Bossa Nova (1999)

Synopsis: This movie was adapted from a novel by Brazilian author Sergio Sant'anna. Set in Rio de Janeiro, it is mostly in Portuguese, with conversations involving American characters occasionally rendered... This movie was adapted from a novel by Brazilian author Sergio Sant'anna. Set in Rio de Janeiro, it is mostly in Portuguese, with conversations involving American characters occasionally rendered in English. Amy Irving plays Mary Ann Simpson, an American expatriate who has been teaching English classes at a private school in Rio ever since her husband died in a tragic accident. Lawyer Pedro Paulo (Antonio Fagundes) has just been left by his wife, and becomes enamored of Mary Ann after a chance meeting. He spontaneously decides to court her by signing up for one of her courses. These two, along with several of Mary Ann's other students, Pedro's brother, his ex-wife, and a vivacious young law intern, become entangled in an extensive web of romantic attachments and disappointments, and only at the very end of the movie do we find out who ultimately ends up with whom. It was director Bruno Barreto's intention to present viewers with an unconventional take on romantic comedy by focusing on average, middle-aged protagonists instead of showcasing the young and the beautiful. His cinematic vision of Rio, however, entices with breathtaking scenery and the compelling sounds of Antonio Carlso Jobim's bossa nova standards wafting through the air. [More]

Starring: Amy Irving, Antonio Fagundes, Alexandre Borges, Debora Bloch

Starring: Amy Irving, Antonio Fagundes, Alexandre Borges, Debora Bloch, Drica Moraes, Giovanna Antonelli, Rogerio Cardoso

Director: Bruno Barreto

Director: Bruno Barreto
Screenwriter: Alexandre Machado, Fernanda Young
Producer: Lucy Barreto, Luis Carlos Barreto
Composer: Eumir Deodato

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