Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights

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Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights

PG-13

Released Feb 27, 2004

1h 26m

Romance

Drama

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23%

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107 Reviews

73%

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250,000+ Ratings

American high-school student Katey (Romola Garai) moves with her wealthy parents (Sela Ward, John Slattery) to Cuba in 1958. She encounters Javier (Diego Luna), a poor local who works as a waiter, and soon a relationship blossoms between them. At a nightclub, Javier teaches Katey the nuances of Cuban dance, which becomes her passion. As the young lovers grow closer, Fidel Castro suddenly rises to power. When her parents decide to flee to the United States, Katey must make a difficult choice.

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Critics Consensus

Cheesy, unnecessary remake.

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David Ansen

Newsweek

This sweet, sometimes clunky chick flick is a likable teen romance, but not likely to arouse the giddy swoons Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey generated back in '87.

Mar 13, 2018

Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Bad movie, lame plot, poor acting. Don't bother.

Rated: 1/5

Dec 22, 2010

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Empire Magazine

Rated: 2/5

Apr 1, 2006

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Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

A horribly routine star-crossed romance job with none of the spunk or humanity that made its oh-so-better forebear a generational classic.

Rated: 4/10

Jul 30, 2012

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Kevin Carr

Fat Guys at the Movies

It challenges its audience to ask questions, namely, 'Why?' Why was this movie even made?

Rated: 1.5/5

Dec 6, 2005

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Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Aside from the triteness of the dialogue, the mathematical predictability of the script and the muddling of numbskulled politics, DD: HN is a fairly enjoyable experience.

Rated: B-

Jan 27, 2005

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R 9

'Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights' is surprisingly watchable. I was expecting a rather tame and boring return to the world of 'Dirty Dancing', though it actually produces a fine dance romance flick. Of course compared to the excellent and far superior original it is a downgrade, but for what it is I had a decent time watching. Romola Garai and Diego Luna have solid enough chemistry onscreen, while John Slattery offers firm support. Sela Ward is alright, not helped by how the makers chose to portray her character - Jeannie becomes quite irredeemable at one point, with the film's attempts to 'fix' that totally failing to convince. That's about it for cast positives, though it was neat to see a familiar face from the 1987 flick appear. The dance and Cuban revolution parts of the story don't mesh amazingly, a bit forced perhaps, but all in all I'd say they just narrowly made it work. I will say the dancing numbers and soundtrack aren't as good as they could've/should've been, yet I did still appreciate a few bits of music: the intro piece and the use of Wyclef Jean's 'Dance Like This', I never knew until now that that latter track was the original of Shakira's 'Hips Don't Lie' - you learn something new every day!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/29/24

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Andre G

I liked the dancing and was surprised that Patrick was in this but that's about it. The storyline was dumb and they didn't even finish there routine for the contest. So it was a pretty pointless movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/04/23

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steve d

It is predictable but heartfelt and the dancing is great. It is not the original by any means but it does not try to be.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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anne b

I normally agree with critics, but in this case I think they're way off base. The film is fun, colourful and vibrant. It has a cute story that is elevated by the really great setting, costumes, music, dancing and a dreamy Diego Luna.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

A very Stiff dance movie lacking cultural rhythm!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/10/21

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Audience Member

I thought it was good overall and brought some flavour of the Cuban culture including Dancing. interesting to see Patrick Swayze make an appearance here as Dance instructor.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

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Guy Ferland

Director

Diego Luna

Javier Suarez

Romola Garai

Katey Miller

Sela Ward

Jeannie Miller

John Slattery

Bert Miller

Jonathan Jackson

James Phelps

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Synopsis

American high-school student Katey (Romola Garai) moves with her wealthy parents (Sela Ward, John Slattery) to Cuba in 1958. She encounters Javier (Diego Luna), a poor local who works as a waiter, and soon a relationship blossoms between them. At a nightclub, Javier teaches Katey the nuances of Cuban dance, which becomes her passion. As the young lovers grow closer, Fidel Castro suddenly rises to power. When her parents decide to flee to the United States, Katey must make a difficult choice.

Director: Guy Ferland
Producer: Lawrence Bender, Sarah Green
Screenwriter: Boaz Yakin, Victoria Arch
Distributor: Artisan Entertainment, Miramax Films, Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Havana Nights LLC, Miramax Films, Lawrence Bender Productions, A Band Apart
Rating: PG-13 (Sensuality)
Genre: Romance, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 27, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 14, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.1M
Runtime: 1h 26m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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