Buena Vista Social Club
1999
Documentary
1h 45m
This ground-breaking documentary, inspired by the album, includes appearances by legendary performers Ry & Joaquim Cooder, Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzáles, Eliades Ochoa, Omara Portuondo, Compay Segundo and many other renowned Cuban Musicians. (Artisan Entertainment)
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Buena Vista Social Club
1999
Documentary
1h 45m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 60.74% from 700 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews
(700)
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Rated 12 Feb 2011
70
35th
Hard to rank. The music is exceptional. The documentary is boring.
Rated 12 Feb 2011
Rated 16 Dec 2016
71
29th
Seems to be conceived around the musical group, but other than providing some nice listening throughout, it's very bad at capturing that subject. The editing is a mess and while Wenders' good cinematic eye shows up in random places most of it is not very well shot either. What it's best at is showing so many interesting glimpses of people and, through them, Cuba. Those little moments help it succeed as a portrait of a country and its people where it fails as a portrait of a band and its members.
Rated 16 Dec 2016
Rated 14 Aug 2007
48
18th
The music is great, but this is some highly uninspired filmmaking. It all seems so rehearsed and planned out.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
Rated 04 Jan 2008
70
15th
I love the buena vista social club music, don't miss the CD! The movie well is just another documentary and not that interesing...
Rated 04 Jan 2008
Rated 01 Jul 2018
50
24th
It is alright. The documentary does not explain a lot, which is a shame. I just wanted that breakout moment.
Rated 01 Jul 2018
Rated 21 Jul 2012
85
88th
Some of The best classic cuban music singers.
Rated 21 Jul 2012
Rated 18 Oct 2010
80
77th
Obviously a work of great love. Oozes joy. What it lacks in conflict or narrative it makes up for in beautiful flowing visuals so at odds with the assumed formality of documentary.
Rated 18 Oct 2010
Rated 15 Oct 2017
70
67th
I'm here for the music. Wenders just sucks.
Rated 15 Oct 2017
Rated 05 Feb 2018
74
48th
I love the music, the album, and the fascinating characters in the group the film focuses on, but it's like Wenders didn't try at all putting this together. Lazy camerawork, the editing is a mess, very little flow, and doesn't go as deep as it should considering the rich source material.
Rated 05 Feb 2018
Rated 08 Apr 2007
60
65th
I hate how Wenders vandalize every rule of documentary making to drive his movie. I love these old man and soundtrack.
Rated 08 Apr 2007
Rated 09 Apr 2021
60
35th
The thrill here is the jam sessions with some of the best Cuban musicians of the day. Unfortunately, the rest of this documentary is held together by interviews that aren't all that informative, and are dizzying with cameras swooping around the interviewees over and over and over. For a movie about music, this has some of the worst sound pickups (the camerawork isn't much to brag about either).
Rated 09 Apr 2021
Rated 25 Dec 2011
68
32nd
The music itself is fantastic, featuring memorable and rich songs with accomplished musicianship and great passion. It was a pleasure to spend time with the players and learn a little bit (unfortunately, not a lot) about their lives and careers. However, the cinematography is simply awful. The movie has a cheap, amateurish, washed-out look. It's very unpleasant to behold, especially with the shaky camerawork. It feels like it was all done rather haphazardly with little thought. Just buy the CD.
Rated 25 Dec 2011
Rated 14 Oct 2011
25
61st
"Wenders is clearly an outsider-looking-in." - Ed Gonzalez
Rated 14 Oct 2011
Rated 06 Aug 2008
90
88th
It may be best to see this in a cold, wet, democratic country in the middle of the winter.
Rated 06 Aug 2008
Rated 06 Feb 2016
35
26th
There's a bit for almost everyone here -- we learn a little more about the BVSC musicians, see some good performance footage, and some nice scenes of Cuban life -- but only a bit. Recommended mainly as a supplementary companion piece for those who love the album.
Rated 06 Feb 2016
Rated 16 Jul 2017
20
12th
This is the shittiest documentary I've ever seen. For starters, it seems to have been filmed on someone's phone. Secondly, it's about 80% footage of in-studio session recording. There's nothing to be learned. I'm interested in the actual album, because I'm interested in exploring Latin music and it is regarded as a classic. But this sucks.
Rated 16 Jul 2017
Rated 16 Aug 2008
86
87th
I love the songs a little more than the movie, interesting portrait though.
Rated 16 Aug 2008
Rated 01 Mar 2021
44
33rd
Wim Wenders is really not a documentary maker. This particular documentary doesn't bring much: 1) at the level of the music, as it doesn't foster understanding of the music in itself or its creative process, 2) the personalities of the musicians, or barely scratch the surface, 3) Cuban society.
Rated 01 Mar 2021
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