Dreyfuss and Julia at their best
Added 10/29/2009
First of all, the movie is GREAT! Richard Dreyfuss and Raul Julia are superb! I think Dreyfuss is a truly unrated actor of both drama (Mr. Holland's Opus) and comedy (this flick, What About Bob?, etc.). As for Raul Julia his talent was barely being exploited before his untimely death.
Get this flick...it is awesome...and funny...especially when they store the dictator's body in the freezer!
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Comedic Drama
Added 4/11/2009
Just what roles does actor Jack Noah(Richard Dreyfuss)seek? A set of circumstances give him a chance to act the role of his life - Parador's facist dictator consumes too much alcohol and drops dead just the day before the national elections; the Chief of Police(Raul Julia) asks him to assume the role of president, under the threat of death. His confidence grows with each speech; but, more so with the personal support of the dead leader's mistress(Sonia Brago)who is a supporter of Parador's downtrodden masses. Then guerrilla fighters strike and Jack decides that he might just move on to a more rewarding role.
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Well worth the money.
Added 4/3/2009
I just watched the DVD again after having watched it several times before.It is one of those films that even though I have seen it still makes me laugh. I would encourage anyone to give it a try.
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Moon Over Parador
Added 2/28/2009
Could this really happen in a banana republic? Who knows, but the movie was very entertaining. I had seen this movie years before and was glad to find it in Amazon.com. I'll be viewing from time to time again.
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Waning MOON
Added 10/13/2008
Twenty years ago, at the time MOON OVER PARADOR was released, my then wife and I were subletting a room to a female graduate student who had spent a lot of time in South America. Well, she caught this film--which was admittedly not high on my list at the time--and came home spouting her indignation over its "stereotypical treatment" of Latin Americans and cliche notions of South American politics. My reaction: Hmm, probably right, but still sort of a tempest in teapot.
I suppose the reason that it sticks in my memory is that she brought it up more than once. Had it been a film that was doing a lot of box office, it might have been more of an issue. At the very least, her comments weren't enough to make we rush out and check it out for myself. From what I knew of the film, it seemed pretty formulaic. And hadn't Woody Allen covered that ground with his classic BANANAS.?
Still it seems quite remarkable that this (then) young woman's vituperative comments about the film have stuck in my mind lo these many years--enough so that when I saw the film on sale in VHS format for a ridiculously low price (hey, it WAS VHS and besides the store was closing), I decided to pick it up and see just what had upset her so much.
Well, she certainly had a point--or two or three. The stereotypes are pretty broad. On the other hand, precisely because they are CLEARLY stereotypes, it seems doubtful that any intelligent viewer will come away from the film with severe misconceptions about South American politics or cultures. And since the country in question is clearly fictional (Parador, being a "comically" clumsy amalgam of Paraguay and Ecuador, but not really understood to be either), you might ask, what's the harm? You might even decide that the film--if it has any theme at all--is really about corruption WHEREVER it exists. In this film, the politicians are, predictably, either Machiavellian or just completely out of touch. But it's not as though the political admixture of ineptness and corruption were unknown in this country, after all. Raul Julia is no more sinister in this movie than, say, Frank Langella was in the similarly (identically?) themed DAVE a few years later. And as viewers will recall, that film took place in the good old US of A.
If MOON OVER PARADOR is not a truly bigoted film (as my housemate asserted), it is also not really sharp enough a satire to make much of a statement at all--be it about Latin American politics, corruption as part of the human condition or just about anything else.
That's unfortunate since the film's strong cast and its noted director, Paul Mazursky, would seem to promise more than the film wound up delivering. It does give Richard Dreyfuss yet another chance (after GOODBYE GIRL) to be an actor playing an actor--an occasion that almost by definition allows one to be as hammy as you wanna be. You gotta hand it to him. He makes the most of it.
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One of the best remakes.........
Added 10/22/2009
From the opening scene to the final credits, an outstanding Movie based on the WWII Spencer Tracy Classic, "A Guy Named Joe." "Always," does what a great movie is supposed to do. It makes you laugh and it makes you cry. That's Entertainment.
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Wonderfully Romantic
Added 10/2/2009
Always is a wonderfully romantic aviation film. The aviation and macho goodies will mildly appeal to most men but it is likely not enough for them to overly enjoy it on those small bits alone. Romantics and sentimental types will love it but I got to warn most men this is decidedly a "chick flick". If readers are wooing a sentimental sweety this is the film for you! Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter are magical together. So believable as the romantic couple whom death cannot even separate. Supporting cast also features John Goodman and the legendary Audrey Hepburn in her final role. English subtitled for the hearing impaired made this even better loved in my home.
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Excellent movie
Added 10/2/2009
I have "always" loved this movie and couldn't find it in stores. So....went to Amazon to find it so I could have my own copy. Thanks for offering this.
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