I didn't expect to like this film, but I thought it was quite good. Latin music really isn't my cup of tea, but it was good here, set the tone just right. Armand Assante was great as Cesar Castillo. I haven't seen too much of his work, but I was very impressed. Antonio Banderas was pretty good here, not great. However, if it's really true that he couldn't speak English then, and learned his lines phonetically, then you'd have to compliment him on that. You really couldn't tell. Maruschka Detmers was also very good in a low-key role. I've been a fan of hers since "Hanna's War" Check that out if you haven't seen it. The ending was just a little off, but overall this movie was very entertaining.
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smatysia4 July 2000
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SnoopyStyle19 August 2015It's 1952 Havana, Cuba. Cesar (Armand Assante) moves to NYC taking younger brother Nestor Castillo (Antonio Banderas) after getting into a dispute over Maria (Talisa Soto). The brothers are amazed at the nightlife and Tito Puente. Cesar falls for brash cigarette girl Lanna Lake (Cathy Moriarty) while Nestor is still in love with Maria. The brothers work odd jobs and play in the clubs at night. Nestor falls for shy Delores (Maruschka Detmers). His song "Beautiful Maria of My Soul" catches Desi Arnaz who elevates the brothers to fame. However it is fleeting as they encounter tragedy.
It's a relatively good historical drama. The music is happening. The two actors are terrific. Assante is all energy and Banderas is charming. However the drama isn't that compelling. The story is without surprises. Arne Glimcher is limited as a director. Quite frankly, he has access to great music but he doesn't use it in an interesting way. Moriarty matches Assante's energy but Detmers is a hollow beauty. This a functional music pic but it could be more. -
nafps27 February 2023The only parts worth seeing are what everyone wanted to see anyway, the musical numbers. As a story, it goes from mediocre to awful in parts.
Start with so many non Cubans playing Cubans. A Frenchman, a Spaniard, a Dutch woman, a Black American. But ironically, perhaps the worst accent comes from Desi Arnaz Jr who makes his father sound like a quacking duck.
Not surprisingly, the strongest performance comes all too briefly from the great Celia Cruz. Would that there were a film and story line worthy of her here. Instead we get a predictable coming to America story we've seen many times before, haphazard and unfocused. You just keep wishing the story would hurry up for the next song. -
icreeem12 October 2007First, I am a professional drummer whose interest in this film was only ignited by with the knowledge that the genius Tito Puente makes an appearance, and even better, shares a solo with the star. That aside, the rest of the movie is a favorite of mine, especially the fantastic, contagious personality of Cesar, superbly played by Assante...you grow to love this rogue of a man almost instantly. His constant laughter is just a hint of how rascally a businessman/band leader and devoted brother he is. The music is no less contagious, and I find myself interested in Salsa and Mambo music all the more because of this entertaining film. My one complaint is that the above-mentioned solo between Puente and Assante is interrupted by gangland violence, just at the moment when everyone is getting into the spirit! Other than that, it was brilliantly casted and acted. A great look at the way of the entertainment business in the early 1950's, especially for hopeful immigrants like the Castillo Brothers. Excellent!
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lee_eisenberg10 August 2007When I watched "The Mambo Kings", I knew little if anything about that kind of music, so it sort of made the movie even more of a treat to hear it for the first time. In fact, I try to imagine living in New York in the early '50s and hearing the brothers bring their music to America for the first time; it must have been an experience unlike any other. But no matter, Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas did a really impressive job in their roles. It's no accident that this movie started Banderas on the career path that he's had ever since.
Is this the greatest movie of all time? Not by any stretch. But I, for one, always like to learn about new types of music, so I have to give the movie credit for that. I recommend it. Also starring Cathy Moriarty and Desi Arnaz Jr. -
Two brothers flee Cuba in the early 50s in search of the American Dream playing mambo music. The older sibling, Cesar, is a natural showman and businessman (Armand Assante) whereas the younger brother, Nestor, is a reserved composer (Antonio Banderas). The women in their lives are played by curvy Cathy Moriarty and Maruschka Detmers.
"The Mambo Kings" (1992) is reminiscent of "The Cotton Club" (1984) mixed with the later "Pollock" (2000) and maybe a little "Dirty Dancing" (1987). While not quite as good as those, it's still worth checking out, especially if you like mambo or energetic Latin music in general, not to mention the setting of 50's America.
