On B List of Movie Reviews

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Blame It on Rio (1984)

Rate: 8
Viewed: 7/25

7/25: Let me guess why the bad reviews for Blame It on Rio: they were absolutely jealous of Michael Caine.

Yeah, that must be it. Classified as a screwball comedy, the movie is quite funny but perverted. Two pairs of father and daughter go on a vacation in Rio de Janeiro, and one of the girls falls in love with the other father who can't make up his mind to whether end it or keep going. It'll be easier for Matthew to understand the issue if his daughter happened to get on with the other father.

Michelle Johnson gets the most credit for setting a lively pace. She was 17 years old at the time of filming. Michael Caine and Joseph Bologna are happy to oblige by doing their own thing to give the show more gas. I like how the filmmakers had the former to narrate the tale in a flashback style. However, the ending is weak. It needs some tweaking because there's no way Matthew and Karen will stay together after all.

The biggest disappointment is Demi Moore. What a joke of an actress. If she's copying what Brooke Shields did in The Blue Lagoon while Michelle Johnson is baring everything, why bother doing Blame It on Rio in the first place? Get somebody else! Oddly, as Demi Moore's character's father has his hands full, he seems to be unconcerned about what she's been doing at nights and staying out so late in Rio de Janeiro.

All in all, despite the sleazy premise, Blame It on Rio works well for a spontaneous comedy film.

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