*Note: the original Dirty Dancing is in a particular category of classics that came a little before my time that I’ve just never gotten around to. As such, I have no idea how this movie compares to the original, other than a bit of Googling to confirm some similarities in the setup of the central romance.*
I’ve been aware of this movie for a while—not just from Diego Luna’s IMDb page, but from the way he seems to actively despair when it comes up in interviews. He’s definitely embarrassed by this film and would prefer not to talk about it. So, I didn’t really know what I was getting into here. But while it’s not a good film, I’ve certainly seen much worse in service of an IMDb deep dive. As a guilty-pleasure type movie, I can understand why people would enjoy it.
In 1958, Katey Miller moves from the U.S. to Havana with her family. Her father has work there, and they make their new home at an upscale hotel for wealthy Americans. Some of the other teens in her new social circle think Katey is a square, perpetually focused on her studies and preparing for college. Little do they know, she’s secretly teamed up with Javier Suarez, a boy on the hotel staff, to enter a prestigious dance contest.
The first surprise I got watching this movie came at the very start, when I realized Katey was played by Romola Garai! I remember I first saw her in Rory O’Shea was Here, and I’ve since really enjoyed her in The Hour and the Emma miniseries that she starred in. I had no idea that she’d starred in this. There are a few other familiar faces in the cast, including John Slattery and Sela Ward as Katey’s parents and a nice cameo from Patrick Swayze.
Look, pretty much every dance-based teen romance featuring a rich kid and a poor kid follows a lot of similar beats. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights shares plenty of DNA with Save the Last Dance, Step Up, and other movies from that genre. Katey is initially kind and polite to Javier when her peers are snobby and racist. She has her eyes opened when he shows her a little of the “real” Havana. When they team up for the dance contest, it’s imperative that they keep their partnership a secret from Katey’s family and classmates. She dances very technically while he dances with passion—when Javier balks at the idea of entering a ballroom contest, Katey points out, “It’s Latin ballroom. If we mix what you do with what I do, I really think we’d have something.” It’s every bit the sort of movie you think it is, with a little political history thrown in for good measure.
As Javier, Luna gets the job done. He’s handsome and has a good spark with Garai, challenging Katey and being challenged in return. I don’t know enough about this type of dancing to really assess their performances—I assume most of the other dancers in the movie are pros, while Luna and Garai aren’t, which always makes these types of movies beggar belief a little bit. But to my untrained eye, neither is noticeably lacking, and their big third act dance number is a highlight of the film.
Again, the story is trite and sort of hokey, and that extends to the characters. I’ll be honest, neither Luna nor Garai are able to overcome some of the duller dialogue. While Luna was already a veteran actor at this point, this film was only a few years out from Y tu mamá también, and it looks like this was probably his film leading role in English. Garai, meanwhile, only had about five years of acting under her belt, and doing a lead role with an American accent was likely a challenge. There are definitely scenes where both of them feel a little stilted in their line deliveries.
But for all that, I still kind of enjoyed the film, and my enjoyment is largely down to their performances. As unpolished as they are, there’s something compelling about both Luna and Garai here. They have good chemistry and play off each other well. Early in the movie, there’s a pair of scenes where each briefly watches the other dance unnoticed, and each scene nicely reveals a little about Katey and Javier, in both their dancing and their unseen observations of one another. Watching Javier trying to teach Katey the rudiments of Cuban dancing is fun. He shows her how to move her hips, urging, “Come on, a circle….” As she tries to imitate him, he flatly points out, “That’s a box.” And I like the scene where he explains the origins of Cuban dancing to her, taking it back to its roots and showing her the spirit behind it.
And this is a little thing, but both Luna and Garai have really open, earnest smiles. It’s something I’ve noticed and about both of them in other projects, and it serves them well here. Especially as they dance together, Katey and Javier’s smiles project so much honest joy, and it’s easy to get swept up in that feeling.
Recommend?
In General – A soft maybe. It’s not good, but for what it is, it might warrant a watch.
Diego Luna – Maybe. While I’ve seen so many better performances from Luna, it’s still kind of enjoyable, and I like watching him and Garai together.
Warnings
Sexual content, language (including racial slurs,) violence (including attempted sexual assault,) drinking/smoking, and thematic elements.
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