Blame It On Rio [DVD]

 

 

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This movie has so much ham and cheese in it you could almost sell it as a sandwich. By this I am of course referring to the cheesy script and ham acting. But, despite this, it is much better than the sum of its parts. I have watched this movie many times, and enjoyed it thoroughly. I suspect this is because the whole thing is underpinned by a Woody Allen-esque fraught neurosis and paranoia in its principal characters - but I will come to this later on.

The plot really comes down to Caine's dilemma: He's a man in his forties, who's wife has walked out, and who finds himself being chased by his best friend's daughter - a girl the same age as his daughter, and who happens to be every man's dream babe.

And so to the story: The story follows two couples (each comprising husband, wife, and teenage daughter) as their marriages fall apart. Michael Caine and Demi Moore (father and daughter #1), and Joseph Bologna and Michelle Johnson (father and daughter #2) head off for Rio while their wives carp from the sidelines. Once in Rio, Johnson reveals that she has a crush on Caine, and Caine has to decide whether to try rescuing his marriage, or give in to temptation and accept Johnson's amorous attention. For this dilemma to work on-screen, it is essential that the audience understands the temptation - hence Johnson. At the time she was a teenager armed with pretty face, coke-bottle body and an astounding set of breasts. Caine believes, probably rightly, that this is the last time in his life that he will bed such a woman, given that he is already more than twice her age. Will his head control his loins? - I think we can guess the answer.

I have simplified the plot to avoid ruining it for you, but rest assured there is plenty happening between the six characters (and a few others we meet along the way). Larry Gelbart's script is so full of single-liners it is practically a monorail, but he strings the story together so that it never wanes. Indeed, it picks up pace as it develops to the finale.

I mentioned Woody Allen earlier because the fears of the male characters are expressed in that flustered, almost panicky way that Allen uses. It is engaging and funny, and I think this is the facet of the whole movie that makes it so watchable. It is a long way from reaching Allen's quality but, age everyone ten years, swap bimbos for self-obsessed intellectuals, set it in New York, and weave the script a little from one-liners to speeches, and you could well have an Allen movie here. Watch Caine in the to-camera sequence, and compare it with Allen in Annie Hall, and you will see what I mean.

Direction is somewhat obvious and workmanlike, but takes us from plot event to plot event smoothly, without us ever having to engage our minds to the material. I wonder if Stanley Donen (director) knew what to do with Johnson. Caine, for all his macho image, looks genuinely uncomfortable sharing the screen with a bombshell (as if his wife is watching), even though this is true to the character he plays. When Caine is next to topless Johnson, all eyes are on her, of course, and no amount of on-screen charisma from Caine can overcome that. Had he slapped her and told her to cover up, Caine would have come across better. Thinking on that, if Caine had played a harder person, then the interplay between him and Johnson, her persistence to bed him, and his resistance to her advances, would have had a tension that the whole movie lacks.

This movie's selling points were Caine (established star) and Johnson (sex), the combination of which is often sufficient to fill cinema seats. That it was not a runaway success is probably down to the frivolous way it was marketed. Also, it seems that the movie was marketed at a young audience, when the plot was really about mid-life crisis. These two things seldom go together, and may explain why the movie sank.

There is a little nudity, notably the beach scene in which we see topless Johnson (milk-mountain breasts and sexiness) and Moore (boyish and self-consciousness) meeting their over-protective fathers. That Moore looked so uncomfortable in this scene has less to do with the nudity (her breasts had long hair hiding them), than it had to do with the fact that she was flat-chested and plain next to Johnson. Moore simply has nothing to put in a bikini. Sexy daughter and plain daughter is not necessarily bad casting, as two babes would have had us asking why Bologna didn't make a play for Moore, but it does make this scene fall flat.

As mentioned in other reviews, breast-centric Johnson's career nose-dived inexplicably after this movie, while the washboard-bodied Demi Moore's career took off. According IMDB.COM, Johnson has been busy over the years, but her days starring opposite big names seem long gone. Demi Moore's career took off quickly after this movie, though the moody girl she plays here has been a role she has reprised to a greater or lesser extent many times since.

In summary, this is a movie you ought to see at least once, though it's probably not one for the collection.

I remember seeing this film in my late teens and secretly loving it for the obvious reasons of the amount of skin shown. Time and critics have been cruel to this film and even the main people involved seem embarrassed and keen to distance themselves from it.

The main criticism seems to be the nature of the relationship between Caine and Johnson; uncomfortable for some and in dubious taste. Well time for people to pull their heads out! Since when has good taste equalled good comedy? This is essentially a very funny romantic comedy with more laughs than Shakespeare or Austen.

