1992 Directed by Arne Glimcher
The Mambo Kings tells the story of César and Nestor Castillo, brothers and aspiring musicians who flee from Cuba to America in search of the American Dream.
Happy 60th Birthday to Antonio Banderas (Part 3) 🎂❤️👑
Even without having read the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos, I can tell that the big-screen adaptation The Mambo Kings is an attempt to flatten many plot points and character developments into a compact 104-minute runtime. Oftentimes the saga of Cuban brothers Cesar (Armand Assante) and Nestor Castillo (Antonio Banderas), who leave Havana in 1952 to find musical success in the US, comes across as Hollywoodized gloss, to the point that the acting is as broadly drawn as the worst "gee whiz!" kind in Broadway musicals. What saves the film is the excellent performance by Banderas, appearances by Latin music legends Tito Puente…
I can't say I was blown away by the plot or anything, but this is a film where the production, lead actors and music make it worth watching.
Assante and Banderas are good together, and it seemed like they were true brothers. I'm quite sure they did all their own singing and instrument playing, so it felt real. I just wish the supporting ladies got more to do.
I loved the bit they did with the I LOVE LUCY footage.
A stylish, hot story with appropriately smouldering work by Assante and especially Banderas. Great production design and a perfect Oscar-nominated ballad, "Beautiful Maria of My Soul". Widely under seen.
Works solely on the basis of it's charismatic lead actors, production design and soundtrack
Aww man this movie got me in the end!
What a sad tale of lost love and missed opportunities!
I’m not going to spoil anything cause I think it’s worth the watch! There’s definitely a lesson on love and the heart in this one that’s worth the watch.
Watched with my Momma 🥰
Liked this more than I should have. Music, style, great acting. Charisma, man. Armand at his peak.
Amo a Antonio Banderas, pero amo más la cara que trae mientras canta "Guantanamera" con Celia Cruz.
Fun soundtrack. Good performances. Watched it yesterday and don’t remember a thing about it.
My mom wanted to watch something with Banderas and I came with this film! Of course it broke my heart again but the truth is I can't resist these brothers and I can't resist antonio as nestor and I've been cursed for I can't stop listening to "beautiful maria of my soul" since I saw it for the first time...
The joy of music, the uncertainty of life, the never-enough love, the image of pain, the language of suffering, the chasing of the past, the lies of the present, the torture of the memories.
Mas caliente compared to, erm, Salsa, especially when you sub out black hole Robby Rosa for the irresistible combo of magnetic Armand Assante and the moony Antonio Banderas, tackling his first English-speaking role post-Pedro (recently coming full circle with Pain and Glory). The plot is similarly corny, driven as it is by dreams and temper and lust. Castillo brothers Cesar (Assante) and Nestor (Banderas) come to America after the "Beautiful Maria" of young Nestor's soul (Talisa Soto) betrays him and the defensive Cesar is slashed and thrashed by her new lover. The torch still burns for the jilted trumpeter, but each of these Cuban gents get their respective bombshell; Cathy Moriarty as aged glamour girl Lanna Lake, Maruschka Detmers as…