Assante is convincing, performing with charisma and gusto, while Banderas is effective as the sensitive and sincere younger sibling, although he's a far cry from the brooding Brando. This was Banderas' first English-speaking role; he learned his lines phonetically and worked with a dialect coach throughout pre-production and filming.
Too much of the movie takes place in clubs or apartments with people smoking, drinking and emoting for my tastes. But the story perks up in the third act with a notable sequence featuring Desi Arnaz, Jr. (I don't want to say more because I don't want to give anything away).
The film runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles.
GRADE: B- -
Acapulqueno19 July 2005A better than average re-hash of the standard "rags-to-riches" formula: two Cuban musicians go to New York and overcome great hardships to find success as "The Mambo Kings."
Spanish speakers, who might otherwise be a receptive audience, find it strange to watch two attractive but very white guys -- one French (Armand Assante) and one Spanish (Antonio Banderas) -- pretending to be Cuban without even trying for a Cuban accent. Even Desi Arnaz, Jr., playing his father, has a pronounced English accent. Linda Ronstadt, by contrast, does a wonderful job on Perfidia, but that song is only used as background music.
The incomparable Celia Cruz, whose life is a genuine Cuban rags-to-riches story, has a small part, but is mostly limited to singing in English except for a bit of the classic "Guantanamera". It's too bad the producers didn't decide to film her story instead: at least she, her music and her speech are all genuine Cuban. -
ma-cortes29 September 2023Based on the pulitzer prizewinning novel ¨The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love¨ by Oscar Hijuelos, in which two brothers with a suitcase full of song and hearts filled with passion, come to America in search of a dream. Cesar (Armand Assante) and Nestor (Antonio Banderas) are two musicians in Cuba who have a certain success. But when they make enemies of the wrong people, they are forced to leave Cuba for New York City, and the moody Nestor leaving behind his true love (Talisa Soto). They arrive in N. Y. to find love, greed and ultimately, fame. But Cesar not being able to forget his true love in Cuba, now married to a gangster. They work as meat-cutters by day as Cesar tries to organize a band and make inroads into the lively New York music scene. As ¨The Mambo Kings¨, they soon get club bookings and Cesar falls in love with sharp-tongued cigarette girl Lanna Lake (Cathy Moriarty), and Nestor falls for the beautiful Delores Fuentes (Maruschka Detmers). Complications are provided when Assante falling heavily for the girl his brother to marry on the rebound and a nasty villain (Rosco Lee Browne) gets the brothers banned from his clubs .
Apart from sex scenes, this is an old-fashioned movie that reflects the Fifties in which it is set and catches well the cultural flavour of its central roles, two brothers whose main purport is to become the mambo kings of the USA. Screenwriter Cynthia Cidre tones down some of the book's flamboyance and machismo, emphasising the eroticism of a past love -Talisa Soto- and a sudden passion - Maruschka Detmers- and a repressed desire. The film delivering a sensitive drama about two different brothers and there's a sure feel for period in both technique and tone. Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas provide chemistry enough as Cesar and Nestor Castillo respectively, playing two popular musicians on Havana's club circuit who flee for New York City with dreams of hitting Mambo music. Desi Aznar Jr gets to play his own dad Desi Arnaz Sr in a funny and enjoyable scene that leads to a climatic confrontration between the brothers. Starring duo are frankly good, Assante as the older brother is top-notch, this is probably the best acting of his career to date, while Banderas in his first Hollywood performance is very good as well. They're stunningly accompanied by a fine support cast, such as: Cathy Moriarty, Maruschka Detmers , Desi Arnaz Jr., Roscoe Lee Browne, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Talisa Soto, and two of the greatest Cuban musicians: Tito Puente and Celia Cruz testing his singing skills in Cuban music. .