Let me add to the criticisms:
The soundtrack is irritating (even in the 80s it seemed naff!).
The arrival in Rio may be a bit contrived, but does help generate the mood.
Brazillian women hardly ever go topless on the beach (remember this is a remake of a French film set on French beaches where this would be normal).
Michelle Johnson sometimes misses the feeling a bit.
The colours may be turned up too far for some!
Demi Moore is clearly uncomfortable about showing her breasts (not surprising with her cousin around!)
The outcome is predicatble.

On the positive side, the jokes are great and delivered with style and perfect timing. I still find myself laughing out loud all the time even after seeing it several times.
All the cast seem to be in the spirit of the place and the situation. Young Demi Moore shows promise as an actress and the older stars show their true professionalism.
The young men in it are a draw too - I'm told, which gives appeal beyond hetero males.
The colours and the print are stunning and guaranteed to cheer you up in the depths of winter.
As for Michelle Johnson; I must differ from the critics. For the most part I find her very believable. Her behaviour and the nature of her flirting is spot on. Teenagers can be irrational, hormonal and silly. For a 17 year old to expose so much - and act alongside some old pros - she did a great job. Her amazing body was believably too tempting for her uncle and people do get into situations like this. The fact that it may be taboo in some cultures adds to the awkwardness and danger which is handled with humour here.

I saw this film a few years ago on TV with my mum and dad. They saw it as a bit of harmless fun and a good laugh. Some critics need to be a bit less "po-faced" about it and admit the truth or confront their hang-ups. If you want some light hearted relief and eye-candy then make a cocktail, put on your brightest holiday shirt, squirt a bit of sun lotion on and sit back and enjoy.

Many years ago illness prevented me from seeing this film at the cinema.Finally a few years later I obtained the video. 'Blame It On Rio' has beena guilty pleasure ever since.
The story concerns two friends, onerecently devorced from his wife, the other separated. They head to Rio onholiday taking their nubile and far from innocent daughters along withthem.
Michael Caine stars as the bewildered Matthew, apart from his wife,struggling with his emotions and trying to fight off the attentions of hisfriends teenage daughter.
Michelle Johnston who played this charactershould have gone on to be a big star. She's sexy and funny in her pursuitof Matthew, not only an older man but her best friends Father.
Instead it was Demi Moore, who played Michael Caine's daughter, who wentonto to be an international star.
The film develops into a farce as Joseph Bologna, who plays the jealousfather and Caine's friend, asks him to investigate who's seeing hisdaughter. He therefore has to investigate himself.
The film is no'Singin' In The Rain' (made by the same Director Stanley Donen) but it isan enjoyable comedy typical of its type in the eighties.
There's some nudity, some beautiful locations and some actors who probablydon't put this film on their CV anymore. All this aside its anentertaining romp in rio.
Its a shame there's no commentary from Caine (Has he ever done one?),Moore or Johnston. It would also have been nice to have seen whateverhappened to Johnston and whether or not she regrets making the filmconsidering the negative impact it had on her career at the time.
Afun, frisky film. No great extras but at a good price. Bring a little ofthat Rio sunshine into your life.

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4.0 out of 5 stars A Memorable Holiday
Blame It On Rio is a funfilled romantic comedy filled with lots of misunderstandings, wit and british humour. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Chris

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for "one of those days"
"One of those days" is a term usually used to suggest that everything is going wrong that day. I include such days but widen the description to include days where nothing goes... Read more

Published 4 months ago by soundchaysa

5.0 out of 5 stars Risque
Regardless of the subject matter being slightly risque, this DVD turned out to be delightful, amusing and beautifully acted by an impressive ensemble cast. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Le Grand

4.0 out of 5 stars Cheesy, funny farce - ignore snotty and cynical critics
I have long been a fan of this film ever since I saw it on television as a kid in the late 80's and I'm unashamed to say it has remained one of my favourites ever since. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Crouch

1.0 out of 5 stars My name is Humbert Humbert

For all its legwarmers and backcombed hair the 1980s was pretty much a cultural wasteland and Blame It On Rio is somewhat typical of that tawdry decade. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Bela Lugosi's Dad

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Fantastic!
Very funny film but also intelligent. Michael Caine is great and Rio is absolutely stunning.

Published on 27 Aug 2009 by R. Battersby-Araujo

4.0 out of 5 stars The Party Scenes Are Wild
BLAME IT ON RIO is a comedy about two pals taking a holiday in Rio from their work in San Paulo. While on vacation the daughter of one man has an affair with the other guy who... Read more

Published on 24 July 2006 by Peter Kenney

4.0 out of 5 stars REVIEW: Blame It On Rio (1983)
An 80's movie put onto DVD properly and doesn't look like video on DVD the way some old movies that have been put onto DVD do.

A very funny movie. Read more

Published on 16 Aug 2004 by kevin-187

5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie
A very funny movie with a very young Demi Moore in what I believe was her first film role. Michael Caine plays a man a long way out of his depth to perfection. Read more

Published on 3 Feb 2004

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