Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful
Review: I loved this film. It is beautifully made with rich colors and textures and beautiful scenery, and of course the music. All together a sensuous experience and a lovely story. Very personal and sincere.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to Rio
Review: I really liked this movie! It so very well captures Rio De Janeiro and the characters and bits and pieces of the carioca here and there. There's great cinematography and the characters are all (well, almost all) very likeable. What I like is that it is a positive portrayal of Rio.The story is really about moving forward in life and keeping an open mind, and that sometimes destiny has a way of playing tricks on you - for better and for worse. Amy Irving stars as the English teacher who struggles to let go of her husband who passed away - yet desires to be swept off of her feet. Her wish is granted when she least expects it when Pedro Paulo, a charismatic lawyer, and her meet. From then, you see how their lives intertwine directly and indirectly from their friends to students to associates on an adventure. Some don't understand how a part-time teacher can live in such a nice place in Rio. You can sort of assume that Amy Irving's character's husband has insurance, maybe had a house at one point and she was well taken care of when she sold it all to "get away", perhaps by moving to Brazil and teaching English. Enjoyable movie! You have to watch it more than once though to capture a couple of the hidden coincidences that occur. Like the opening scene, for example. And the coincidence between Acacio, who is labelled a "mercenary" by his countrymen for his decision to play in England and the foreign corporate lawyer. And even the differences between Pedro Paulo his brother are fun to catch. Pick this up, pop it in, think about nothing and be taken to Rio... and if you like the flow of this movie (and the bossa nova soundtrack), you'd probably also like "Next Stop Wonderland".
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to Rio
Review: I really liked this movie! It so very well captures Rio De Janeiro and the characters and bits and pieces of the carioca here and there. There's great cinematography and the characters are all (well, almost all) very likeable. What I like is that it is a positive portrayal of Rio. The story is really about moving forward in life and keeping an open mind, and that sometimes destiny has a way of playing tricks on you - for better and for worse. Amy Irving stars as the English teacher who struggles to let go of her husband who passed away - yet desires to be swept off of her feet. Her wish is granted when she least expects it when Pedro Paulo, a charismatic lawyer, and her meet. From then, you see how their lives intertwine directly and indirectly from their friends to students to associates on an adventure. Some don't understand how a part-time teacher can live in such a nice place in Rio. You can sort of assume that Amy Irving's character's husband has insurance, maybe had a house at one point and she was well taken care of when she sold it all to "get away", perhaps by moving to Brazil and teaching English. Enjoyable movie! You have to watch it more than once though to capture a couple of the hidden coincidences that occur. Like the opening scene, for example. And the coincidence between Acacio, who is labelled a "mercenary" by his countrymen for his decision to play in England and the foreign corporate lawyer. And even the differences between Pedro Paulo his brother are fun to catch. Pick this up, pop it in, think about nothing and be taken to Rio... and if you like the flow of this movie (and the bossa nova soundtrack), you'd probably also like "Next Stop Wonderland".
Rating: 
Summary: Very good Movie
Review: I saw this movie in Rio and there was no English subtitles and my Portuguese was limited. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it even more. This is a movie good for men/women so not necessary a "chick flick". For those of us who love Rio, City of Marvelous, the movie captures the spirit and scenary well.
Rating:
Summary: Rio As It Should Be
Review: I was an English teacher in Brazil so this film resonated with me-how I wish I could have afforded a large apartment in Arpoador! The film is a classic romantic comedy in the American style, which is the only quibble I had with it. It seemed to me that they were explicitly trying to appeal to the American market and that left me feeling that there was something dishonest at the core of the film. Nevertheless, taken on its own terms it is very pleasant with characters one can easily identify with. Its view of Rio, as a city reminiscent of Honolulu, is laugh-inducing to anyone who has lived there but still serves the film well. When the soccer player left his brand new expensive sports car in the street, without a brigade of bodyguards to watch over it, I gasped involuntarily but soon got over it. I sound critical of Rio but really I loved it and this film evokes the best of it without getting bogged down in irrelavant social commentary.
