Papa Hemingway in Cuba

This true story about the relationship between journalist Denne Bart Petitclerc (Giovanni Ribisi) and legendary writer Ernest Hemingway (Adrian Sparks) takes place during the 1959 Cuban Revolution. While Hemingway's granddaughter, Mariel Hemingway gets a brief cameo, co-stars Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights), Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck) and Ribisi are left to fight to establish their place in the film. To blame here is Director Bob Yari ("Crash" 2004) and Editor Glen Scantlebury. With a beach scene between Hemingway, Mary and Denne incorrectly shot/edited (the beach shore can't be behind all of them) and scenes that stop and start, the already lackluster chemistry between the characters struggle. Even Writer Denne Bart Petitclerc's dialogue is choppy and weak, and this is his story. At least, Sparks does a nice job as Hemingway, providing something interesting to hang on to. I don't care if this is the first Hollywood film to be shot in Cuba since 1959, I need more here and didn't get it.

The creators of "Crash", "The Illusionist", and "The Painted Veil" have done it again. Their latest movie, "Papa", a labor of love that took over 4 years to get to the big screen, tremendous commitment and dedication, grabs you from the first scene. The movie opens with a seemingly innocent scene showing a small boy talking to his father. Unfortunately, the few carelessly words spoken by the man, will remain with the son the remainder of his life, a great lesson for us all, and one of a number within the movie if one pays attention. We then see the man as an adult, albeit an incomplete one. He is an outwardly successful and confident reporter in Miami, who is in a relationship with the perfect girl from the same newspaper. He has a secret though. For personal reasons, he idolizes Ernest Hemmingway, and has been struggling for years to perfect a letter which he has composed to the legend to thank him for writing the words that helped him learn to write and gave him his life's purpose. His stunning, but nosy girlfriend, played perfectly by actress Minka Kelly, sends his letter to the great man and this starts him on an incredible journey that will change all their lives. The letter must have been heartfelt and well written because Hemmingway calls and invites him to Cuba, and they develop a kinship. The movie is the first to be filmed in Cuba in 55 years, and stayed true to the times and place, shooting in Hemmingway's home, as well as Floridita, the Havana club he frequented. Authenticity was clearly important to the creators, as they even used Hemmingway's typewriter in the movie. As the movie progresses, one gains a giant glimpse of what life was in Cuba for those who lived there during that time period. We see the beauty as well as the ugliness. One also gains insight into Hemmingway's world, and what made him the man he was. We see how much beloved he was to the Cuban people, and his great love for them and the country. We see the introverted man who was often besieged by his fans and the public, a man tormented by the events he had witnessed in the war, during the revolution, as well as in his own past. We see a man who is a struggling writer, just trying to type out a few words each day, although, he clearly had more pressure than most. We see a man struggling with his day to day life not meeting his expectations, not unlike us all at times. We see a man struggling with depression and alcohol and the devastating effects of both. We are shown what makes him great, as well as what makes him human. One is reminded of the movie Crash in that both show we are not perfect as human beings. We all can do incredible things, as well as terrible things, and yet are neither all bad, nor or all good. Adrian Sparks plays Hemmingway, and truly seems to channel the man in portraying his extreme highs and lows. He is terrifying in scenes showing him as he loses his temper and self-control, and yet tender and loving to those he cares about in other scenes. His wife, played wonderfully by Joely Richardson, brings one further into his world and the challenges faced by those who loved the man. The movie does not shy away from showing how deeply depression and mental illness, as well as addiction impact those who struggle with such conditions, as well as all of those who care about them. The movie is gripping as it shows Hemmingway spiraling out of control and on edge, as well as the struggle of the Cuban people during the revolution, all as witnessed through the eyes of the "Kid", played by Giovanni Ribisi, who somehow manages to slip right into the time period and subtly and expertly captures the conservativeness of the time period and the perfect balance between confidence and insecurity as an adult who learns true humility and comes to be a man under the wing of a legend, who while a genius and larger than life, remains only human and still fallible like us all. Other notable performances include Shaun Toub and a cameo appearance by Mariel Hemmingway. The movie has a number of lessons, one of which is how we all determine our destiny via the choices we make. Do yourself a favor, and choose to see this true gem of a movie. You won't regret it.

"My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way." Ernest Hemingway

Apropos of Hemingway's minimalism, director Bob Yari's Papa Hemingway in Cuba features his life only at the beginning of the Cuban revolution in 1959 and the end of his powers as a writer and a lover. Although it is always difficult to imagine such a gifted man giving up on life, this film is explicit about his self perceptions and his delusions.

As played by look alike Adrian Sparks, Hemingway dismisses most other adults but is solicitous of a young writer/reporter, Ben Myers (Giovanni Ribisi), who has written to Hemingway and is subsequently invited to visit the manse in Cuba. Ben is really this screenwriter Denne Bart Peticlerc, who had the original experience with Hemingway.

While learning to fish from the master, Ben also learns of the trouble in paradise, beginning with family and moving from there to the feds. Although such discord often begets great writing, for neither writer does it provide much inspiration.

