Blame It on Rio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Blame it on Rio | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster for Blame it in Rio |
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| Directed by | Stanley Donen |
| Produced by | Stanley Donen Larry Gelbart Robert E. Relyea |
| Written by | Charlie Peters Larry Gelbart |
| Starring | Michael Caine Joseph Bologna Michelle Johnson Demi Moore Valerie Harper |
| Music by | Kenneth Wannberg |
| Cinematography | Reynaldo Villalobos |
| Editing by | George Hively Richard Marden |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation |
| Release date(s) | February 17, 1984 |
| Running time | 100 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Unknown |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Blame it on Rio is a 1984 romantic comedy film, written by Charlie Peters and Larry Gelbart and directed by Stanley Donen. The original music score was composed by Kenneth Wannberg. Cast members included Michael Caine, Joseph Bologna, Valerie Harper, Michelle Johnson, José Lewgoy and Demi Moore.
The film was shot on location in Rio de Janeiro, and the scenery is one of the film's highlights. Some people consider Blame It on Rio to be an unofficial remake of the French film Un moment d'égarement (A Moment of Distraction) which follows the same basic plot of a man having an affair with his best friend's daughter while on holiday.
The film was marketed with the tagline "She's the hottest thing on the beach. She's also his best friend's daughter!"
[edit] Plot synopsis
Victor (Bologna) and Matthew (Caine) are best friends who work for a major corporation in São Paulo, Brazil. Both are having problems in their respective marriages — Victor's wife wants to divorce him, while Matthew has no idea what is wrong in his marriage.
They decide to take a holiday in Rio de Janeiro. With them are their teenage offspring: Matthew's daughter Nikki (Moore) and Victor's daughter Jennifer (Johnson). They rent a beautiful vacation home with a somewhat taciturn housekeeper, and soon go to the beach.
Jennifer is told by her father to cover her bare breasts but refuses, instead dragging her father and Nikki into the water to play. Matthew does not join them and seems uncomfortable, both in the scene and in his narration, with the partial nudity displayed by Jennifer and other women on the beach.
Nevertheless, Matthew later falls in love with amorous Jennifer during a Brazilian wedding, and they embark on a secret (and somewhat one-sided) sexual relationship. Victor becomes furious when he finds out that there is an 'older man' in his daughter's life, and he sets out to hunt down the mystery man with the aid of Matthew.
Matthew is reluctant to lead Victor on a wild goose chase, but goes through with it until he figures what to do. He tries to talk to Jennifer about letting go, but she is determined to never give him up. Eventually, Matthew discloses the truth to his best friend, but only after Victor has caused a barroom brawl targeting an innocent man. Oddly, though, Victor is not as angry as Matthew expects. In the climax of the film, it's discovered that Victor has been having an affair with Matthew's wife, Karen (Valerie Harper).
Meanwhile, as the truth of this comes out, Jennifer tries to commit suicide with an overdose of birth control pills. The whole incident brings them all closer together, and Karen and Matthew decide to work on their marital problems. Jennifer begins dating a boy her own age, and Victor remarries his estranged wife. Matthew's final line of summation is: "You only live once, but it does help if you get to be young twice."
[edit] Production Notes
- The film portrays toplessness on a Rio beach at a time when it was illegal.[citations needed]
- Michelle Johnson appears completely naked — there is one scene of total frontal nudity — even though she was underage when the movie was filmed. According to press reports, the fact that she was only 17 meant that a court had to give her a special dispensation to perform naked.[citations needed]
