Rating: Summary: Blame It On Rio Review: Title: "Blame It On Rio" Released: 1984 Rated: R Running Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes Directed by: Stanley Donen Starring: Michael Caine (Matthew Hollins), Joseph Bologna (Victor Lyons), Michelle Johnson (Jennifer Lyons), Demi Moore (Nicole Hollins), Valerie Harper (Karen Hollins) Funny, pleasant remake of the 1977 French film "One Wild Moment", stars Caine as middle-aged father figure coping with recent crises in his marriage to Harper while vacationing in Rio de Janeiro with his daughter (Moore) and best friend (Bologna). Former model Johnson plays Bologna's teen daughter who also is along for the trip. Set against the backdrop of near tropical paradise Rio, this movie follows the affair that devlops between Caine and the much younger Johnson after she seduces him. Caine then spends the rest of the film trying to break it off with the sexy Johnson while attempting to build up nerve to tell the temperamental Bologna before the secret is revealed. Caine gives a typically great performance while Johnson, who's acting abilities are limited, more than makes up for her presence by her numerous nude scenes. Bologna is good as the playboy father who just happens to be going through a divorce himself. Moore has a limited role and it is obvious from her semi-topless scene on the beach that she had a long way to go before becoming comfortable with these kinds of scenes (i.e. "Striptease"). Harper has relatively few scenes but gives a good performance as Caine's strong minded wife. This movie was produced and directed by Stanley Donen of "Singin' In The Rain" fame. It was shot on location in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and features a decent soundtrack as well as a catchy (though not overly great) title tune. The movie is partially narrated by Caine and Johnson a la the narration style in "When Harry Met Sally". I would recommend this film for those wanting a pleasant diversion for a couple of hours. Caine fans will also enjoy it as will those wishing to see Johnson bare it all.
Rating: Summary: Blame it on the Actors, Writers, Director et al. Review: Unfunny and sordid tale about an aging man (Michael Caine)who goes down to Rio and has an affair with his best friend's (Joseph Bolognna) teenage daughter, played by Michelle Johnson. Most of this mess fails to find any laughs and how any characters with any sense of decency could stoop this low. Of course, this could be a statement about the general lack of morality in Hollywood where a babysitter one day becomes a wife the next. Valerie Harper and Demi Moore have decent, if undersued roles. Caine, of course, has gotten much better roles in recent years. These days though, the only attraction in this movie is to see Michelle Johnson, who is now Michelle Williams, wife of Matt Williams of the World Series winning Arizona Diamondbacks. Hope she is set for life so she never has to dig this low for a role again.
Rating: Summary: Michael Caine, unsung king of comedy? Review: When (1984) I saw BLAME IT ON RIO at the movies I laughed my head off. Ten years later I rented the videotape and did not crack up as much. But both times Michael Caine's comic acting abilities impressed me. For someone not thought of as a funny-man, Michael Caine's delivered killer laughs in a number of comedies. If you like him in BLAME IT ON RIO, seek out a forgetten comic gem called WITHOUT A CLUE, which is as hilarious as any flick I've seen. (One video store displayed it in the Mystery section, so even some industry people don't know it.) Father-daughter played by Joseph Bologna and Michelle Johnson take zany turns going at it with Caine in BLAME IT ON RIO. The idea of a teenage girl seducing an adult (her father's best friend, no less) could upset you, but the actors manage to make it funny. See BLAME IT ON RIO, and while you're at it, look for WITHOUT A CLUE.
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