"Dirty Dancing, Havana Nights" is a film that tried to capitalize on a much better film, "Dirty Dancing" that came out in the eighties. This remake suffers from a lack of vision and political incorrectness, so typical with people that have no clue about other cultures, as witnessed by the finished product. It's almost incomprehensible that more than 500 contributors to IMDb have given this film a rating of 10, or excellent, when it feels fake from the beginning.
This film is supposed to take place in Havana during the days before the fall of the Batista regime in 1959. The director, Guy Ferlnad, and his writers, present us a Havana in which dancing takes place in almost any corner as we are taken to watch an impromptu rumba dancing by happy "natives" in a busy downtown street. The character of Javier, the proud pool waiter working for the wealthy Americans in either their club, or hotel, shows a rebel streak toward his boss, and a friendly attitude toward the gorgeous Katey Miller, who accepts him as a friend. This situation could only work in the minds of the movie people because in real life, Katey couldn't have cared less for the young man, let alone be associated with him for any kind of social dancing.
In fact, there is such sharp contrast between the girl of privilege and a working class poor boy that it would have taken a miracle for bringing them together. Talk about the magic of the movies! This is stretching things a bit too much. Films about Cuba, in general, always show the fateful 1958 New Year's Eve that changed that land forever. We see it again done here as it's the climax of the "dirty dancing" competition where Katey and Javier are finalists.
As for the dancing, the people involved in the film have created a hybrid in trying to present what one sees in the movie for "real" dancing, when this type of sensual dancing didn't come into being until the nineties.
Diego Luna is a good actor and does what he can with his Javier. Romola Garai is a beautiful young woman to look at, but as far as the dancing, she suffers from a lack of rhythm, so innate in a Cuban, or a Latina and since she is not a dancer, she doesn't keep pace with Javier at all. Sela Ward has some good moments as Katey's mother, and Patrick Swayze shows up as a dancing instructor.
Mr. Ferland, the director, should have done some research in Miami, or another area where Cubans still dance in their own fashion and it would have made up for a better dancing in a film that feels fake from beginning to end.
This film is supposed to take place in Havana during the days before the fall of the Batista regime in 1959. The director, Guy Ferlnad, and his writers, present us a Havana in which dancing takes place in almost any corner as we are taken to watch an impromptu rumba dancing by happy "natives" in a busy downtown street. The character of Javier, the proud pool waiter working for the wealthy Americans in either their club, or hotel, shows a rebel streak toward his boss, and a friendly attitude toward the gorgeous Katey Miller, who accepts him as a friend. This situation could only work in the minds of the movie people because in real life, Katey couldn't have cared less for the young man, let alone be associated with him for any kind of social dancing.
In fact, there is such sharp contrast between the girl of privilege and a working class poor boy that it would have taken a miracle for bringing them together. Talk about the magic of the movies! This is stretching things a bit too much. Films about Cuba, in general, always show the fateful 1958 New Year's Eve that changed that land forever. We see it again done here as it's the climax of the "dirty dancing" competition where Katey and Javier are finalists.
As for the dancing, the people involved in the film have created a hybrid in trying to present what one sees in the movie for "real" dancing, when this type of sensual dancing didn't come into being until the nineties.
Diego Luna is a good actor and does what he can with his Javier. Romola Garai is a beautiful young woman to look at, but as far as the dancing, she suffers from a lack of rhythm, so innate in a Cuban, or a Latina and since she is not a dancer, she doesn't keep pace with Javier at all. Sela Ward has some good moments as Katey's mother, and Patrick Swayze shows up as a dancing instructor.
Mr. Ferland, the director, should have done some research in Miami, or another area where Cubans still dance in their own fashion and it would have made up for a better dancing in a film that feels fake from beginning to end.