Cuban Fury

"Very Good"

Cuban Fury Review


This is the kind of British rom-com that sneaks up on you when you least expect it and leaves you with a huge smile on your face at the end. It's not particularly clever or sharp, but it's packed with terrific moments that grow on us. And the characters are particularly engaging, making far more of the film than its one-joke gimmick: fat man dances salsa.

Nick Frost plays Bruce, a chubby office worker who was a salsa champion as a child but turned his back on dance after some nasty bullying. Now he learns that his sexy new American boss Julia (Jones) is studying salsa herself, and her flirty manner suggests she might be interested, against the odds. Especially since swaggering office rival Drew (O'Dowd) is after her. So with the encouragement of his sister Sam (Colman), Bruce looks up his old mentor (McShane) and gets to work. His fellow lonely-hearts pals (Kinnear and Plester) think he's nuts, but encourage him. And he finds an unlikely ally in over-eager fellow dance student Bejan (Novak).

Both predictable and rather implausible, the plot certainly isn't what holds our attention here. It's the colourful people on-screen, each played to perfection by a gifted cast. Frost holds the film together with a lively performance that's surprisingly never played as a comedy of embarrassment (he can actually dance). Jones is clearly having a ball, even if generating any real chemistry with Frost eludes her, while Colman lights up the screen in a small role. And the shameless scene-stealers are O'Dowd, as a sleazy low-life straight from The Office, and especially Novak in one of those side-roles that becomes a comedy icon. We want to see a spin-off about him.

All of this gets off to a relatively slow start, with few laughs and only mildly amusing situations, but as the story progresses it gets a lot funnier and ultimately shamelessly crowd-pleasing. By the end, this is the kind of feel-good comedy we long to see every weekend: undemanding but genuinely endearing. And it might give us a flicker of hope that, even if we've given up on our childhood dreams, it could be worth giving things another go. There's certainly no reason to just sit around being lonely: get out there and tango!

Watch 'Cuban Fury' Trailer



Cuban Fury

Facts and Figures

Genre: Comedy

Run time: 98 mins

In Theaters: Friday 11th April 2014

Box Office USA: $90.3k

Distributed by: eOne

Production compaines: Big Talk Productions

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 3.5 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 51%
Fresh: 43 Rotten: 42

IMDB: 6.2 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director: James Griffiths

Producer: James Biddle,

Starring: as Drew, as Ron Parfitt, as Julia, as Bruce, Rory Kinnear as Gary, as Sam, Ben Radcliffe as Young Bruce, Isabella Steinbarth as Young Sam, as Security Guard Kevin, as Helen

Contactmusic


Links


New Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

Advertisement
The Disaster Artist Movie Review

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End  Movie Review

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews