Notwithstanding the Pulitzer Prize pedigree of the Oscar Hijuelos novel and the New York art-world patina of first-time director Arne Glimcher, this is at best a nightclub-crawl through 1950s tropical kitsch, an affectation of (and a show of affection for) a style, a sense of style, a stylishness, a lifestyle, that calls to mind an Alan Rudolph at a faster tempo (ah, those Latin rhythms!) and a hotter temperature (those Latin passions!). The connoisseurship -- a two-tone sedan here, a one-piece swimsuit there -- is perhaps not unexpected from a director who is also an art dealer; nor, perhaps, is the sketchy evidence of any personal creative gift. The color, despite the collaboration of an outstanding cinematographer (Michael Ballhaus), often resembles an uncooked hot dog; the bleached-out flashbacks are pure bathos; and the sure-fire campiness of an appearance by Desi Arnaz (played by Desi, Jr.), and of the interweaving of old I Love Lucy footage in the manner of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, somehow fails to strike a spark. Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas. (1992) — Duncan Shepherd
This movie is not currently in theaters.