercourse
between "cast members," although nothing explicit is shown on screen. The DVD
release contained additional footage, but the producers chose not to include any explicitly pornographic
images.
The movie took in $3,825,000 domestically and $1,520,000 internationally, coming well short of its $7,500,000 production cost. The initial DVD release that followed was, in turn, followed in 2005 by an extended edition DVD that included extra footage.
Some early media reports suggested that this film was a theatrical spin-off of The Real World
reality series, also produced by Bunim-Murray Productions, but in fact there was no direct link between the two productions.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reality film
Reality film
Reality film or reality movie describes a genre of films that have resulted from reality television, such as The Real Cancun, MTV's film version of The Real World, which was originally titled Spring Break: The Reality Movie...
released on April 25, 2003 in the U.S.
Inspired by the reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
genre, this film followed the lives of sixteen Americans from March 13 - 23, 2003 as they celebrated spring break
Spring break
Spring break – also known as March break, Study week or Reading week in the United Kingdom and some parts of Canada – is a recess in early spring at universities and schools in the United States, Canada, mainland China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the United...
in Cancún
Cancún
Cancún is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO . Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR Cancún is a city of...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and experienced romantic relationships, emotional strife, or just had a good time.
The film was widely considered a box office bomb
Box office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
and was a nominee
Nomination
Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...
for Worst Picture at the 2003 Golden Raspberry Awards
2003 Golden Raspberry Awards
The 24th Golden Raspberry Awards were held on February 28, 2004 at the Sheraton Hotel in Santa Monica, California to recognize the worst the movie industry had to offer in 2003....
. However, film director Michael Tully has noted that it's one of the most important films of its decade because of its historical context: the filming overlapped the U.S. invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. Tully argues that this historical setting makes the film's depiction of young American hedonism "one of the more unintentionally brilliant statements of hypocrisy of the decade" and the film itself "a disturbingly relevant historical document".
However, the film was notable for several reasons. It was released to movie theaters only a month after filming was completed, and was released on DVD and home video only a couple of months after that, marking one of the fastest turnarounds ever from production to theatrical release to home video. The movie is also notable as one of the first American mainstream, major studio releases to show non-simulated sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
between "cast members," although nothing explicit is shown on screen. The DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release contained additional footage, but the producers chose not to include any explicitly pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
images.
The movie took in $3,825,000 domestically and $1,520,000 internationally, coming well short of its $7,500,000 production cost. The initial DVD release that followed was, in turn, followed in 2005 by an extended edition DVD that included extra footage.
Some early media reports suggested that this film was a theatrical spin-off of The Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...
reality series, also produced by Bunim-Murray Productions, but in fact there was no direct link between the two productions.
Cast members
- Benjamin "Fletch" Fletcher
- Nicole Frilot
- Roxanne Frilot
- Brittany Brown-Hart
- David Ingber
- Jeremy Jazwinski
- Michael Scherer
- Amber Madison
- Paul Malbry
- Marquita "Sky" Marshall
- Laura Ramsey
- Matthew Slenske
- Teddy Kaplan
- Alan Taylor
- Heidi Vance
- Casey Weeks
- Joshua Allen
- Sarah Wilkins
- Jorell Washington
- Jonathan Betley