Chico & Rita (2012)
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Reviews Counted: 66
Fresh: 57 | Rotten: 9
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 7.7/10
Critic Reviews: 19
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 2
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 4,651
My Rating
Movie Info
Cuba, 1948. Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and desire unite them as they chase their dreams and each other from Havana to New York to Paris, Hollywood and Las Vegas. With an original soundtrack by legendary Cuban pianist and five-time Grammy-winning composer Bebo Valdés, Chico & Rita captures a defining moment in the evolution of history and jazz, and features the music of (and animated cameos by) Thelonious Monk,
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Limara Meneses
Rita, Rita (Speaking Vo... -
Eman Xor Oña
Chico, Chico (Speaking ... -
Mario Guerra
Ramon, Ramón (Speaking ... -
Bebo Valdes
Chico (Singing Voice) -
Idania Valdés
Rita (Singing Voice) -
Estrella Morente
Estrella Morente (Singi... -
Freddy Cole
Nat King Cole (Singing) -
Jimmy Heath
Ben Webster (Instrument... -
Pedrito Martínez
Miguelito Valdés (Singi... -
Michael Phillip Mossman
Dizzie Gillespie (Instr... -
Amadito Valdés
Tito Puente (Singing) -
German Velazco
Charlie Parker (Instrum... -
Yaroldi Abreu
Chano Pozo (Singing) -
Rolando Luna
Chico (Celia) - (Singin... -
Lenny Mandel
Ron
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (67) | Top Critics (19) | Fresh (57) | Rotten (9)
"Chico & Rita" is that rare thing, a cartoon for adults, with a bittersweet take on love and fate and a romantic's view of the night.
Top CriticA pure delight, a keenly affecting, visually ravishing tale.
A buttery rich animated tale of love, jazz, showbiz, fame and politics in the late '40s and early '50s that is as catchy as its tunes.
When a soundtrack this fluidly elegant is married to trite dialogue, thin characterizations, and chockablock animation, it has to go down as a missed opportunity.
Presented in a wash of animated colors, this story of a hot-headed sexy Latina songstress and her jazz piano player takes on new life.
Remarkably sexy for its genre (it's not for kids at all), it's nostalgic about a time and place that rarely gets treated on film ("Godfather II" touched on it), and it has an emotional pull that may catch you by surprise.
A vivid and musical illustration of the transportive powers of cinema.
Brash and jazzy and -- to use a word not often associated with animated feature films -- sexy.
When a place and its people are this stylish, we can't help but be drawn to them.
It's hot and sweet and made with inspiration and cheek. And it is not your children's animated fare -- which, in this case, is a recommendation.
The animation is inventive and eye-popping everywhere except where it most matters: the design of the characters.
The images and the music -- and for that matter the story -- seem to belong together to create the vibrant whole of the film.
The movie works better if you sink into its milieu, enjoying the jazzy color schemes, the fluid animation and, above all, a dynamite soundtrack.
A perfectly agreeable exercise in musical nostalgia...undermined by clumsiness of execution.
The film's design and animation... are so sublimely appealling that the story gets to be an afterthought; or, at least, the story doesn't actively ruin your day.
A gorgeous, joyous, disarmingly nostalgic musical confection.
Unfortunately, an evocative setting--the evolution of Afro-Cuban jazz in Havana and New York--sets the stage for a rather slight romance.
This romance follows classic lines a la films like "Now Voyager" and, while the story is well known and oft told, it all feels fresh and new.
Audience Reviews for Chico & Rita
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
-
- Chico: Have you thought about your career? About your future?
- Rita: Future, what future? The future never gave me anything! All my hopes are set on the past.
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Chico & Rita yet.
Latest News on Chico & Rita
February 10, 2012:
Critics Consensus: Journey 2 Isn't Quite Worth the TripThis week in multiplexes, "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" gets a deluxe 3d rerelease, but...
February 8, 2012:
Why the Oscars Snubbed Pixar and TintinIs it all about saving hand-drawn animation?
December 29, 2011:
Critics Consensus: Streep Carries The Iron LadyHappy Holidays! This week at the movies brings no new wide releases, but we've got one hotly...
What's Hot On RT
The Last Stand, Side Effects
Trailer for James Franco adaptation
Rachel McAdams' time travel romantic drama
Blockbusters ranked!
Featured on RT
- Ranking the Blockbusters with Summer Movie Scorecard 2013 0
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: The Last Stand and Side Effects 6
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Star Trek Softer Than Expected at #1 78
- Weekly Ketchup: Will Smith to Star in Wild Bunch Remake? 37
- Critics Consensus: Star Trek Into Darkness is Certified Fresh 106
- Red Carpet Roundup: Star Trek Into Darkness Edition 0
- Video Interviews with Katie Aselton & Lake Bell of Black Rock 2
Top Headlines
-
Alex Gibney Talks We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks
0
-
RED Screenwriters Returning for RED 3
0
-
Brave's Brenda Chapman Talks Merida Makeover Controversy
0
-
Gold Discovers Spike Lee
1
-
Morgan Freemand and Diane Keaton Team Up for Life Itself
0
-
The Ten O'Clock People Are Counting on Chris Evans
0
-
Marton Csokas in Talks for The Equalizer
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Foreign Titles
- Chico y Rita (ES)
This foreign animated film is a nice albeit predictable love story. The characters make all the mistakes of youth, but the story is told with a certain deftness that made me forgive the film its inadequacies. The animation is good, naturalistic at times, frenetic during the jazzy scenes, attempting to take on the "look of the music," and oddly sexy where appropriate.
Overall, I enjoyed this film even if I didn't think it had anything new to offer.