Review:
"Chico & Rita"
Release Date: March 2, 2012
Rating: Unrated Running Time: 94 minutes A surprise Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature Film, the hopelessly romantic Chico & Rita follows a decades-old stormy relationship between a Cuban pianist and the beautiful singer he cannot quit. When Chico and Rita first meet in 1940s Havana, both are struggling to make their names. They hook up personally and professionally, and the result is pure musical magic. Chico, though, becomes jealous of the attention Rita receives, and he stays behind in Cuba when she jets off the United States to become a movie star. Even when Chico toils in obscurities, first in Cuba and then in the United States, it’s evident that Rita still yearns to be in his arms. Hand-drawn in quaint but charming fashion, and driven by a pulsating Cuban jazz soundtrack, Chico & Rita is a rare adult-minded animated offering, one that sensually explores the tempestuous nature of love with true concern for its proud and stubborn soul mates. Their on-again, off-again affair may take place in both pre- and post-revolution Cuba, but directors Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal wisely don’t distract from Chico and Rita’s plight by bringing too much politics into the proceedings. Not that Castro could keep these lovers from making beautiful music together even if he so commanded. Robert Sims Aired: March 1, 2012 Web site: https://www.facebook.com/ChicoAndRitaUSA |
|