Marvellous musical score by Carlos Franzetti and Robert Kraft , including catching sons; the film's key song, though lovely, is repeated rather too many times. As well as a colorful and evocative cinematography by cameraman Michael Ballhaus. First-time director Glimcher establishes a a restless pace, from the opening violence through to the energetic, swirling musical sequences. Arne Glincher is a good writer/producer and director who has made a few films, such as: ¨Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies¨ (2008), ¨White River Kid¨ (1999), ¨Just cause¨ (1995) and ¨The Mambo Kings¨(1992). Good cast and great music make this one worthwhile. Better than average, well worth seeing. -
ODDBear19 October 2004Cuban brothers arrive in America with a suitcase full of songs, hearts filled with passion and a desire to make it big in the promised land. One is a bit more passionate than the other, who likes the simple life a little more and continues to miss the girl who stayed back home, not realising that his brother was forced to leave with him in order to save his life.
This tragic drama is one of the 90's most underrated gems. Full of energy and tragedy, good performances and great songs. Armand Assante gives the performance of his career and Antonio Banderas makes a solid American acting debut.
At times the movie feels a bit rushed, it simply might have been even longer, giving more character development to the supporting actors, who are very good, Cathy Moriarty in particular. The era feels authentic enough and the recreation of the "I love Lucy show" is a real winner.
An utterly charming film. Highly recommended. -
lasttimeisaw5 August 2011The film is kind of a moot for me initially, maybe I don't possess the cultural background of Cuban influence and American living experience. I find the film is an oddball with frustration, the narrative itself is featherweight, all the conflicts and explosive set pieces are squandered, the character moulding process is also bumpy and cursory, all the time what we saw are alternative quarreling between the brothers, sometimes trivial, sometimes sentimental (on the grounds of an appealing Antonio Banderas at his prime youth), otherwise too showy indeed, maybe the whole milieu has some exotic appeal to some people, with regard to me, the effect is a regretful null.
The only saving grace of the film is its Oscar-nominated theme song, the ever famous BEAUTIFUL MARIA OF MY SOUL (could be better interpreted by another singer than Armand Assante), in my opinion the original score by Carlos Franzetti and Robert Kraft contains much more vibrant and soulful vibes.
The two co-leaders Assante and Banderas are uncannily overblown and understated respectively, the bittersweet brotherhood lachrymosity is too gusty to digest. And the counter- part female characters (a chimney-voice Cathy Moriarty and a stolid Maruschka Detmers) all fail to catch their own shining moments. A rather spirit-lifting Celia Cruz is my desperate guilty pleasure (I love her performance during the end-credits).
The scheme of the tragic accident is lousy and abrupt, which furthermore reflects the pompousness and self-consciousness of the ending. The film itself is just another Hollywood throwaway, kitschy and insincere, what a pity, it has Antonio Banderas in his heyday. -
Excellent "mambo" music and colorful characters made me rate this a "9" after the first viewing. After several looks, the novelty - how many mambo movies are there? - wore off and it settled in as an "8 stars" film but I don't regret seeing this several times. It's fun to watch.
Armand Assante was particularly good in here and I was intrigued with Maruschka Detmers, a new face which at times looked striking. Since she resides in France and hasn't made many, if any, English-speaking films, we here in North America haven't really seen her since this film. Assante and Antonio Bandaras are the two leads, however, sharing the spotlight with the music. Both actors are excellent, maybe the best roles of their careers.
The story moves best the first 40 minutes with a lot of that "hot" music but then gets a little melodramatic afterward. However, I found it interesting all the way through with a nice tale of brotherly love and devotion.
For all you "Ricky Ricardo" fans of "I Love Lucy" television: if you want a real feel of Latin Americans-in America during the 1950s, check this film out. -
dw002m25 January 2006The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love is one of those novels that, despite a fantastic story, great characters, and overall brilliance, should not be taken to the silver screen.
This was a weak adaptation of what is arguably Oscar Hijuelos' best novel. Are the characters intact? Mostly. Is the music good? Yes. But the story is drastically different.
Novels like this simply cannot be compressed into a standard feature-length film. Too much character development is lost (along with half of the plot!), and the standard Hollywood story changes deprive the viewer of worthwhile material.
The point is, despite some points of tragedy, this film was basically a feel-good story with an uplifting ending. Maybe you could call it a "romantic tragedy." But that's not how the novel played out, and when the studio cuts out the real tragedies of the story, we the viewers pay the price. -
jimi9925 October 2003Regarding the recent death of Latin superstar Celia Cruz, I was surprised by the lack of mention of her role in this film in the various obituaries and tributes I read. I don't know if she made movies in Cuba, but she was not only a powerful positive musical presence in "The Mambo Kings" but her character acting was outstanding and very charming. If you don't know anything about her and want to get an idea of who Celia Cruz was, see this movie.
