Salsa

I do recommend watching this movie with an open mind and not expecting anything but silly fun. It's a guilty pleasure kind of movie.

While this movie is pure 80's cheese the dance sequences and the soundtrack to this film are without a doubt the best things about this. The plot line is a bit predictable and some of the acting is laughable but this movie is all about the dancing and if you were a fan of movies like dirty dancing and lambada be sure to give this one a go as you will not be disappointed with the dance sequences. The soundtrack is awesome if you like Latin music and Robby Rosa's song Under my skin is quite good so too are Margarita and Puerto Rico. Unfortunately this film could not piggy back off the success of Dirty Dancing but it is still a film that you should see if like I said earlier you are a fan of Latin music and dance films. The final 10-15 minutes is really good viewing and while my rating of 7 might be a bit generous it is simply because I am a big fan of Latin music and do like a lot of the dance orientated films no matter how cheesy they are.

This movie is very Latino (like me), but unfortunately it has little substance in it. The only virtue i find in a movie like this is the (evident) enthusiasm, the lively, energetic approach, the depiction of the youth culture in the late 80s, a reminder of (very probably) happier times than nowadays.

The acting is not that bad; i guess the actors didn't have much to work with...concerning that shallow script. There are, here and there, a few well made romantic, well meaning scenes, but overall the film lacks dramatic weight (and what should i expect from a movie named "Salsa"?) Anyway, it was always nice to see/listen to some salsa stars like Celia Cruz and Willie Colón, plus the good looking ladies and the (most of the time) cheerfulness of it all. On the poignant side, Rodney Harvey also stars here, a promising actor with a sad fate...(4/10)

Some really dynamic music and surprisingly effective 1989 level teen romance are just some of the enjoyable parts of this awful Golan Globus production from Cannon Films, the LA/ Israeli based exploitation outfit that simply made D grade knock offs of whatever other hit films there were in cinemas the previous year. In this case DIRTY DANCING from 1988.

The roster of SALSA guest artists is surprising and the Salsa numbers quite dynamic in their Latin way. Talented boy-band dude Bobby Rosa clearly was the indecent obsession of someone at Cannon as he is lust-filmed to the point of near nude as often as possible (especially in the opening ten minutes... (I thought I had the wrong DVD playing)..... We even have a garish nightclub with an orchestra - lots of pink neon and glass blocks -and it's a place frequented by Aunties and their husbands, mum and li'l sisters... a real family affair, as is the whole film... even with backyard parties in the afternoon. It offers a real good look at suburban 1989 Los Angeles... which is interesting in itself.

Occasionally Golan Globus accidentally made something that was actually good (eg RUNAWAY TRAIN) ... and I am very sad to say that today in 2007 this film is rendered quite emotional because of the charming and effervescent appearance of talented 20 year old Rodney Harvey in one of his few good roles before his terrible drug death in 1997. I have seen the string of mug shots of Rodney in decline from sparkling teen to gaunt ghost ...they were printed in Premiere magazine years ago in a run of shots 1-10 showing just his arrested image in horrifying shrivel as his heroin addiction rotted his handsome young face. You can also see him in GUN CRAZY and MY PRIVATE IDAHO. Absolutely tragic. His family and friends must just be grief-stricken still if they see his films today.

I was also reminded by SALSA a lot of the Oz film STRICTLY BALLROOM which was made 4 years later. Some sequences from SALSA are clearly reformatted into STRICTLY, especially the billboard dancing scene. Hmmmmmm.

Oh, dear... Robby Rosa?? No, no, no. How DO these things happen?! CANNOT sing, CANNOT act (worse than his singing, mind you). The story isn't so bad and I think Rodney Harvey's handsome appearance in this film is what you're more likely to remember! There's plenty of Salsa in here to help keep you interested. Not anywhere near a 4-star film, but if you like this type of music, it should be fun for you. Robby Rosa came from the pre-pubescent Latino group, Menudo. (God help us all.) Rodney Harvey had been a Calvin Klein model who later passed away rather young (God rest his soul.) Sexy ladies are in here, too. If you're feeling the music and and you appreciate the dance, you'll probably have a good time with SALSA.