The Mambo Kings (1992)

Two Cuban brothers bring a new music to the 1950s USA. They are as different as the problems that await them.

Director:

Arne Glimcher

Writers:

Oscar Hijuelos (novel), Cynthia Cidre (screenplay)

Stars:

Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas, Pablo Calogero

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pablo Calogero	...	Ramon - The Mambo Kings Band
Scott Cohen	...	Bernardito - The Mambo Kings Band
Mario Grillo	...	Mario - The Mambo Kings Band
Ralph Irizarry	...	Pito - The Mambo Kings Band
Pete Macnamara	...	Johnny Bing - The Mambo Kings Band
James Medina	...	Manny - The Mambo Kings Band (as Jimmy Medina)
Marcos Quintanilla	...	Willie - The Mambo Kings Band
J.T. Taylor	...	Frankie Suarez - The Mambo Kings Band
William Thomas Jr.	...	Xavier - The Mambo Kings Band
Yul Vazquez	...	Flaco - The Mambo Kings Band
Armand Assante	...	Cesar Castillo
Antonio Banderas	...	Nestor Castillo
Cathy Moriarty	...	Lanna Lake
Maruschka Detmers	...	Delores Fuentes
Desi Arnaz Jr.	...	Desi Arnaz Sr.

Storyline

Musician brothers Cesar and Nestor leave Cuba for America in the 1950s, hoping to hit the top of the Latin music scene. Cesar is the older brother, the business manager, and the ladies' man. Nestor is the brooding songwriter, who cannot forget the woman in Cuba who broke his heart.

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Plot Keywords:

cuba | 1950s | new york city | immigrant | havana cuba | 

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Taglines:

With a suitcase full of song, Hearts filled with passion, two brothers come to America in search of a dream.

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sensuality

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

28 February 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mambo Kings

Filming Locations:

Tower Theatre - 802 S. Broadway, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$6,742,168

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alcor Films, Canal+, Regency Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White (flashback scene to childhood) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Late in the movie, Nestor and Cesar are invited to play on the "I Love Lucy" show by Desi Arnaz (played by his son, Desi, Jr.). This scene includes clips from Season 1, Episode 28, "Cuban Pals".

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Goofs

When the Castillo brothers first approach New York City in the early 1950s, you can see the World Trade Center towers in the skyline. The towers weren't built until the early 1970s.

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Quotes

Cesar Castillo: In the name of the Mambo, the Rumba, and the Cha cha cha.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Memoirs of an Invisible Man/Under Suspicion/The Mambo Kings/This Is My Life (1992)

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Soundtracks

Ponce
Written by Nora Morales
Performed by Mambo All-Stars

User Reviews

The Best (and only) Mambo Movie I've Ever Seen!

Excellent "mambo" music and colorful characters made me rate this a "9" after the first viewing. After several looks, the novelty - how many mambo movies are there? - wore off and it settled in as an "8 stars" film but I don't regret seeing this several times. It's fun to watch.

Armand Assante was particularly good in here and I was intrigued with Maruschka Detmers, a new face which at times looked striking. Since she resides in France and hasn't made many, if any, English-speaking films, we here in North America haven't really seen her since this film. Assante and Antonio Bandaras are the two leads, however, sharing the spotlight with the music. Both actors are excellent, maybe the best roles of their careers.

The story moves best the first 40 minutes with a lot of that "hot" music but then gets a little melodramatic afterward. However, I found it interesting all the way through with a nice tale of brotherly love and devotion.

For all you "Ricky Ricardo" fans of "I Love Lucy" television: if you want a real feel of Latin Americans-in America during the 1950s, check this film out.