And that is far from the only reason to do so. This is one of my favorite romantic films for adults, as opposed to the juvenile and/or formulaic fare that passes for romance in American cinema. Armand Assante should have been at least nominated for best actor that year, he is so strong and yet vulnerable and lovable as the big brother with a powerful code of honor to his art and his family. The other kid, who has gone on to bigger and not necessarily better things, is also fine, considering his well-publicized effort to deliver his lines phonetically, since he did not speak English at the time. (No, I'm not forgetting his earlier fine contributions to several Almodovar films.)
OK, Roscoe Lee Browne and Cathy Moriarty were a bit miscast, but what about the stroke of genius to have Desi Arnaz Jr play his father? The whole "I Love Lucy" segment of the film, while somewhat contrived in its importance to the story, is funny, well-done, and helps to bring the whole Cuban-American experience in New York into sharper focus, with the portrayal of Arnaz as both a superstar idol and a man very close to his roots.
The music is fabulous, both the use of classic Cuban tracks and new music recorded for the film. Among the latter, "Sweet Maria of my Soul," the theme song performed by both Antonio Banderas in the film and Los Lobos over the end credits, was nominated for Best Song but was beat out by some plastic Disney tune. It is so organic, so romantic and soulful, it should be a classic movie song for the ages. Well, it will be for me... -
bob the moo25 October 2006When Cesar that his brother's woman married another man to save Nestor from being murdered, he decides that the time is right for them to leave Cuba and seek out their fortune in America. Arriving in a rainy New York, their relatives and friends already in NY scoff at suggestions that the brothers will walk straight into a downtown club with their music, however when Cesar is invited onto stage with Tito Puente at one such club, things look positive until a shooting spoils it all. As Cesar continues to chase his dream in his own way, Nestor finds himself dragged along, perhaps at the expense of his own dream desires.
Although I personally felt that the narrative could have been deeper and the characterisation more detailed, this film is lifted by the sense of place and period that delivers a glut of passion that runs across the whole film. Although it helps if you actually like the music and the culture, this energy is used well to help raise the material, which could easily have lapsed into soapy daytime melodrama. This is not to say that it doesn't do this occasionally but the film caught me up well to the point where I was engaged by their drama even while knowing it was a bit sentimental and (occasionally) contrived. Those happy to work at the melodrama level will easily enjoy this though because it is a superior example of that "genre" and Glimcher has done a good job of delivering the plot in a serious fashion.
Of course it helps that the main actors are so strong. Assante dominates the film simply because his character dominates his brother. He is full of fire and passion and he delivers the goods in a convincing way. However the more impressive performance is from Banderas. Although a more subtle character, the lack of English meant that he was delivering everything phonetically. I could not be convincing on screen in my own tongue so I can only imagine the challenge of delivering the dialogue while also being convincing emotionally. He nails it though. The two men also work well together and have a natural chemistry that was necessary to make convincing brothers. They own the film and support from Moriarty, Detmers and others never threatens them, although it is cool to have a cameo from Puente.
Overall then this is an enjoyable and energetic melodrama. It occasionally gets a bit too soapy but generally it is kept above this level mainly thanks to impassioned delivery from Assante and Banderas. Some viewers will be turned off by it for what it is but for a melodrama it was surprisingly good. -
ramlin3520 May 2006I tried watching this movie several times. I really did. I heard a lot of hype about it. The characters in this movie are stereotypes of cubans and other Latin Americans. This was very annoying. They seemed more like cartoons than anything else. The music was great. Great performance by Tito Puentes. Celia Cruz'performance in English seemed forced and un-natural. Armand Assante's Spanish was atrocious! It sounded no where near anything close to Spanish. The movie was also very predictable. So much hype about this movie as usual coming from Hollywood. This is why I'm not going to see the Da Vinci Code. Too much Hype.
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mmalariem24 March 2006I saw this movie for the first time in 1995 on television and it has been a favorite of mine ever since.
Armand Assante was absolutely awesome! Pure male magnetism just oozed from his pores in this role and I think I became his biggest fan by the time the movie had ended.
