Salsa und Amor

Lame plot and two-dimensional script made characters look like cardboard cut-outs. Needless to say, this made it difficult to feel empathy for any of the characters, especially the fiancé; He looked and acted more like a cartoon. In summary, I guess you could say it was on par with your typical made for TV drama. It uses just about every cliché in the book. The tortured classical musician who wants to break-out and play salsa. The free-spirited fiancée engaged to a "bean counter" personality she doesn't love. I won't list them or else it would be a spoiler because I'd be giving away the whole plot. The dancing was OK but nothing special. I've seen worse. 3 stars for good music. The band was really tight. I saw it on YouTube. Thankfully I didn't pay good money to see it at a theater. I'm still a little shocked at how many great reviews this movie has garnished.

After having red the overwhelming reviews this film got in my country, I but wanted to see it. But - what a disappointment! To see a bunch of one-dimensional characters in a plot that lacks of originality is not worth the money and the time to spend. I sometimes wonder about the filmcritics in switzerland.

"Salsa (2000)" gives you what it was designed for and what you should expect: Good music, good dancing and good fun.

It is not a pretentious movie at all. The story is simple but not obvious and also contains some interesting moments and twists. The acting is good and the music excellent (Yuri Buenaventura, Sierra Maestra, Ruben Gonzales). The dancing parts are not outstanding but certainly very enjoyable.

It's also a very cheerful and energising movie so it's perfect before going dancing.

Note that this "Salsa (2000)" is much better than "Salsa (1988)", which is boring, predictable and serious ; with some good dance sequences though.

By the way don't miss the delightful "A paradise under the stars" ("Un paraiso bajo las estrellas", CUBA 2000)

"Sala" is an excellent film!!! You must see it. It makes you feel so good. The music is great, the dance is greater! I recommend you to see it!!! All you need is salsa - the emotional, passionate and dynamic dance of Cuba!

"Salsa",directed by Luis Buñuel's daughter-in-law Joyce,is an unpretentious but pretty interesting and pleasant film. It's a story about a young and promising pianist who decides to devote his career to the Cuban salsa as he has fallen in love with this dance.He pretends to be a Cuban guy and organizes salsa lessons.Then he meets the beautiful Nathalie. Indeed,the story is simple but the films succeeds in matching romantic line, dances and comedy.Moreover,the actors are quite good and the songs are really nice.So the film gives you 100 cheerful minutes and the opportunity to learn more about the splendid culture of Latin America.