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"BOSSA NOVA"
(1999) (Amy Irving, Antonio Fagundes) (R)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Moderate Minor Moderate Minor None
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Mild None None None Extreme
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Moderate Minor Moderate Moderate Minor


QUICK TAKE:
Romantic Comedy: Various people try to find love and happiness in their lives over several days in Rio de Janeiro.
PLOT:
Mary Ann Simpson (AMY IRVING) is a former flight attendant who's been living and teaching English in Rio de Janeiro for the past two years since her husband's death. Not looking for love, she enjoys the youthful exuberance of her friend and private student, Nadine (DRICA MORAES), who's fallen in love with a man she's never physically met and knows only by the name of Gary.

Pedro Paulo (ANTONIO FAGUNDES) is a middle-aged attorney in the same city whose marriage has fallen apart since his travel agent wife, Tania (DEBORA BLOCH), left him for a Chinese Tai Chi teacher. Such marital problems seem to run in the family as Pedro is representing his tailor father, Juan (ALBERTO DE MENDOZA), in a divorce settlement, and his half-brother, Roberto (PEDRO CARDOSO) who works for their father at the tailor shop, doesn't have a significant other.

Unbeknownst to either Mary Ann or Pedro, her English class is located in the same building as Juan's tailor shop. Immediately taken with her, Pedro signs up for her English class and the two eventually hit it off. Yet, Pedro must compete with Acacio (ALEXANDRE BORGES), a famous Brazilian soccer star who's taking English lessons from Mary Ann - to better his saucy verbal comebacks on the field - and is known for being quite the Romeo.

The two suitors eventually meet, with Pedro agreeing to look over the star's contract, much to the joy of Acacio's burly manager/bodyguard, Gordo (SERGIO LOROZA), and the lawyer's new intern, Sharon (GIOVANNA ANTONELLI), who's a big soccer fan, a knowledgeable attorney in the making, and the girl with whom Roberto is smitten. With Pedro going to pick up "Gary" -- who really turns out to be Trevor (STEPHEN TOBOLOWSKY) -- at the airport where Nadine earlier met Tania, the lives of these disparate people soon become rather intertwined as they all try to find love and happiness.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Unless they're fans of someone in the cast or of foreign-set romantic comedies, it's probably not very likely.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For language and some sexual content.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • AMY IRVING plays an American widow who lives and teaches English in Rio de Janeiro. She teaches some profanities to Acacio and somewhat becomes involved with Pedro, although she's not outwardly looking for a relationship.
  • ANTONIO FAGUNDES plays a middle-aged lawyer who becomes smitten with Mary Ann after his wife leaves him for another man, and does his best to romance her.
  • ALEXANDRE BORGES plays an impertinent lothario who just so happens to be a huge soccer star and wishes to learn English profanities to use on the soccer field. As such, he fools around with Sharon in Pedro's office and cusses a lot (while practicing his English insults).
  • STEPHEN TOBOLOWSKY plays another middle-aged lawyer who pretended to be someone else through an Internet relationship, and apparently ends up sleeping with Nadine, a girl young enough to be his daughter, once they meet.
  • GIOVANNA ANTONELLI plays Pedro's brash intern who has a thing for Acacio and the law.
  • DEBORA BLOCH plays Pedro's wife who's left him for another man and befriends Nadine.
  • PEDRO CARDOSO plays Pedro's half-brother who's smitten with Sharon.
  • SERGIO LOROZA plays Acacio's burly manager/bodyguard who also helps him practice his English cussing.
  • ALBERTO DE MENDOZA plays Pedro's tailor father who's also going through marital problems of his own.
  • DRICA MORAES plays a young woman who's enamored with a man she only knows through their Internet relationship. She smokes a few times, uses a few subtitled profanities, and later apparently sleeps with Trevor, that Internet man who's old enough to be her father.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    Here's a quick look at the content found in this R-rated romantic comedy. Profanity is rated as extreme due to at least 20 uses of the "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases also occur (most are used in a comedic sense involving Brazilians learning how to use such English words for effect).

    An off-screen sexual encounter is implied (although we see the two wrestling/kissing in bed afterwards with very brief nudity) and later referenced, we see another couple fooling around in an office (no nudity or actual sex), what's presumably an imagined, and sexually charged encounter is briefly seen and some sexually related lines of dialogue and gestures are spoken/made.

    Some drinking occurs with one character being drunk and then passing out, one character smokes a few times (and carries on an Internet relationship with a man she's never met but beds once she does), and various couples have split up due to divorce/separation or death.

