High school senior Katey moves to Havana in November 1958, when her dad gets a promotion at Ford. She meets a local waiter, who introduces her to sensual Cuban music/dance. They enter a big ... Read allHigh school senior Katey moves to Havana in November 1958, when her dad gets a promotion at Ford. She meets a local waiter, who introduces her to sensual Cuban music/dance. They enter a big dance contest for the prize when he gets fired.High school senior Katey moves to Havana in November 1958, when her dad gets a promotion at Ford. She meets a local waiter, who introduces her to sensual Cuban music/dance. They enter a big dance contest for the prize when he gets fired.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Lola Martinez
- (as Mya Harrison)
- Polly
- (as Polly Cusumano)
- Troubador
- (as Donato)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaNeither Romola Garai nor Diego Luna had any professional dance training. They spent ten weeks in Puerto Rico before production began, training eight hours a day with producer JoAnn Fregalette Jansen and four additional dancers and choreographers
- GoofsThe red dress that the maid shows Katey is different from the one that she wore to the country club.
- Quotes
Katey Miller: I'm gonna miss you.
Javier Suarez: I'm gonna miss you, too.
Katey Miller: I am taking you with me.
Javier Suarez: [Places hand over his heart] I am keeping you here.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Shameful Sequels: Dirty Dancing 2 (2014)
- SoundtracksSatellite
Lyrics by Itaal Shur and Rob Thomas
Music by Itaal Shur
Published by U Rule Music/EMI April Music Inc., Itaal Shur Music/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Performed by Santana featuring Jorge Moreno
Produced by Lester Mendez for Living Stereo, Inc.
Courtesy of Arista Records, Inc.
'Havana Nights" is set in Cuba during 1958, just before the overthrow of the Batista government by Castro and others. Therefore, this story precedes the 1963 story of the original DD. And it means that Patrick Swayze is not reprising his role as Johnny Castle. Here, he is an older dance instructor.
Filmed in Puerto Rico, the film's depiction of Cuban life and culture is quite enjoyable and one of its highlights. Life (especially nightlife) in pre- Castro Cuba is a colorful and exciting mélange of sensual dancing and energetic music.
But there are other problems that plague this film, most notably the male lead. Diego Luna plays Javier Suarez, a local waiter/busboy at the country club frequented by well-to-do Americans, like the parents of Katey Miller (Romola Garai). As in the original film, class differences separate the two sides of a love match, and emphasize the differences between the dance styles of the elite and the styles of the streets. Luna is a fine actor and his performance as a kid who experiences the financial hardships of an impoverished populace and the realities of political oppression feels authentic. However, he lacks the physical presence of someone like Swayze. Likewise, the chemistry between Luna and Garai lacks the heat that transformed Baby into a believable love interest for Johnny Castle.
The supporting cast boasts the beautiful Sela Ward (as Katey's mother), John Slattery (as the father) and an under-used January Jones.
In this film and the original (and many others in this genre, like "Flashdance" or "Footloose"), the music and dance are the agents of liberation. The "square" young woman is confronted by the liberating power of street culture-which has less concern with conventions and the status quo-in the person of an outsider who teaches her to think and feel beyond the safe structure of her "conservative" existence. Many of those other films have portrayed these themes better, and with more chemistry between the principals.
- atlasmb
- Jan 11, 2018
- How long is Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Havana Nights: Dirty Dancing 2
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $25,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $14,161,590
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,900,000
- Feb 29, 2004
- Gross worldwide
- $27,685,016
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1