Rating:
Summary: FUN! FUN! FUN! and FUNNY!
Review: If you like off beat comedies with an international flavor, you'll love this movie. I saw it three times in one week and it kept me laughing. Mary Ann is an American widow teaching English in Rio de Janeiro. She rediscovers love with Pedro Paulo, a Brazilian lawyer. Although their love story is at the center of this film, the other characters that are intertwined in the plot make BOSSA NOVA worthy of its namesake. Like the musical genre, the movie has many layers: at the forefront, it is very sweet and simple and underneath, there is a variety of sounds and rhythms that lends it its complexity. And when its all over, it just leaves you with a wonderful free feeling. I especially enjoyed the comedy between Acacio, the soccer star and his sidekick/manager Gordo. Just hearing them trying to speak words in English, the good ones and the bad ones, with their thick Brazilian accent is worth the 20 bucks. Yet as a lover of real bossa nova, I gotta say the soundtrack is pretty weak with only modern covers of great bossa nova classics. But all in all, this is a great film and you should buy a copy of it now because you'll definately be watching it more than once.
Rating:
Summary: Saudades!
Review: If you've been to Rio, the visuals of this film will bring it all back for you; if you're familiar with Brasilian television programs, you'll recognize the storytelling style; and if you've lived in Brasil, expect to feel saudades -- for the people, the culture, the fabric of life and living. A small video treasure.
Rating:
Summary: Bossa heaven
Review: Let me just add that I have never come out of a cinema feeling happier than when I saw Bossa Nova at the London Film Festival last summer. As funny as 'Some Like it Hot', and more romantic.
Rating:
Summary: So What If It's Not the Real Rio De Janeiro?
Review: Maybe it's not the "real" Rio, but it's certainly the one tourists with American dollars are interested in, and so that works for me! I thought this was a good film. It reminded me of the Stanley Donen film, "Charade" with Antonio Fagundes a Brazilian Cary Grant, and while Amy is no Audrey, their chemistry was superb. The young soccer star's character was hilarious. Cinematography is vibrant, like that in the movie "Frida". The music is out-of-this-world. The whole thing is like a delicious meal with yellow corn tortillas, red tomatoes green chilies on a blue stoneware plate: visually and physically satisfying. Closed captioning doesn't get in the way for a change; in fact, there are passages where CC and subtitling work together well, because the languages interchange frequently. Students of Portuguese like me who are not used to hearing the spoken language will learn a lot from this movie. A major annoyance: during the audio commentary by husband and wife Amy Irving and Bruno Barreto, the movie's audio track goes out of sync with the video track. This irritated me a lot, and this quality glitch loses it a star. The main movie track was fine. Look for young Max Spielberg and his brother Gabriel Barreto for a cameo. In the meantime, I'm going to see if Amazon.com has this soundtrack!
Rating:
Summary: So What If It's Not the Real Rio De Janeiro?
Review: Maybe it's not the "real" Rio, but it's certainly the one tourists with American dollars are interested in, and so that works for me! I thought this was a good film. It reminded me of the Stanley Donen film, "Charade" with Antonio Fagundes a Brazilian Cary Grant, and while Amy is no Audrey, their chemistry was superb. The young soccer star's character was hilarious. Cinematography is vibrant, like that in the movie "Frida". The music is out-of-this-world. The whole thing is like a delicious meal with yellow corn tortillas, red tomatoes green chilies on a blue stoneware plate: visually and physically satisfying. Closed captioning doesn't get in the way for a change; in fact, there are passages where CC and subtitling work together well, because the languages interchange frequently. Students of Portuguese like me who are not used to hearing the spoken language will learn a lot from this movie. A major annoyance: during the audio commentary by husband and wife Amy Irving and Bruno Barreto, the movie's audio track goes out of sync with the video track. This irritated me a lot, and this quality glitch loses it a star. The main movie track was fine. Look for young Max Spielberg and his brother Gabriel Barreto for a cameo. In the meantime, I'm going to see if Amazon.com has this soundtrack!
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