Smile Orange (1976)
At a Jamaican beach hotel, super-slick waiter and self-professed "stud" Ringo works the angles (and there are many) on the ever-presents knots of unsuspecting, trusting tourists. Hey, all's fair in love and business … especially when you're continuously on the hustle, like Ringo.
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It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Although this movie might in some respects be considered politically incorrect today, it is quite funny in the context of the era in which it was written - some 30 years ago. Compared to a number of more recent movies coming out of Jamaica, the acting and directing are certainly of better quality. This alone is amazing, given the advances that have been made in film-making since the time Smile Orange was made.Certainly, for anyone who is Jamaican, grew up or lived in Jamaica, visited Jamaica or interacted with Jamaicans in any way, the humour of this movie is hard to miss. At the same time, there were a few continuity problems and, in some respects, the film comes across as being somewhat amateur. However, it is quite nostalgic for people over a 'certain age' and overall is fairly humorous, which I think, was the intention. I'd love to see a remake!
I actually found it a very sad film. All the humiliations Jamaicans have to go through just in order to feed their families. Enormously stupid and arrogant American guests (I wouldn't want to have my holidays among such folks!). Beer drinking competition and crab races as "entertainment". And Jamaicans really believe that they are "free"??? And that the Cubans are not? I have had holidays in Cuba. All the staff who work with tourists, have dignity and self-respect because they won't starve if they don't please the morons with money. And the entertainment includes salsa lessons and Spanish courses. I would not want to be on holidays in Jamaica after seeing this film (poor waiter who had to sleep with that old fat cow!)and I do sincerely feel sorry for the Jamaican people who are very talented and friendly and certainly deserve better than serving a bunch of idiots.