Dirty Dancing
HAVANA NIGHTS

2004 ****1/2 87 mins.

I must admit that when I first heard about this film, I was more than a little bit leary of it. I mean, I really wanted to see it, but I really dreaded it. Why must Hollywood feel like it must make sequels to successful films such as Dirty Dancing?

In all honesty, I don't even call this a sequel to Dirty Dancing. This is a film in its own right. I mean, the only way it really is linked to the original is the fact that Patrick Swayze has a small part in it. This film is a fantastic, thoroughly enjoyable film that does not require its viewer to have seen the first film. In fact, even if you don't like the original, you can still love this one.

The main idea is still there, of course. A young girl goes to a new place, only to be confronted with the "dirty dancing" of the place. Passion and desire ensues, but this time, it is given the added element of the Cuban revolution background. The result is a fantastic motion picture experience that seems to have been wrongly overlooked.
Rated PG-13 for sensuality.