Protraph Lack of good storyline.

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

wintermancer Here we have a completely lopsided documentary starring Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and of course Oliver Stone as the on-camera host. It was nice to see Oliver sitting and talking to the all the major players of South America and Cuba. But so what? Stone implies that because Fox News is a completely transparent propaganda machine that Hugo is not a dictator but a misunderstood hero of the continuing Bolivarian and communist revolutions. At least he is right about Fox news. He seems to get almost every other fact about Chavez and Morales wrong. To make Chavez shine like a new penny, Stone includes interviews with Christina and Lula. Pure farce.I was hoping to learn something about Chavez and Venezuela, something that might change my opinion. I wanted to learn about the irrevocable changes to the political system there. But what I got was a pathetic excuse for Stone to schmooze with various heads of states as he toured South America as the other kind of American.This is a terrible, self-serving documentary that has no place in an intelligent discussion of Chavez. There is no journalism here, no fairness, and nothing to learn. Just a puzzle and perhaps the end of a career for Stone.

Michael_Elliott South of the Border (2009) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Director Oliver Stone certainly isn't shy when it comes to controversial subjects but at the same time I'm really not sure he's the one you'd want to deliver a documentary. In this film he travels to five countries in order to tell the American people that the media is evil, George Bush is nothing more than Hitler and that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is one of the greatest men on the planet. Look, I don't know how much truth is in this film and let's pretend that every second in the 78-minute running time is nothing but the truth. That's fine but I have a hard time believing anything here because Stone clearly didn't set out to make a documentary but instead he wanted to give his political point of view without any other opinions coming in. I was a little surprised by the short running time but I guess that should be expected because we never hear from the "other side" and instead we just hear from the main guys as they tell us why they're so great and why the American media wants to paint them as monsters. Again, I'm perfectly fine in someone telling me that these guys are angels but at the same time I want to hear from those who are trying to paint a different picture. Stone clearly wants this film to be a love story to Chavez, Luis Inacio Lula de Silva, Evo Morales, Fernando Lugo and Rafael Correa. He interviews all of these people and they tell us all the great things they've done and inform us (again) that the American media has them all wrong. The film spends plenty of time telling us why Bush is evil and we hear why the American people are simply being fed lies and are too stupid to figure anything out on their own. SOUTH OF THE BORDER is a decent movie and I must admit I had a good time watching Stone interview these people. Again, perhaps everything said here is true but I still want to hear from the other side. I also have a hard time with any documentary that tries to show the subjects to be "down to Earth" by having them do childish things. This includes a scene where Stone directs Chavez to ride a bike like a kid and another scene where he plays soccer.

Crveni Krst Hugo Chavez is by all means an interesting figure in today's politics. As a matter of fact, I began to like his shameless "in your face" attitude, mostly uncommon in today's decadent global relations, and his quite magnetic charisma. You will notice Chavez whether You like him or not. Anyhow, after seeing "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" which thrilled me, and the previous Stone's documentary dealing with South American issues "Comandante", indeed I expected "South Of The Border" to be an exciting yet profound content. It wasn't really.I did like the documentary, no doubt about that, still, it lacks depth and structural analysis of something that presents much more than a certain politician's biography and the surrounding he's creating. Stone obviously had intended to criticize the American capitalist system of global domination, and show Chavez together with other Latin American leaders as an alternative. Yes, the critic is quite direct, although a feeling remains that the whole concept is made to be superficial, in order to bring the film to a wider public with lower cognitive capacities. I know, it's all about profit, but still, a documentary is supposed to be about the essence, is it not? The whole story line and the narration make the story predictable, it sounds partial, whereas way too much material was taken from "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". Sometimes it seems Stone had made nothing more than a paraphrase of things already shown and told. The biggest disappointment though is the end, with the classic Obama cliché and the "New yadiyadada Hope" story which by now makes me wanna take a bucket and throw it all out.In short, I did like "South Of The Border", yet the expectations were much bigger though. Sorry Oliver, you could have done a far better job.

LWagada Saw the film at the premiere in NYC; A Q&A with Mr. Stone, Tariq Ali, the producer, and a professor on LA affairs followed. All in all an important piece touching upon many key aspects of how the leftist rise in Latin America is a direct and cohesive response to the suffering brought on by decades of neoliberalism. The film is basically an overview of the democratic leftist rise in Latin America in the past decade. The leaders speak for themselves through interviews with Stone affording somewhat of a personal look at who they are. It is certainly refreshing to listen to these leaders speak candidly and authentically about the global economy and the state of their respective countries. Free from the restraints of lobbyists or corporate interests, these leaders come off genuinely passionate about the welfare of the people first. Chavez makes reference in the film expressing hope that such a leader could one day emerge in the U.S. in the mold of an FDR type. Stone captures the way these leaders care for each others well-being, as well as a desire for regional unity and cooperation, an encouraging sign for the future. Lula's segment was especially brilliant - he is decades ahead of his time. A number of Venezuelan, and other S.American nationals were in attendance at the screening, and many voiced their sincere thanks to Mr. Stone for backing a project that simply illustrates the truth of what these leaders stand for - a more inclusive and unified road to development in Latin America. I urge all of you that feel the need to relentlessly bash Stone, socialism, and these leaders to put your own psychological dysfunctions aside and look at facts. It's not even all that necessary for you to think critically, just address fact. Latin America suffered under extreme poverty before these leaders, and there is no instantaneous solution. A relentless resistance has thwarted the movement at every turn, as these leaders attempt to move independently of IMF led development strategy. There is no question that Chavez has an uncomfortable and often autocratic style, but he is surely not a dictator in his actual governance. Chavez will not compromise, and will not put on a mask, an it is precisely this which has elevated other nations in the region to follow suit. These leaders withstand unfathomable international pressure, and they deserve all the credit in the world for what they have done in less than a decade in terms of socialist development. The fact that Mr. Stone has attempted to bring these truths to a larger U.S. audience is necessary and timely. It is a wonderful introduction intended for a U.S. audience who is largely misled about what his happening "South of the Border." Excellent work