90% Chico & Rita

All Critics (51) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (5)

When a soundtrack this fluidly elegant is married to trite dialogue, thin characterizations, and chockablock animation, it has to go down as a missed opportunity.

Presented in a wash of animated colors, this story of a hot-headed sexy Latina songstress and her jazz piano player takes on new life.

It's entertaining to watch, and I enjoyed the way they slipped in such real-life figures as Dizzy Gillespie beside the fictional leads.

By virtue of its simple, stylized look - bold lines and color blocks - and effervescent Cuban jazz score, the Spanish animated feature "Chico & Rita" rises above its routine story of a troubled love affair between talented musicians.

The real romance here is between the filmmakers and the cultural moment they hope to document.

"Chico and Rita'' beguiles first and foremost as a bebop romance that evokes a bygone era as well as, or maybe even better than, "The Artist."

Unfortunately, an evocative setting--the evolution of Afro-Cuban jazz in Havana and New York--sets the stage for a rather slight romance.

Remarkably sexy for its genre (it's not for kids at all), it's nostalgic about a time and place that rarely gets treated on film ("Godfather II" touched on it), and it has an emotional pull that may catch you by surprise.

...not only a surprise Oscar nominee for best animated feature, it's a total game changer...dazzling.

Hopefully, it will remind filmmakers that animation can be used to tell all kinds of stories.

Sweet but mature animated love story is aimed at grown-ups.

It's a gorgeous, fluid movie, filled with rich textures and a genuine sense of place, whether it's Havana, Paris, New York, or Hollywood.

It works best as an evocative tribute of sorts to a specific musical time and place.

An animated delight for grown-up eyes and ears, besides being a sexy romance and a luscious tribute to a great musician [with] Bebo Vald?s's authentic Latin jazz score.

There's an outline of an epic love story here, but the screenwriters never bother to fill it in all the way.

The film melds dazzling visuals and a wildly infectious score into a simple yet affecting love story.

It's the grown-up choice to win this year's Oscar for animated feature.

The hand-drawn, watercolor-style animation is a natural fit for the story, with its retro sensibility and timeless effect.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chico_and_rita/

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