Michelle Johnson: Blame It on Rio - Movie

Blame It on Rio
Cast :	Michael Caine, Michelle Johnson, Demi Moore
Director :	Stanley Donen
Studio :	MGM/UA Video
Format :	Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen
Released Date :	February 17, 1984
DVD Released Date :	May 22, 2001
Language :	Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language)
Audience Rating :	R (Restricted)
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Customer Reviews

Rating
Date	May 09, 2005
Summary	Capturing Human Bliss in the Body-Beautiful '80s
Content	I have no problem with BLAME IT ON RIO. Why? It is a comedy -- a farce, to be more precise. I am not afraid to admit watching the VHS more than twice a month when I'm feeling down, because it uplifts me. Here's why: Watching BLAME IT ON RIO, I immediately am transported to the early '80s. This was post-FLASHDANCE. This was just after the dawning of MTV. Everyone was body-conscious and aerobicizing like there was no tomorrow. Now that we are in the midst of an AIDS pandemic, it is understandable that many of us have a problem accepting, let alone watching, the illicit sex between certain characters. But first I'd like to address the significance of music and dance in BLAME IT ON RIO, which is key to setting the lighthearted tone of the movie. I've read some reviews here commenting that some of the music in BLAME IT ON RIO (not meaning the scintillating bossa nova) is corny. Corny by 21st-century terms, I suppose. Rather, the non-Brazilian music on the soundtrack (a soundtrack I am searching for) was indicative of that early-'80s Michael Jackson sound -- I'm talking MJ's "Thriller" period. MJ's "Thriller" had been released in 1982, but had a strong influence on pop music over the next several years. On one song, which has the recurring lyric, "I must be doin' something right," the singer sounds like a cross between Michael Jackson and Eldra DeBarge (whose group Debarge was hot at the time as well). On two other songs, including the bouncy theme song, "Blame It on Rio," there is a male singer who sounds almost like Johnny Mathis (the woman on the theme song with him sounds almost like Deniece Williams). The reason that those comparisons are relevant, here, is that Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams were a ubiquitous musical duo from the late '70s to the mid-'80s, singing many popular songs including the theme to the TV sitcom FAMILY TIES. As for the music that is indicative of Brazil, in BLAME IT ON RIO it is well-represented, and sublime, from the moment the flight attendant announces to fasten seatbelts and you -- the viewer-- see Cristo coming into view with the rest of the famous Rio de Janeiro landscape. Beautiful bossa nova is injected into various scenes: at a nightclub, a songstress (probably a famous Brazilian recording artist?) sings bossa nova while swaying to the band's rhythms; a faster-tempo bossa nova is heard during the street and beach scenes, etc. ... I am surprised that many reviewers totally overlooked the intentional harmony of music and choreography in this movie. Renowned director Stanley Donen was at the helm of BLAME IT ON RIO, after all. View the film again with a critic's eye, and this time pay attention to how in the beginning of the film, in the first beach scene, there is a Brazilian song playing, and you see two musicians (wearing swimming trunks) performing that song -- and so are other musicians on the beach. In fact, almost everyone on the beach (i.e. those standing up) are DANCING to this song! How's that for Donen magic at work?! It's called choreographic direction, and it's fabulous. This occurs again in the Brazilian-wedding segment, which itself is filled with cultural-religious significance that might go way over the heads of viewers who only are waiting for the actors to shed their clothing. In the wedding segment of BLAME IT ON RIO, which is shot at night (and is a bit too dark), you can see EVERYONE dancing, including the priestesses. The dancing in this scene, in addition to its relevance at a wedding reception, is significant in terms of setting up an erotic mood, if you will, in the viewer. When you view this movie for the first time, you have no idea that Michelle Johnson's character, Jennifer, is about to seduce Michael Caine's character, the middle-aged Matthew. In fact, after viewing the video more than a dozen times in the past few months, I must say here that Jennifer does not intend to seduce Matthew at the wedding reception at all. Her seduction is more of a fated thing because, if you remember, later on in the film she tells him in bed that she had wanted to marry him when she was 10. Therefore, now that Jennifer biologically is a