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Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights | 2004 | PG-13 | - 5.3.5

A young American woman takes residence with her parents at a posh hotel in pre-Castro Havana, in the winter of 1958. Although her parents assume that she will mingle with the other American children of their business associates, she is seduced by the romance and passion of the local dance club scene. When she falls for a waiter at the hotel and they become unlikely dance partners everyone is rather taken aback. With Rene Lavan, January Jones, John Slattery, Mya and Romola Garai. Directed by Guy Ferland. [1:26]

SEX/NUDITY 5 - A young man and a young woman kiss, she unbuttons his shirt, they kiss and caress each other, we see them lying back and kissing in silhouette and then see them lying together in the morning (he's bare-chested) and it is implied that they have had sex. There are many scenes of men and women dancing, and several of the scenes are of dance clubs with men and women dancing very seductively and sensually -- touching and caressing each other, thrusting their hips, and rubbing themselves on each other. A young man and a young woman kiss and hug in several scenes. A young man kisses a young woman's neck and chest, tries to force himself on her and tears the strap off her dress (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details). A young man touches down a young woman's chest and stomach as they dance. A young woman's parents watch (and appear uneasy) as she dances seductively with a young man. A woman talks to her daughter about sexual feelings and making choices. A young woman talks about a passage in a book being about "a bunch of drunk guys doing it." A young man flirts with a young woman and asks her on a date. Men leer at a young woman and whistle at her as she walks along a street. A young man grabs a young woman's hips and wiggles and twists them, and a young man and a young woman dance in the ocean to the movement of the waves. Young men and woman wear swimsuits around a pool and in the ocean. Women wear low-cut dresses in many scenes that expose cleavage and sometimes bare shoulders and backs. Women wear dresses that flip up when twirling during dance scenes and reveal bare thighs and under garments.

VIOLENCE/GORE 3 - A gun is fired in a crowded ballroom: people scream and run in fear. Police break up a crowd of people dancing and singing on a street corner; some of the people run away and some are taken away by the police. When a young man tries to force himself on a young woman she slaps him in the face, and a woman slaps her daughter in the face. A young man shoves a man against a stone wall. We hear that a young man's father was murdered and his body was never recovered. A young woman falls on the floor while trying a dance move, and a young man and a young woman fall on the ground a few times while practicing a dance move. There is a sense of fear and oppression among the Cuban people (the overthrow of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista and the establishment of a Communist regime led by Fidel Castro was imminent).

LANGUAGE 3 - 1 scatological term, 2 anatomical terms, 6 mild obscenities, 1 derogatory terms for Hispanics, 7 religious exclamations.

SUBSTANCE USE - People are shown smoking cigarettes and cigars, and drinking alcohol.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Cuba, Fidel Castro, Fulgencio Batista, Communism, right-wing dictatorships, freedom, fear, revolution, giving up dreams, ballroom dancing, Homer, The Odyssey, prejudice, racism, jealousy, embarrassment, humiliation, lying, cultural differences.

MESSAGE - Being open to differences in people and cultures can make things better for everyone.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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