The Mambo Kings (1992)

Excellent "mambo" music and colorful characters made me rate this a "9" after the first viewing. After several looks, the novelty - how many mambo movies are there? - wore off and it settled in as an "8 stars" film but I don't regret seeing this several times. It's fun to watch.Armand Assante was particularly good in here and I was intrigued with Maruschka Detmers, a new face which at times looked striking. Since she resides in France and hasn't made many, if any, English-speaking films, we here in North America haven't really seen her since this film. Assante and Antonio Bandaras are the two leads, however, sharing the spotlight with the music. Both actors are excellent, maybe the best roles of their careers.The story moves best the first 40 minutes with a lot of that "hot" music but then gets a little melodramatic afterward. However, I found it interesting all the way through with a nice tale of brotherly love and devotion. For all you "Ricky Ricardo" fans of "I Love Lucy" television: if you want a real feel of Latin Americans-in America during the 1950s, check this film out.

Mambo kings was completly overlooked when it came out and I am personally thankful that my family is hispanic or I wouldn't have grown up listening to the music of Mambo Kings and watching this movie is like home to me. This film is amazing. Antonio Banderas and Armand Assante are so gret together, perfect chemistry and I hope they consider doing another film together in the future. Another aspect of this movie besides the powerful performances and incredible appeal of each character is the music. The late Tito Puente and the late Celia Cruz appear in this film and do amazing performances in 1952 Manhattan. Another plus in this film is the appearance of Desi Arnaz Jr. who plays his late father. They even do an I LOVE LUCY episode in the film. Please go buy this film and the incredible soundtrack.

Two thumbs up, fine family fun, I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats. Seriously though, it was a beautiful film and it is the first time I can say that I preferred the film to the movie. The soundtrack was fantastic and if you like Latin music, its a must have, the collection of mambo songs is stellar.

What can I say about this gem? I cry every emotion each time I see it. Assante is compelling and heart-wrenching as the ambitious and devoted older brother, Banderas rounds the two out with innocence and struggle for independence. Also a most moving story of unrequited love.