Bossa Nova (2000)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

I just recommended Bossa Nova to a friend. I have to agree with other user comments that there is not a deep plot, however this is a movie for all your senses. If you like Bossa Nova music, you won't be disappointed. One of my favorite albums of all time is Getz/ Gilberto. This movie satisfies the ears with Girl from Ipanema and Corcovado, both found on the Getz/Gilberto album. Other Bossa Nova favorites in this movie are Wave and One Note Samba. If you like the Portuguese language, again you won't be disappointed. I was very curious about Amy Irving and her ability to speak this foreign language. Was she dubbed or did she learn it? She sounded authentic. Bossa Nova is also a feast for the eyes. Much like Enchanted April is a virtual trip to Italy, this movie takes you to Brazil. If you have been waiting to go to Rio but won't be going any time soon, this is your chance to get a virtual Rio experience. This movie was for me about the atmosphere of the place, not the typical movie experience. Bossa Nova is definitely worth seeing from your couch or comfy chair!

This movie exploits the beauty of Rio's beaches and the idea that people around the globe has about them. And I love that. It's also light as long as there aren't big dramas exposed at its highest notes. The teacher has already lost her husband, the lawyer doesn't care too much for her ex-wife (in spite of he appeared drunk at the start of the movie), and his father is about lo loose a dispute with his last wife. An even all characters look like they feel comfortable and unstressed. (That might be what pisses some people off, as they consider the movie is contributing to what they argue is a misconception of the reality of the city).Listen to the soundtrack. A great number of light weighted bossa nova themes drop in throughout the movie just like a CD track after another, even surpassing the number of those who have been gathered for the soundtrack CD. Listen to the sea tides sounds. There's practically no moment in the picture that you don't hear them. Watch the wind moving trees, bushes and also penetrating the rooms turned into soft breezes. Watch the bright sun light surrounding offices and appartments, all of them sharing the same beautiful sea view.What the female characters and you'll notice that all of them aren't a romantic cliche by themselves. But they do aspire to cliche livestyles, and that forces you to look into their personas, just to discover how adorable they surprisingly come up to be.I would've liked to have seen this movie with a Frozen Lemonade and a pair of sunglasses. The experience is the same. If you are generous to take into account a cute and easy going story with some contemporary moral common places, give this movie a chance, and maybe you'll be among those of us who think that no matter its lightness, this picture deserves a place between cult movies.

Warning: All cynics should avoid this movie like the plague!!! Full of contrivances and cliches, ridden with all the typical plot elements of any kind of ensemble romance piece, this film on the outset seems like nothing new. But there's just something about it I couldn't let go of-maybe it was the beautiful Rio de Janeiro backdrop that this film is set against. Maybe it's the opportunity to see Amy Irving once again in all her glory. I don't know which, but the lady should definitely be in more movies, especially in ones where her husband directs her and therefore gives her the best role and makes her the most sympathetic in the film. Irving stars as Mary Ann Simpson, an English teacher in Rio who teaches classes by night and private students by day. Across the hall from her classes is the shop of an elderly tailor, whose lawyer son Pedro Paulo (Antônio Fagundes) is helping his father get out of an alimony fix that involves a much younger wife. One night Pedro Paulo runs into our heroine on the elevator, and love at first sight is born. Right away he forgets about Tania, the ex-wife (Débora Bloch) he was having trouble letting go of, and goes after this mysterious new woman in his life. Along the sidelines there are plots that involve Irving's student Nadine (Drica Moraes) and her online romance with a SoHo artist `Gary', and another regarding the lawyer's intern Sharon (Giovana Antonelli) and her romance with both her boss' brother Roberto and the famous soccer player Acacio (Alexandre Borges), who also happens to be taking private English lessons from Mary Ann. All these lines cross and meet and even out in perfect form, and yet somehow at its most typical the film manages to be at its most enjoyable, possibly because Barreto has such a good time entertaining his audience that one can't help but dive right in. Worth a good look.

"Bossa Nova" has lots of great shots of Rio de Janerio, and lots of pretty actors, and a soundtrack that combines old and new bossa nova tunes. Unfortunately that's about all it has going for it.The film is about the romance between an American woman who teaches English to the wealthy and her corporate lawyer student who bears a striking resemblance to Marcello Mastroianni. Both of them are supposed to be in their early to mid-forties.The age aspect is one problem I have with this film. I'm not against middle-age romance on film, but it's just so obvious that Antonio Fagundes is closer to fifty.Another problem I have is with Amy Irving's acting skills. At times, it's obvious she's reading straight off a cue card. Good actors never let us see them working.But the biggest complaint I have about this film is the plot, or rather the lack thereof. The film is filled with lots of confusing little subplots, some of which never resolve themselves. This, I guess, is to distract the audience from the fact that the main plot is so threadbare.Many American critics have praised this film. This is largely, I believe, because it is not an American film and was not bankrolled by a major Hollywood studio. However, I always use the same barometer to judge a film, regardless of its origin or pedigree. I give this film the same criticism I would give to a film such as "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" or "The Horse Whisperer": It's beautiful to look at, but once you get past the scenery and the actors' looks, there's not much left. I give this film a 6 out of 10.