This film is a sequel to "Dirty Dancing", hoping to capitalize on the popularity of the original. It utilizes much of the original plot and has numerous references to the action, but viewers need to decide if this is a loving nod to the original DD or an unnecessary redo (or both).
'Havana Nights" is set in Cuba during 1958, just before the overthrow of the Batista government by Castro and others. Therefore, this story precedes the 1963 story of the original DD. And it means that Patrick Swayze is not reprising his role as Johnny Castle. Here, he is an older dance instructor.
Filmed in Puerto Rico, the film's depiction of Cuban life and culture is quite enjoyable and one of its highlights. Life (especially nightlife) in pre- Castro Cuba is a colorful and exciting mélange of sensual dancing and energetic music.
But there are other problems that plague this film, most notably the male lead. Diego Luna plays Javier Suarez, a local waiter/busboy at the country club frequented by well-to-do Americans, like the parents of Katey Miller (Romola Garai). As in the original film, class differences separate the two sides of a love match, and emphasize the differences between the dance styles of the elite and the styles of the streets. Luna is a fine actor and his performance as a kid who experiences the financial hardships of an impoverished populace and the realities of political oppression feels authentic. However, he lacks the physical presence of someone like Swayze. Likewise, the chemistry between Luna and Garai lacks the heat that transformed Baby into a believable love interest for Johnny Castle.
The supporting cast boasts the beautiful Sela Ward (as Katey's mother), John Slattery (as the father) and an under-used January Jones.
In this film and the original (and many others in this genre, like "Flashdance" or "Footloose"), the music and dance are the agents of liberation. The "square" young woman is confronted by the liberating power of street culture-which has less concern with conventions and the status quo-in the person of an outsider who teaches her to think and feel beyond the safe structure of her "conservative" existence. Many of those other films have portrayed these themes better, and with more chemistry between the principals.
'Havana Nights" is set in Cuba during 1958, just before the overthrow of the Batista government by Castro and others. Therefore, this story precedes the 1963 story of the original DD. And it means that Patrick Swayze is not reprising his role as Johnny Castle. Here, he is an older dance instructor.
Filmed in Puerto Rico, the film's depiction of Cuban life and culture is quite enjoyable and one of its highlights. Life (especially nightlife) in pre- Castro Cuba is a colorful and exciting mélange of sensual dancing and energetic music.
But there are other problems that plague this film, most notably the male lead. Diego Luna plays Javier Suarez, a local waiter/busboy at the country club frequented by well-to-do Americans, like the parents of Katey Miller (Romola Garai). As in the original film, class differences separate the two sides of a love match, and emphasize the differences between the dance styles of the elite and the styles of the streets. Luna is a fine actor and his performance as a kid who experiences the financial hardships of an impoverished populace and the realities of political oppression feels authentic. However, he lacks the physical presence of someone like Swayze. Likewise, the chemistry between Luna and Garai lacks the heat that transformed Baby into a believable love interest for Johnny Castle.
The supporting cast boasts the beautiful Sela Ward (as Katey's mother), John Slattery (as the father) and an under-used January Jones.
In this film and the original (and many others in this genre, like "Flashdance" or "Footloose"), the music and dance are the agents of liberation. The "square" young woman is confronted by the liberating power of street culture-which has less concern with conventions and the status quo-in the person of an outsider who teaches her to think and feel beyond the safe structure of her "conservative" existence. Many of those other films have portrayed these themes better, and with more chemistry between the principals.