The Lost City

A labor of love, presumably, but laborious positively, a limp epic of flat, underlit visuals and sententious, pretentious dialogue. "Havana is no longer a capital city, but a capital sin." "Havana is very much like a rose. It has petals and it has thorns, so it depends on how you grab it, but in the end it always grabs you." And so on. Murray plays the jester who hangs around Garcia's nightclub, in a seersucker suit with short pants, but his lines are written no better than anyone else's.

From afar, Garcia gives us a wonderful view of Cuba in her basking glory, but fails to deliver to us a story upon which we can latch our attention.

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Andy Garcia presents the story of a club owner and his family ruined by revolution in the late 50's era Cuba. It's style over substance, but that doesn't mean it's a weak plot at all - it's just that style reigns, with dance and music. Thus, treat this like a show. Garcia must've had the time of his life doing this, and it shows; he presents Havana as a beautiful city in a golden age, a predecessor to Vegas. Be warned: the film is very long, and even I felt it could've used a trim.

Obviously a labor of love. You want to like movies like this so friggin' bad, but it doesn't quite come together. Sort of like an inferior version of _Havana_ with Cubans in center stage instead of the white people this time

I watched it for Bill Murray, enjoyed it for the most part, and promptly forgot about the vast majority of it.

Too long and too slow-paced to hold anyone's attention.

eng

Obnoxiously one-sided in its take on the whole Cuba situation, and unfailingly pandering to anti-communist sentiment, this movie was beloved of the Miami anti-Castro contingent, and hated by anybody who appreciates a film with decent acting/script/cinematographhy, etc.

"Garcia offers the film to the Cuban community as something we should all be happy to see, but his esteem does not excuse the film's aesthetic mediocrity, cultural ignorance, and colossal self-absorption." - Ed Gonzalez

Very good.

This movie could have been edited better to make it run more smoothly but overall I enjoyed this film. Andy Garcia is good in the lead role and Bill Murray provides great comic relief. The plot is interesting, it deals with Cuba and the rise of Communists in that country. If you like Cuban music there is plenty of it in this movie.