Antonio Banderas was handsome as ever and the two of them together was definitely a treat for female viewers.
The the music, the dancing and the charisma of the movie was infectious and fun to be a part of, even if it was only in a visual context.
I must admit, my rating is strictly biased because, to date, I still think Armand Assante is the sexiest man alive and anything that he is in, I make it my business to see, so the 10 was earned entirely on the basis of Armand Assante's presence. -
aromatic-213 May 2002If you are into the mambo beat, and I am, that alone should make for the foundation of a good movie. Add two prime hunks of beefcake like Assante and Banderas. There is also a chance to see the incomparable Tito Puente perform. Further add the immensely talented Shakespearean-trained Roscoe Lee Browne and Desi Arnaz Jr. portraying his father, and you should have a can't-miss experience. Wrong!
It starts with the directorial debut by Arne (formerly Arnold) Glimscher. Everything is angry and in-your-face. Plot motivations and character motivations are given short shrift or ignored altogether except for ubiquitous anger. The camera angles are out of control. Even the can't-miss score is mishandled and inappropriately matched to different scenes. The pacing is non-existent. The piece-de-resistance is a slow-mo death scene that even Ed Wood could have directed better.
The less said about the *#@%$@* writing the better. This is one of those movies that tries to show you how macho it is by non-stop cursing. But even the non-expletive dialogue is disgusting.
The performances are simply dreadful. In other comments here, I saw that someone called this Banderas' best performance. Huh??? It is, by far, his worst. He renounces it himself! He read his English phonetically and it showed. He was stiff, unconvincing, and totally out-of-sync. He's gorgeous, of course, but his character is too important for that alone to be enough.
Since Armand Assante was playing off him in almost every scene, it threw his timing totally off-balance and accentuated his anger and frustration. His character also did some implausibly stupid things given his background. Cathy Moriarity does what she can in her scenes with Assante, and there he almost seems like a totally different character, one you can stand spending some time with.
The stentorian Roscoe Lee Browne humiliates himself as a Cuban mobster in a pathetically phony accent. Desi Arnaz's scenes give the viewer some unintentional comic relief. Equally hilarious is the eighty-something Puente's attempt to play himself at 45.
Overall, if I were ever asked to teach a class on film, I would use this as my warning lesson on what traps to avoid. -
skittles5644324 July 2004The first time I saw this movie, I cried. It brought out emotions I did not know I had. The performances were phenomenal. I knew Antonio could sing but Armand Assante was a huge surprise! The late, great Celia Cruz acts as sort of a every woman musically narrating the story. Another musical genius, that has since left this world, is Tito Puente. His performance sets up the audience for the electricity that follows. This movie portrayed every form of love know to humans-between family, man and woman and everyone's love of music. The passions that this movie ignites, well, I haven't felt since. I can't wait till it comes out on DVD because my VHS is a little worn. When they start to count down the greatest movies of all time I hope The Mambo Kings is in the top ten!
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george.schmidt11 April 2003THE MAMBO KINGS (1992) *** Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas, Cathy Moriarty, Maruschka Detmers, Desi Arnaz Jr. Flamboyant and fun watching film about two immigrant Cuban brothers in 1950s NYC trying to make the big time with their style and music. Banderas is particularly good as the heartbroken younger sibling and the soundtrack is memorably poignant and lavish set designs as well.
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4chaffins1 April 2005This movie was not nearly as good as I had heard. Being a musician myself, some of the references made sense. But as usual, Hollywood took over and it became the normal melodrama. Musically, the movie was magnificent. Whether you are a fan of Cuban music or not, it is sure to pull you in.
Antonio Banderas was very believable, but Armand made me want to turn the channel. This is very much of a disappointment for me since I have enjoyed Assantes work in many other films. Kudos to Talisa Soto, we need to hear and see much more of her. She was very much underused. She can be seen (but not enough) in the Bond flick "License to Kill". -
baretta17 January 1999This movie is one of my all time favorite films and i'm not ashamed to say that i shed a tear or two every time i watch this film especially near the end when cesar(ARMAND ASSANTE) is in the club and they start to play the song "beautiful maria of my soul" and he starts to think about his brother nestor(ANTONIO BANDERAS) and all the good times they had, very touching scene. The music is equally great in the film. The mambo of the 50's that came out of cuba sounds and is played well. The "clubbin feel" to it is also portrayed wonderfully, work on the weekdays and when the weekend comes it's time to head to the clubs to dance or play music. A film that i dont consider a musical in my opinion but has music in it as backgroung to a great drama between to brothers and their dreams. A great film 9 out of 10.
