ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

SnoopyStyle It's 1958 Havana, Cuba. Fico Fellove (Andy Garcia) is a prominent nightclub owner. His father is a respected university professor. The successful Fellove family struggles to agree on the political change blowing in the winds. His revolutionary brother Ricardo gets arrested and he gets an old friend Captain Castel to help. Ricardo is released and runs off with Che Guevara. Meyer Lansky (Dustin Hoffman) comes to him to turn his establishment into a casino. When he turns Lansky down, a bomb explodes killing his girlfriend. His other brother Luis gets in a plot to overthrow Batista and restore democracy. Luis is killed and he falls for Luis' widow Aurora. Bill Murray plays his constant writer friend.The filming locations in Santo Domingo are beautiful. The story is a vast family drama which Andy Garcia wants to be more like Godfather. However it never gets beyond the early promise. Garcia is mostly doing a solo gig and he's not putting enough energy into it. I don't get the Bill Murray character. The sunny Caribbean feel of the movie takes away the inherit gritty dirty feel of the story. It's too long with too much side trips. Andy Garcia's directions lack the urgency. He needs help to bring intensity into the film.

pedroosan IMDb ratings are usually a good indicator how good a movie is. Somehow on this title they fail. Kitsch, rubbed in, not enough development of relationships, unrealistic situations.. all makes it hard to have good acting.A good director gets the actors do the right thing and makes the movie grab you. For this title it's the opposite. It starts promising, but at some point you can't take all that anymore.If you like musicals and if you don't want to feel tears by yourself, but rather like when somebody puts eye-drops into your eyes and rubs the obvious under your nose, + make the Cuban revolution + Havana look like an unreal city filled with costumes (not clothes) and have everything as synthetically clean as a freshly built set, but not like real life, then you might enjoy the movie.It's like a child's view... definitely lacking either directing talent/skill or maturity.

rajaspencer Certainly I understand the passion (and the political statement) of this movie. If you voted for McCain, thought Elian Gonzales should have stayed apart from his father, and have not been to Cuba in the last 30 years you will love the movie. If on the other hand you did not grow up in Miami, and use the internet to discover the true history you might not. If like me you take both the US (Republican) spin AND the Cuban Government spin then ignore those and look at the international perspective you discover the movie lacks balance.It is from the hard line approach of the Cuban expatriate community and no doubt they are thrilled and shed tears at its mention. But if we really look at the plausibility of the plot it borders on absurdity. Here is a very rich Cuban, from a very rich family fleeing his country penniless. Nah, the nature of Cuba in 1959 and 1960 1) provided ample opportunity to see the writing on the wall 2) Every rich Cuban I know had big money in the US. They did not arrive and work washing dishes. Furthermore, Cubans (unlike my forefathers) were given loans for housing, loans for education, and loans for businesses. A well connected Club owner with a tobacco background would certainly be well connected. Thus we see the political statement.I do like Mr. Garcia (how can you not?) I do understand how he feels and why this film was so important to him. I think some of the readers will understand the lack of balance if they either look at the spin less international mainstream view or visit Cuba when Obama lifts the travel ban. We are the only country in the world that views Cuba as part of the axis of evil (a terrorist sponsor)....Why is that?

meredithstory I enjoyed this film a great deal. I am a history teacher and want to learn more about the history of Cuba. I think this film brings an interesting viewpoint of an event that most Americans (myself included) don't know a great deal about. The film's makers argue that the revolution was not a peasant revolt. Instead, they argue that it was caused by the middle class. I also think that the presentation of the conflicts within Cuban families was heartbreaking. I think that the makers of the film did a great job with a small budget. I loved the costumes, sets, and music. The story behind the film is fascinating. I have always been a fan of Andy Garcia, a breathtaking man and a fine actor. This film increases my respect for his work and his manner of balancing "the Hollywood thing" and his private life. I am delighted that I stumbled upon this film and I hope that more people discover this interesting film.