woman during this dysfunctional-family vacation in Rio, it is logical that a love connection would happen -- albeit a lopsided love affair. Another point is that Jennifer's seduction of Matthew is credible and very relevant in the wedding segment because a couple has just gotten married and so Jennifer and Matthew's consummation there on the beach is spiritual and metaphorical instead of tawdry. Their scene is full of passion, especially with the driving, swirling Brazilian rhythms in the air, which makes their sexual act more like a dance. The wedding party (but not the bride and groom) and the invited friends shed their clothes strictly due to ritual-- not to have hedonistic sex-- and Jennifer's shedding of clothes and Matthew's reluctant compliance to do the same happen for the same reason. It's just that Jennifer seizes upon the opportunity to make her dream come true after they emerge from the ocean. The pre-coital ocean scene, which happens under the moonlight, is in itself a very large, spiritual metaphor in BLAME IT ON RIO. Wedding guests and the wedding party, including crashers Matthew and Jennifer, jump into the ocean water to be cleansed, i.e. purified, by the goddess Yemanja. What better gift to the bride and groom: a group blessing that the couple begin their union in purity and freedom and that they be fruitful. ... So WHAT if it seems at times that Brazil's tourism industry funded the film. It's a funny movie! It's intellectual with bits of slapstick here and there. And it's well-written. Also, the cinematography is awe-inspiring. BLAME IT ON RIO, which I first saw in my early 20s, gave me my first glimpse of Rio de Janeiro. You get to see the religious monument Cristo -- the arms outstretched -- from an aerial view. For the price of the DVD or video, you also get to see plenty of verdant mountains and trees as well as pristine beach, a cornucopia of fruit and vegetables; and an abundance of semi-nude men and women. The semi-nudity was filmed tastefully -- after all, the human body is beautiful. Also, you feel as though you are in Rio with the characters, so it is a vicarious holiday for you. Quotidian life in Rio comes vividly to life, including a riveting performance of capoeira (which has an important political history dealing with Africans disguising battle moves through dance). Again, Stanley Donen adds his choreographic magic. He did not have to include capoeira; he wanted to. ... When you have a lazy Sunday afternoon or a boring weeknight, kick off your shoes or sandals, sit back and take a closer look at this amusing film. You'll be amazed at how, with repeated viewings, you'll catch every snippet of authentic Brazilian culture juxtaposed with comedic elements. The paternal characters played by Michael Caine and Joseph Bologna alone will have you falling off the chair. It can't get any funnier than those two trying to force conversation upon the housekeeper; it's as if she knows from the moment they arrive with their daughters that they are troublemakers. There are many scenes like the following three: Caine shows off his Portuguese, greeting the housekeeper upon his arrival, but she walks past him. On another day, Caine politely greets the housekeeper with, "Good morning," and seconds after she walks right past him, he abruptly says, "Or not." Bologna, seated outdoors at the breakfast table, watches the housekeeper move back and forth serving him coffee and tells her "Thank you" no fewer than three times, but she completely ignores him. You will miss the commentary that BLAME IT ON RIO makes about Americans and Brits if you cannot get past the shots of bare breasts, whether they belong to Michelle Johnson or any of the many female extras in the beach scenes. The title is a strong clue that this movie is tongue-in-cheek, that there will be non-Brazilian characters in the movie who will act zany and hypersexual (this they do) because they're not only far away from home and having marital trouble, but also they're in a city where they believe they're supposed to act irresponsibly. After you have watched this movie with a critical eye, watch it again the next day (or night) just to laugh your head off because BLAME IT ON RIO is a welcome escape. You might find, as I do, that it leaves a pleasant aftertaste. BLAME IT ON RIO is a vibrant, passionate tribute to human bliss as well as a full-lipped kiss to the '80s. Again, so WHAT if the nostalgia alone keeps you coming back for more.

Rating
Date	February 02, 2005
Summary	Simply 1 of the best
Content	I loved Blame it on Rio. It is one of the best comedy movies in the 80's. I wish they had the unedited version of it on dvd. I do not like movies that are edited or cut out certain scenes.