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AlexMoeller19 June 2003In the beginning this film was very promising. I think the start was good, but in the end I had lost all my enthusiasm. The film is about two brothers who come to America from Cuba. They are Mambo musicians,and they want to make it in New York. This was an OK starting point, but the movie faded into a mediocre story of all the hardships the two brothers face.
3,5/10 -
What can I say about this gem? I cry every emotion each time I see it. Assante is compelling and heart-wrenching as the ambitious and devoted older brother, Banderas rounds the two out with innocence and struggle for independence. Also a most moving story of unrequited love.
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4chaffins1 April 2005This movie was not nearly as good as I had heard. Being a musician myself, some of the references made sense. But as usual, Hollywood took over and it became the normal melodrama. Musically, the movie was magnificent. Whether you are a fan of Cuban music or not, it is sure to pull you in.
Antonio Banderas was very believable, but Armand made me want to turn the channel. This is very much of a disappointment for me since I have enjoyed Assantes work in many other films. Kudos to Talisa Soto, we need to hear and see much more of her. She was very much underused. She can be seen (but not enough) in the Bond flick "License to Kill". -
jsnyder-105 May 2005There are many great movies that have been made over the past century; one of them is The Mambo Kings. In this film two brothers who are forced to leave their home land of Cuba in the early 1950's and head to America for a chance at embarking on a dream of becoming a musical powerhouse in the New York City dance hall craze. The brothers Nestor (Antonio Banderas) and Cesar (Armande Asante) Castillos form the Mambo Kings band and together become legends in their own time while facing a barrage of betrayal, lost love, success and death. This was a most opportune time for the Castillo brothers as during this time in Cuba the Batista regime was beginning to hinder down preceding the Castro dictatorship.
A classic story about coming from nothing and rising to success, The Mambo Kings is one of the most beautiful stories ever written. It is an unusual movie because in that it does not stick to movie clichés or points of predictability. There were so many parts in the movie that leads one to believe that something drastic is about to occur, and then the exact opposite happens. That is what is best presented is that the story line stayed true to form as what would actually happen under the circumstances in real life.
The characters in this film were played to perfection. The interaction between Cesar and Nestor seemed almost too real at times. On one end there is Cesar, has not a need for dreams in life but to be successful in his own manner by not succumbing to the temptations others present. On the other end there is the brother who is a dreamer, who wants to be successful just as his brother wants to be, but in his own way, by playing music for the sake of playing music that is from the soul. Their relationship is one of many siblings have experienced. The oldest, Cesar, is a protector, he possesses the knowledge of a wise and crafty man. While his brother, a young, naive person that could not see how things really were. It is because of these things Cesar assumes the leadership role in securing Nestor's position in life while at the same time, he is struggling to secure himself in this world in doing so.
One great aspect featured was the use of cinematography. Most of the scenes were shot inside the dance halls that were very famous spots in the 50's and showed so many vibrant colors through out those scenes that one could not help but stay alert. Also, the transitions were executed quite nicely, such as the montage of Nestor and Cesar searching in the New York City streets for a club that would hire them. It really is quite remarkable.
As far as the position between it being entertaining or educational is quite one sided. In my opinion this movie was more for entertainment value than it was for educational purposes. Granted it was a good depiction of the times, there were some problems with the story. While the events are true, some of the parts are a little bit inaccurate or may have been vaguely presented. One can be sure that because this film is less than two hours long, some important things may have been left out. For instance, they came to America in 1949, not 1952. This also could have been more useful historically if there were intimate details about the rest of the band that may have shifted the plot in some manner.
In conclusion this is a wonderful and sad story of how if it were not for the music in our lives, many would be left with nothing. The foundation of music is in its creation is collaboration, or sharing rather, which comes from loving one another, if one cannot share the love, one is doomed. That is what was destined for the Castillos brother. All they did this in music; they could not do this for each other. Rating: 8