Sunday, January 21, 2018

Papa Hemingway in Cuba (2015)

Plot: In 1959, a young journalist ventures to Havana to meet Ernest Hemingway, while the Cuban Revolution erupts around them.
Stars: Antonino Ribisi, Adrian Sparks

This movie got bad reviews, and despite being a great Hemingway fan, it deserves them.  Badly directed, slackly written and incredibly disjointed,  the movie is unfocused. Despite the title, its mostly about a dull young journalist and his marriage/career.  Hemingway is just a supporting player, and we get a few flat scenes about the Cuban Revolution.  

As for the acting: George C. Scott set the standard for Hemingway portrayals ( his character in Islands in the Stream is a thinly disguised Hemingway) but Sparks is well below that,  he looks the part but isn't charismatic or compelling. Ribisi is bland in an underwritten role.  However, the movie is nice to look at, and contains some classic 1950s Automobiles and great location shots of Cuba.  

Summary:  Should be renamed Ed Meyers in Cuba. A low-budget Lifetime movie of the week with some Hemingway on the side. Forgettable. 

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