I was reminded a great deal of the cheerful tone and style that was evident in the Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster comedy, "Maverick".  Add a sprinkle of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and you are rewarded with this Luc Besson penned screenplay.

After a short opening, displaying the investigative skills of Steve Zahn's character, the film introduces us to Penelope Cruz's Maria playing Tic Tac Toe with her horse in the dirt.  It is one of many scenes in "Bandidas" that harkens the silliness of Laurel & Hardy.  Maria is a small-town Mexican farm girl who confesses that all she really knows about is horses and chickens.  She is a dreamer and an idealist.

Her counterpoint is Salma Hayek's Sara... An educated heiress who has just returned from University in Europe.  She is a thinker and a realist.

When Dwight Yoakam's evil land robber swoops in to take the money and land away from the locals, killing Sara's father and severely injuring Maria's, the girls team up to avenge their people and get the land back.  By robbing the banks owned by the railroading thieves' American investors, the girls cause slapstick havoc across the Mexican landscape.

After getting some 'training' from Sam Shepard's character, which includes a gratuitous push-ups scene in the local stream, the girls feel ready to try some elaborate heists.

None of this is remotely realistic.  At no point will you ever really be able to suspend your disbelief.  This film plays more like a Laurel & Hardy film than anything else.  We are only supposed to enjoy the interaction and comedic timing of these gorgeous babes (best friends in real life -- and it shows) as they pretend to fire guns, splash through any on-hand body of water, blow stuff up, and seduce Steve Zahn on numerous occasions.  In fact, considering one specific scene, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Steve Zahn did this film pro bono.

There are some truly inventive and hilarious moments in this film.  Consider the train shoot-out... a slow-motion sequence that was brilliantly shot with a special effects technique that I hadn't seen before.  Also consider the wit of the 'banjo-tuning' scene.  It was perfectly timed.

This film has tons of memorable moments: the church catfight; the horse climbing a ladder; the brothel kisses.  It is packed with entertainment value and deserves a bigger audience than it will ultimately get.  Penelope and Salma have great chemistry, exuding illegal amounts of sex-appeal and equal doses of hilarity.  "Bandidas" is silly fluff that typically gets panned by critics like me... but I went with this one because it doesn't take itself at all seriously and because I never once thought to look at my watch.  This is a breezy 93-minutes that will leave your face aching from smiling so much.