Rating
Date	January 15, 2005
Summary	Movies Are For Entertainment....This One Does Just That!
Content	I read other reviews that, either slated the movie as a waste of time and money, found fault with the DVD picture quality or felt that some of the music was irritating and would have preferred more authentic Brazilian music instead (ala Antonio Carlos Jobim for example) to presumably give the movie more of a 'travelogue' flavor rather than supporting the comedic thrust of this movie. Personally, in a comedy, I don't mind if some of the music is corny. With few exceptions I don't look for great music soundtracks in comedies. Rather than provide another synopsis I'll explain why I recommend this DVD. Michael Caine is perfectly cast and capitalizes on the opportunity to characterize this role with the wit and charm that give practically every film he's in a uniqueness only he can provide. His chemistry with Joseph Bologna (who can portray the archetypal cynic as well as anyone) gives the film enough comic thrust to overlook the somewhat pedestrian performances of some of the other principal actors. In my opinion, Michelle Johnson played her role well and Valerie Harper qualified her relevance to the story but Demi Moore did little to impress. In fairness, that probably had more to do with her role in the story than her characterization. The supporting cast was ideal for the flavor of this film. I think it would be a mistake to install this film in an '80's time capsule, especially with some of the second-rate drivel that's been produced recently. Overall, it's a great movie to look and LAUGH at........and I found nothing wrong with the DVD image.

Rating
Date	July 20, 2004
Summary	very funny and very sexy
Content	I saw this movie when it first came out back in 1984, and it has always stuck in my mind as a very fun movie. The movie opens with two middle-aged men, both of whom are going through difficult marriages. One (Joseph Bologna) is getting a divorce and the other (Michael Caine) finds his marriage on the rocks. They travel to Rio on a vacation with their teenage daughters, but without their wives, in order to forget about their marital troubles. Because the daughters replace the wives on this vacation, it creates a vaguely incestous tension. In one of the movie's early scenes, Bologna's daughter (Michelle Johnson) and Caine's daughter (Demi Moore) are bare breasted as they walk up to their fathers on the beach. Moore seems somewhat shy as her hair mostly covers her chest, but Johnson is clearly very confident and proud of her breasts. Her father asks her to cover her breasts and she refuses. Though the direct incestous tension between father and daughter doesn't go any further than this, the sexuality definitely builds between Johnson and dad's friend Caine to the point where they are soon having an affair. The affair creates a series of situations that are downright hilarious, and many scenes had me rolling on the floor laughing. For the guys in the audience, Michelle Johnson is definitely gorgeous and we get to--well--see a lot of her, and she seems very comfortable and happy with her nudity. Demi Moore plays a more minor role both in terms of nudity and in terms of her character. The movie is not intended to make any grand in-depth statement, and is probably not very accurate about Brazil, but if you want a light-hearted, sexy comedy it would be hard to do much better. On a personal note, this movie was something of a rite of passage for me because it was, I believe, the first movie showing adult nudity that I ever saw on the big screen. I still thought of myself as a bit of a kid at the time, and I thought of topless and nude scenes as something that adults (i.e. people a lot older than me) did. I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that Michelle Johnson was exactly the same age as me (we were both born in Sept 1965). I came to the conclusion that if an actress my age were doing topless scenes, I must have reached adulthood myself. The movie is a hilarious comedy without considering the nude scenes--since it is a sex comedy set on and around Rio's topless beaches, the nudity tends to fit right in. And because it is set in Rio (where 'the play gets done') the viewer is allowed to relax and take a vacation for a couple of hours, even if the characters aren't always relaxed in their antics. All in all, you won't find any deep statements about the world here, but it is a really fun movie.

Rating
Date	June 09, 2004
Summary	The DVD is too dark
Content	I wrote a 4-star review of the VHS version of this movie on 11/22/00. Later I bought the DVD version. The DVD was much darker. Some of the night scenes were almost completely black. This was annoying and made the DVD useless to me. It made no sense to me why they did this. The VHS version is great!

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