Bossa Nova | | Cast : | Amy Irving, Antônio Fagundes | | Director : | Bruno Barreto | | Studio : | Columbia/Tristar Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | January 01, 2000 | | DVD Released Date : | December 26, 2000 | | Language : | Spanish (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), English (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | December 09, 2004 | | Summary | little gems | Content
 | This was a film that was in Theaters for about two minutes and then found its way to VHS/DVD. Finally. It is truly an under-rated romantic comedy that I have found (because I seem to make everyone I know watch this) to appeal to many different people of many different ages. It isn't the most original film in the world but it is well-made. Aspects of the story are like a screw-ball comedy from the thirties and other times it is a little melancholy with the right touch of longing and it addresses that oh so universal theme of trying to find that 'someone'.
It is just a simple story of two lonely people trying to meet and each time there are distractions of other people trying to meet as well and facing dreary sides of potential love.
The soundtrack matches many of the moments of film perfectly; right down to the lyrics being sung in particular scene where two of the characters meet at the most inopportune moment.
It is obvious to see why the director dedicated the film to Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim and Francois Truffaut. The inspirations from both artists are apparent and it seems like this is a Valentine to both the men and to the director's wife (the lead character) Amy Irving.
This is a film that isn't going to bring out any new surprises or insights into the human psyche. It is a small little snap-shot of a lovely moment.
"Bossa Nova" is like the genre of music. Swingy, breezy, casual, sensual and delightful.
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| Rating | | | Date | March 11, 2004 | | Summary | A different kind of Brazilian movie | Content
| When I was younger, I used to wonder: how come Brazilian soap operas are so popular and Brazilian movies are considered poor? Even the so-called "good" Brazilian movies weren't appealing enough to Brazilian audiences. The answer may be that "good" Brazilian movies usually favor the background over the plot. They try to find a style of their own by making prominent use of elements of Brazilian culture, but the plot itself becomes secondary and, more often than not, boring. That's where "Bossa Nova" succeeds: it is a simple, lightweight romantic comedy that would not be out of place in Brazilian television. The success of this movie in Brazil far exceeded everyone's expectations. Instead of blatantly displaying Brazilian landscapes and typical characters, director Bruno Barreto simply used the beauty of Rio de Janeiro as a backdrop for a story that could have happened anywhere. And yet, the magic of Rio permeates this movie in a soothing, insidious way. As Bruno says in the commentary track, he chose to portray Rio as he wished the city still were, with no violence and poverty. Interestingly, not only does Bruno speak English through the whole commentary (since he's talking to his wife Amy Irving), but he even says his own name with an American accent! Talk about fully absorbing a foreign culture! In a word, this is the kind of Brazilian movie I used to dream of when I was a teenager: just a simple and catchy story with strong enough appeal both for Brazilian and foreign audiences. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 11, 2004 | | Summary | So What If It's Not the Real Rio De Janeiro? | Content
| Maybe it's not the "real" Rio, but it's certainly the one tourists with American dollars are interested in, and so that works for me! I thought this was a good film. It reminded me of the Stanley Donen film, "Charade" with Antonio Fagundes a Brazilian Cary Grant, and while Amy is no Audrey, their chemistry was superb. The young soccer star's character was hilarious. Cinematography is vibrant, like that in the movie "Frida". The music is out-of-this-world. The whole thing is like a delicious meal with yellow corn tortillas, red tomatoes green chilies on a blue stoneware plate: visually and physically satisfying. Closed captioning doesn't get in the way for a change; in fact, there are passages where CC and subtitling work together well, because the languages interchange frequently. Students of Portuguese like me who are not used to hearing the spoken language will learn a lot from this movie. A major annoyance: during the audio commentary by husband and wife Amy Irving and Bruno Barreto, the movie's audio track goes out of sync with the video track. This irritated me a lot, and this quality glitch loses it a star. The main movie track was fine. Look for young Max Spielberg and his brother Gabriel Barreto for a cameo. In the meantime, I'm going to see if Amazon.com has this soundtrack! |
| Rating | | | Date | November 03, 2003 | | Summary | Carioca Life | Content
| Overall, I thought this was a great movie. There were a few moments that were trying too hard for laughs, however the story plot, the acting, and the scenery were all wonderful. I especially thought the scenery was exceptional! If not for the story, I think it is still worthwhile to check out this movie to see Rio at its best! However I do agree with one other reviewer that this movie does give the deceiving impression that everybody in Rio, particularly middle to upper-middle class people, live in apartments in prime locations with spectacular views of the ocean. There was not a trace of poverty or crime in this movie, but I think is appropriate being that this movie is supposed to be a light hearted romanic comedy instead of a "favela" movie. That's why the director's commentary is kind of a nice optional feature on the DVD version. The director, having himself grown up in Rio, clearly explains that he wanted to bring the best out in Rio. Happy movie going. Tchau everybody! |
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