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Movies / On DVD / Havana Nights
Havana Nights

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Havana Nights (2004)

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Reviews Counted:105

Fresh:24

Rotten:81

Average Rating:4.3/10

Consensus: Cheesy, unnecessary remake.

Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Set against the decadent glamour and escalating danger of revolution-eve Cuba, Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights re-imagines the 1987 film phenomenon from an exciting new perspective. Havana Nights... Set against the decadent glamour and escalating danger of revolution-eve Cuba, Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights re-imagines the 1987 film phenomenon from an exciting new perspective. Havana Nights tells a timeless story of a young woman's discovery of love, sensuality and independence - but with a sizzling style and rhythm all its own. In planning this new chapter in a beloved franchise, Artisan Entertainment and Miramax Films have put together a team of creative dynamos from worlds of film, music and dance. Among them: maverick independent producer Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting); Academy Award® winning screenwriter Ron Bass (Rain Man, My Best Friend's Wedding); director Guy Ferland (TV's award-winning "The Shield"); choreographer Joanne Jansen; music industry legend Clive Davis, whose hot new J Records imprint will release the soundtrack; acclaimed actor Diego Luna, a rising star following his performance in the sexy sensation Y Tu Mamá También; and, in what promises to be a breakout role, gifted young actress Romola Garai (recently seen in Nicholas Nickleby). The resulting film is certain to give audiences - from newcomers to those who cherish the first Dirty Dancing - the time of their lives, and then some.

Havana: November, 1958. 18-year-old Katey Vendetto (Romola Garai) brings an innate curiosity and a smattering of Spanish to her new life in Cuba's lush capital, where her father has taken an executive posting at Chrysler. Schooled by her parents in the art of ballroom dancing, Katey is expected to join the smart set of American teenagers who are the Vendettos' neighbors at the exclusive Hotel Miramar. But Katey finds herself drawn instead to the proud, purposeful Xavier (Diego Luna), a pool boy who also happens to be brilliant dancer. Determined to learn the slinky, spectacular moves that Xavier seems to know in his bones, Katey persuades him to partner with her in a prestigious national dance competition at a local country club. Meeting secretly in an out-of-the-way Havana nightclub, Katey and Xavier practice their steps, their bodies aligning in a sensual harmony that mirrors the growing passion between them. As the night of the contest finally arrives, Katey and Xavier are ready to take their place as a couple on the dance floor - unaware that the country club, and the streets of Havana itself, are about to erupt in revolutionary violence. -- © Artisan Entertainment [More]

Starring: Diego Luna, Romola Garai, Patrick Swayze, John Slattery

Starring: Diego Luna, Romola Garai, Patrick Swayze, John Slattery, Sela Ward, Mika Boorem

Director: Guy Ferland

Director: Guy Ferland
Screenwriter: Boaz Yakin, Victoria Arch
Producer: Lawrence Bender, JoAnn Jansen, Sarah Green
Studio: Artisan Entertainment

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Reviews for Havana Nights

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21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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The strong performances by Garai and Luna, the story's acknowledgement of Cubans' political struggles of the 1950s and the movie's unflagging sincerity help it get by.

Full Review Source: Boston Herald | comment Comment
03/01/04
Paul Sherman
Paul Sherman
Boston Herald

In the 1987 Dirty Dancing and 2004's Havana-set remake, the settings of the stories are virtually the same except in their particulars.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
03/01/04
Kim Williamson
Kim Williamson
Boxoffice Magazine

Tries to add Cuban flavor to a familiar plot but comes up with nothing more than a bubbling stew of cliches.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
03/01/04
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Scott Mantz' Movie Reviews | comment Comment
03/01/04
Scott A. Mantz
Scott A. Mantz
Scott Mantz' Movie Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
03/01/04
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/01/04
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I can’t recall a single [movie] that crashed and burned as badly as Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights does in its last 15 minutes.

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
03/01/04
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights does have some sexy music and a few good dance sequences in a steamy nightclub, but the story is terribly contrived and the lead actors have zero chemistry.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
03/01/04
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

You can definitely put this movie in the corner.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
02/29/04
Pete Croatto
Pete Croatto
Filmcritic.com

...a lukewarm and harmless fairy tale...

Full Review Source: Talking Pictures (U.S.) | comment Comment
02/29/04
Tony Toscano
Tony Toscano
Talking Pictures (U.S.)

This is all straight-up unintended comedy, and a lot of it grooves like one of the film's many jampacked nightclubs.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
02/28/04
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

White boys can't jump, but some white girls sure can dance.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
02/28/04
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

If it was absolutely necessary to re-do "Dirty Dancing," it could be worse. Seriously.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
02/28/04
Boo Allen
Boo Allen
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

Havana Nights makes us long for the days when Patrick Swayze lived on Hollywood's A-list

Full Review Source: Washington Times | comment Comment
02/28/04
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
Washington Times

It is hard not to smile at a movie as simple as this one. It's like a children's story, but with more rhythmic pelvic thrusting.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
02/28/04
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

How do you write a review for a movie that unashamedly craps on the memory of its deservedly famed and beloved predecessor? The answer: with venom.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
02/27/04
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

... even as the prosaic script gets lost in the intoxicating fantasy of the bloodless revolution, the hot heartbeat of the music drives the film with pure energy.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
02/27/04
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Superficial but entertaining.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
02/27/04
David Rooney
David Rooney
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

How precious Hollywood resources ended up being diverted to this effort is a dark mystery

Full Review Source: Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah) | comment Comment
02/27/04
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Audrey Rock-Richardson
Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)

Definitely not a sequel and not exactly a remake, Havana Nights adds some fiery Afro-Cuban spice to the mix, but it remains a bland recipe nonetheless.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal | comment Comment
02/27/04
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Havana Nights

November 23, 2002: I was expecting very little from this script, and it raised my expectations for the film greatly...It molds a great deal of the franchise's first film and makes an even more compelling film than the original. Opens in new window
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