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Buena Vista Social Club

Play trailer Poster for Buena Vista Social Club G Released Jun 4, 1999 1h 41m Documentary Music Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 48 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
This documentary by lauded German filmmaker Wim Wenders follows renowned guitarist Ry Cooder and his son, Joachim, as they travel to Cuba and assemble a group of the country's finest musicians to record an album. Among the artists included in the project are singer Ibrahim Ferrer and pianist Rubén González, who are both interviewed and featured in studio footage. Eventually the ensemble travels to the United States to perform in front of rapt audiences.
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Buena Vista Social Club

Buena Vista Social Club

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Critics Consensus

A hopeful gesture of cultural outreach set to an irresistible soundtrack, Buena Vista Social Club is an enriching and zesty experience.

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Critics Reviews

View All (48) Critics Reviews
Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly Rated: B- Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Peter Stack San Francisco Chronicle Rated: 4/4 Jun 18, 2002 Full Review Globe and Mail Rated: 3.5/4 Mar 19, 2002 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com An impressionistic glance at Cuba's vibrant cultural heritage, Wim Wenders' Buena Vista Social Club is an often times intriguing portrait of notable musicians and their craft. Rated: 3/5 Sep 12, 2020 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com It is nearly impossible to watch this documentary without being moved. Rated: 3.5/4.0 Sep 4, 2020 Full Review Landon Palmer Nonfics Buena Vista Social Club resonates almost like a diplomatic effort that helped set the stage for a post-revolutionary relationship to Cuba, a rare meeting between neighbors after decades of distance. May 9, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (391) audience reviews
Irene Z unfortunately I missed tonight's show! for some reason I missed the date - I first saw the ad that said "Tuesday August 24" which was perfect for us. I never even looked at the date after that! I feel horrible that We missed it. I have their CD from long ago - before we visited Cuba1 Can I get a refund for my 2 tickets Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/23/23 Full Review Mason M The music is phenomenal, and the story is great, but this film is too badly made for me to really enjoy it. It takes way to long introducing characters and only gets into the plot in the last 20 minutes. It's just very bad at telling a good story. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/15/24 Full Review Dave S In the Wim Wenders documentary Buena Vista Social Club, American guitar virtuoso Ry Cooder travels to Havana with the intent of gathering Cuba’s most renowned musicians, most of them elderly and many of them forgotten, to create an album to showcase the country’s rich cultural heritage. Interspersed with live concert footage from Amsterdam and New York, the musicians briefly tell their life stories, most of which are remarkably inspiring, emphasizing the fact that they play for the love of their art, not for fame or fortune. Granted, those who don’t enjoy Cuban music may find the concert footage tedious at times, but the interviews and the glimpses into Cuban culture are consistently compelling. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/21/24 Full Review Harrison R Haven't seen it in 20 years but it was good and the music is great Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/22/23 Full Review Thomas M The best documentary movie ever made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/25/22 Full Review dustin d The Buena Vista Social Club is a charming musical documentary with great music and little slices of life from Cuba. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis This documentary by lauded German filmmaker Wim Wenders follows renowned guitarist Ry Cooder and his son, Joachim, as they travel to Cuba and assemble a group of the country's finest musicians to record an album. Among the artists included in the project are singer Ibrahim Ferrer and pianist Rubén González, who are both interviewed and featured in studio footage. Eventually the ensemble travels to the United States to perform in front of rapt audiences.
Director
Wim Wenders
Producer
Ulrich Felsberg, Deepak Nayar
Screenwriter
Wim Wenders
Distributor
Artisan Entertainment
Production Co
Kintop Pictures
Rating
G
Genre
Documentary, Music
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 4, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 18, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$7.0M
Runtime
1h 41m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround
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