how 'y tu mama' greatly affected my life...
Glad to see that there's still a decent amount of discussion going on about this movie. I'm from a typical American city, and first some this movie in high school around the time that it came out. This movie really sparked a big interest in Mexico for me. In the summer of 2007, I spent a couple months in a study abroad in a smaller city in Mexico. And, after that, I spent most of 2009 and 2010 living and working in Mexico City.
I recently watched this movie again, and I enjoyed it even more than I ever had, mainly for its very astute observations of Mexican culture.
Even if you grew up in a fairly upper-middle class American city, you still have likely never experienced the lifestyle that the wealthy in Mexico City experience. Having even a little bit of money here can lead to an extremely glamorous life. And there's so much more class-ism in Mexico than there is in America. A fairly large number of the upper-middle class and upper class are openly racist, much more so than I ever experienced in America.
My least favorite thing about Mexico City, hands down, was the "closed-off" nature of the people that I was around (many of whom were wealthier). People in Mexico move around far far less than Americans do. Whereas a typical American young adult might have grown up in one town, moved to another town for college, then another at 22 for their first job, the majority of college graduates in Mexico (especially in the big cities) grow up, study, and work in the same city for their entire lives, and thus, basically roll with the same group of friends for most of their life. People in Mexico generally aren't as interested in making new friends.
The food and weather are great. But for me, the one thing that makes Mexico City stand out are the travel opportunities. Within a six hour drive, the number of both ancient historical sites, beaches, small towns, etc., is unimaginable. The natural beauty of Mexico (especially if you love warm weather and beaches like I do) is absolutely phenomenal. It's pretty great to have a normal day of work on a Friday, and then by 9pm that same night, lounging at a bar on the Acapulco coastline.
To me personally, some of the fondest memories I have in my young life involve exploring the country of Mexico, experiencing natural beauty and amazing year-round weather that I never experienced having spent my life in the midwest. So this movie is a great reminder for me of how happy I was in those times.