Not that Hemingway had it easy, for the FBI, the IRS, and seemingly the mob want a piece of the enormous celebrity known as Papa. Ben has his difficulties with his own absence from his love, Debbie (Minka Kelly), and inevitably incurs the wrath of the man himself for mistakenly thinking Ben is selling him out. By then, the genius was suspecting just about everyone.

As in recent bios of Chet Baker and Hank Williams, the abuses of these artists become clichéd, one for alcohol, another for drugs, another for womanizing, and the list goes on. Although Hemingway's story here walks the same path, few can match the splendor of his oeuvre.

I just enjoy being in his presence, and while no new territory, I am happy to be reminded that humans can achieve such a sublime state and yet be as flawed as I.

That's entertainment!

As with many who have written reviews, I am a Hemingway fan. This is a fabulous film in a tradition not seen often enough. Everyone else has said many good things about the film and they are true. What I would like to draw attention to is the story not told here. Denne's story.

There are hints dropped in the film and I am sure I didn't pick up on all of them. Why change his name? Not sure why "Ed", but Myers was his mother's maiden name. Ed is asked in the film, if he ever met found his parents. I believe (correct me if I am wrong) but he says his father died early of drink and he met his mother for about 10 minutes in Berkeley and indicates her reaction wasn't good. (She got a PhD, became a professor, and worked with handicapped children.) There is more there.

Denne goes on to be a quite successful screenwriter and was married to "Debbie" Elva for 21 years. (There is more than a little of Hemingway's leanness in screen writing.) When I saw the movie, I assumed it was made from a book and there would be more there. It wasn't. Denne did the screenplay. Denne did move to Ketchum and stayed close to Mary until her death. There is another story there.

In literature, there is a term called the "Hemingway Hero," which is essentially a set of noble traits and honorable qualities that the reader should aspire to, much like any character in an Ernest Hemingway novel. Every writer attempting to create this attribute will find that the qualities that make up a hero today compared to that of Hemingway's day are consistent and timeless. This idea of what makes a man a man, and living a life of "honor, courage and endurance in a world that is sometimes chaotic, often stressful, and always painful" will forever ring true to those in search of a deeper meaning of life. The Bob Yari-directed film Papa: Hemingway in Cuba, tells the true story of one man's relationship with the legendary writer Ernest Hemingway, and essentially starting his journey to find his own, literal, "Hemingway Hero".

"What do you say to the man who changed your life, and never even knew you?" Ed Myers (Giovanni Ribisi), a journalist at the Miami Herald in the 1950s, asks this question while struggling to find the words for a letter he plans to send to his idol, Ernest Hemingway (Adrian Sparks). Growing up an orphan during the depression, Myers' voice-over explanation reveals that he had always wanted to be a writer and an adventurer. His lack of family ties created a longing for someone to look up to, someone to be a father figure. He writes all of this and more in his letter, spilling his soul onto the page. Then, one day, Myers gets a life-changing phone call from the man himself, telling him how much he appreciated the letter and then asking him to travel to Cuba to spend time with him.

While the first third of the film tends to drag a bit slowly, it really comes alive when we follow Myers to Cuba and get to meet Hemingway. The atmosphere of the city and live music are electrifying, a juxtaposition to the man Hemingway had become by that point in his life. Myers quickly develops a closeness to Hemingway and his wife Mary (Joely Richardson), considering them the family he never had. However, their blissful life erupts into chaos as they immediately find themselves in the middle of the Cuban revolution.

The fact that this is a true story alone is worth watching, but probably the biggest selling point is that this is the first Hollywood film to be shot in Cuba in over 50 years. The authenticity of being able to shoot in the original locations including the bar El Floridito and Hemingway's actually home in Finca Vigia, which is now preserved as a national museum, is a fascinating thing to see. Possibly the coolest memento of all, though, is that the typewriter used in the film is Hemingway's original one.

Personally, a big fan of Hemingway myself, (I did name my dog Ernest after all), seeing this time period in his life is difficult as we all know the outcome of his losing battle with depression. It is a hard pill to swallow watching him stick a revolver in his mouth and beat his wife. For as beautiful the worlds he created in his books, the man we see on screen is a tortured artist that is struggling to see the purpose of his own life. Adrian Sparks captures both Hemingway's brilliance and demons in his performance, truly giving justice and respect to the late author.

As much as you become absorbed in Sparks' performance, there are moments that can take you out of the film. At times Ribisi comes off somewhat flat, for example, getting that initial call from his idol, Hemingway himself, he barely seems to muster up any excitement. Instead, it feels as if that scene may have been rehearsed one too many times and, by that take, he was just going through the motions. Another head scratching moment is how quickly the film jumps into some scenes without much setup. One moment, Myers is on the beach in Cuba, the next he's on the beach in Florida telling his girlfriend (Minka Kelly) about his trip to Cuba. It feels rushed, but at this point, we've become invested in these characters that we're along for the ride so we don't really care where we're going or how we get there.

Papa: Hemingway in Cuba is a stunning portrait of one of the greatest authors and storytellers of the 20th century. Bob Yari takes the biopic and breathes life into the genre just by the sheer amount of authentic details (like the shooting locations alone), plus this inspiring and true story of one man's search for the meaning of life is something we can all relate to. Bonus- Keep an eye out for a quick cameo from Ernest's granddaughter Mariel Hemingway.

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