Bossa Nova (2000)

I've had this video in my armoire for many months and finally got around to watching it last night. What a complete delight it was! Quirky, interesting, sweet-natured. As a middle-aged single I particularly enjoyed the romantic plot strand involving two people of my vintage. Amy Irving is incandescent as always. This movie has a wonderfully European (okay, Brazilian) feel and sensibility. Not the usual canned Hollywood fare.

"Bossa Nova" has lots of great shots of Rio de Janerio, and lots of pretty actors, and a soundtrack that combines old and new bossa nova tunes. Unfortunately that's about all it has going for it.The film is about the romance between an American woman who teaches English to the wealthy and her corporate lawyer student who bears a striking resemblance to Marcello Mastroianni. Both of them are supposed to be in their early to mid-forties.The age aspect is one problem I have with this film. I'm not against middle-age romance on film, but it's just so obvious that Antonio Fagundes is closer to fifty.Another problem I have is with Amy Irving's acting skills. At times, it's obvious she's reading straight off a cue card. Good actors never let us see them working.But the biggest complaint I have about this film is the plot, or rather the lack thereof. The film is filled with lots of confusing little subplots, some of which never resolve themselves. This, I guess, is to distract the audience from the fact that the main plot is so threadbare.Many American critics have praised this film. This is largely, I believe, because it is not an American film and was not bankrolled by a major Hollywood studio. However, I always use the same barometer to judge a film, regardless of its origin or pedigree. I give this film the same criticism I would give to a film such as "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" or "The Horse Whisperer": It's beautiful to look at, but once you get past the scenery and the actors' looks, there's not much left. I give this film a 6 out of 10.

Although I saw it alone, it made me wish I were on a date. First of all, I've always been a lover of Brazilian music, and this movie is chock full of it, with a heavy emphasis on Antonio Carlos ("Tom") Jobim.It's not another *Gone with the Wind* or *Casablanca*, but who can resist the blue sky and water of Rio de Janeiro, with Sugarloaf Mountain looming over the city and the azure sea? This all might have been wasted if the cinematography Hollywood competent, which it is. It made me want to move to Brazil at the first possible opportunity.The story is comic and tragic at the same time. Amy Irving is delightful. The rest of the cast is generally more than competent.All in all, it was 2 hours very well spent.

While other comments here have focused on the 'feminine' quotient of the picture, it should be noted that Bossa Nova goes beyond the formulaic approach ala Return to Me, and instead goes for a more Altman-like approach. The confluence of a myriad of characters of diverse backgrounds (including Alexandre Borges [the star of the epic Um Copo de Cólera] as a soccer star about to be traded to an English League team) comes together in a fashion not unlike Altman's Nashville, with some winners and some losers, including nice guys. No, as mentioned earlier, this does not show you a gritty, realistic Rio, but after the fantasy Broadway song and dance sequence, who the hell would have expected it? Ultimately, the film leaves you feeling good, albeit a bit empty, like most summer fare here in the States.