    Beyond one thrown punch, a brief bit of potty humor and one slightly tense scene, however, the film's remaining categories have little or nothing in the way of major objectionable content. Nonetheless, and as always, should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone in your home, you may want to take a closer look at our detailed content listings.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Pedro and his father have drinks.
  • Some people on the street drink.
  • Nadine and Mary Ann have drinks.
  • Pedro and his father have drinks again.
  • Pedro has wine and Mary Ann has a drink as they have dinner (where she orders another). Later, Mary Ann stumbles about a bit outside, stating that she can't drink like she used to. After briefly kissing Pedro, she passes out and he takes her home (but nothing happens between them).
  • Pedro has a beer.
  • Pedro, Roberto and another man have drinks.
  • Acacio has a drink in his limo.
  • We see Tania waiting with some chilled champagne.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • While getting ready for her day, Nadine notices her boyfriend sitting on the toilet (we only partially see him but do hear the toilet flush). Later, she calls up Pedro and asks if he ever "made number two" in front of her.
  • Trevor has a black eye after being punched.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • We learn that Tania left Pedro for another man. In turn, Pedro is demeaning toward that man (but not directly to him) by referring to him as Japanese instead of Chinese. He also warns her not to let this man tie her up in bed or else he'll steal her furniture, since the Japanese always travel in groups.
  • We learn that both Nadine and Trevor lied to each other about themselves while getting to know each other via their Internet relationship.
  • Acacio wants to learn how to cuss and make disparaging remarks in English so that he can effectively taunt English soccer players on the field.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • Mary Ann gets a cramp in her leg while swimming in the ocean and has to be rescued after she starts sinking under the surface.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • None.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases (some of the following are used in a humorous teaching session about using such profanities and insults): "Go to sh*t" (mistakenly instead of "Go to hell"), "Shut up," "Up yours" and "Blow me."
  • We learn/see that Nadine is involved in an Internet romance and has fallen in love with her electronic boyfriend she's never met.
  • Nadine makes the gesture for male oral sex and rhythmically moves her hand to her mouth as if sucking on male genitalia.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • None.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • Some of the following occur in English subtitles, are used in a humorous teaching session about using such profanities, and should be considered a minimum since they're often spoken rapidly: At least 20 "f" words (12 used with "mother"), 12 "s" words, 2 slang terms using male genitals ("c*cks*cker" and "c*ck"), 8 asses (1 used with "hole"), 3 S.O.B.s and 1 use of "Oh my God" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • Carrying the jockstrap belonging to Tania's boyfriend, Pedro asks her if that man looks sexy in it. He then wonders if he's asked her to do anything strange in bed and warns her not to let him tie her up in bed or else he'll steal her furniture.
  • Nadine tells Mary Ann that an Internet boyfriend is a good thing since, among other things, he doesn't sleep around (presumably because he's on the computer all of the time).
  • When Nadine tells someone via the computer that Mary Ann is an "Internet virgin," he replies "fresh meat" and then suggestively adds that he has something big for her (causing Nadine to make the gesture for male oral sex - rhythmically moving her hand to her mouth as if sucking on male genitalia).
  • Pedro asks Mary Ann if she prefers him on top or below. She doesn't understand the reference, but then figures out that he's asking whether he should read his English book while standing or sitting.
  • After briefly kissing, Mary Ann passes out from being drunk and Pedro takes her home (but nothing happens between them). The next morning, Pedro has fixed her breakfast and she wakes up, hears his voice and quickly pulls up her skirt, checking for her panties (to see if she and Pedro did anything sexual the night before). When she finds that they're still on (and we briefly see them), she's relieved.
  • Acacio states that Mary Ann has "a marvelous little ass" and then tells Pedro that some "crazy sh*t" is going on between him and Mary Ann, and that she took him to school with her tongue. We then see either an imagined or flashback view of her working on undoing Acacio's pants and then moments later, graphically licking his bare knee. He then adds that her tongue is better than Ben Gay.
  • We see a silhouette of Mary Ann's body against a shower curtain as she showers.
  • Nadine shows some cleavage in several scenes.
  • From a bit of a distance we see a woman in a small bikini bottom that shows part of her bare butt.
  • Acacio caresses Sharon's clothed back and the two then make out. As Gordo stands guard outside the door, we then see what looks like her on his lap in Pedro's office (behind a desk). She's partially undressed (but no nudity) and from the outside of the office we suddenly see and hear her pushed up against the smoked glass and then see the silhouette of her back against the glass as she and Acacio continue to fool around (with him kissing down her front).
  • A classic roman statue in Acacio's place shows male full frontal nudity.
  • We see Nadine wearing only Trevor's shirt and she then climbs into bed with him (suggesting they earlier had sex or fooled around). He then grabs her, and as they briefly wrestle, we see part of her bare butt. They then kiss and he pulls her on top of him (no other nudity or activity).
  • Pedro and Roberto talk about the songs during which they were apparently conceived.
  • Nadine tells Mary Ann about Trevor, "You'd never guess by the way he looks how good he is in bed."
  • SMOKING
  • Nadine smokes around two times.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • We learn that Tania has left Pedro, her husband of seven years, for another man.
  • We learn that Juan and his wife are going through a divorce.
  • We learn that Mary Ann's husband drowned two years earlier.
  • A family must react to their father being in the hospital after having a heart attack, and then of him dying (with a later funeral scene). The grieving, however, does not go on very long.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • Relationships and how they often don't work out as planned.
  • Nadine's Internet romance and how her cyber boyfriend turns out much different than how he described himself.
  • VIOLENCE
  • Seeing Trevor kissing Mary Ann (but not realizing he's mistaken her for Nadine), Pedro rushes up and punches Trevor in the face.



  • Reviewed May 23, 2000 / Posted May 26, 2000

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