1958, and 18 year-old Katie and her family move to Havana for her father's business. Once there, Katie becomes intrigued by a local man working at the hotel. When they go out for an evening on the town, and dance together, it's clear that they have something special - but will the revolution pull them apart?
by William Thomas |
Published on
Release Date:
01 Jan 2004
Running Time:
0 minutes
Certificate:
PG
Original Title:
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
Or Dirty Dancing: Welcome To The Latin Quarter. Romola Garai and Diego Luna attempt to recreate the UK's favourite film (according to a recent poll, anyway) in Cuba on the eve of Castro's revolution in 1958.
Garai is the young American ballroom-trained dancer; Luna the Cuban-heeled Cuban she hooks up with. By combining their dancing styles, they hope to win a big national competition - but will romance get in the way? Or, even worse, the political turbulence that forms a vague backdrop to the film?
Whatever political point that's being attempted here, it's left firmly in second place as the two strut their stuff. But there's nothing here to match the sheer exuberence of the original film.
As you'd expect, the grooving is pleasantly grubby, but plot-wise there's no real conflict even the revolution seems one-sided and when a Patrick Swayze cameo provides a highlight, it's clear that any fun to be had here comes purely from nostalgia for
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