Movie Review: Blame It On Rio (1984)

Genre: Romantic Farce  

Director: Stanley Donen  

Starring: Michael Caine, Joseph Bologna, Michelle Johnson, Demi Moore, Valerie Harper  
Running Time: 100 minutes  

Synopsis: With their marriage wobbling, Matthew and Karen (Michael Caine and Valerie Harper) go on separate vacations. Matthew heads to Rio with his teenaged daughter Nikki (Demi Moore), his best friend Victor (Joseph Bologna), who is going through a divorce, and Victor's daughter Jennifer (Michelle Johnson). Once in Rio, 43-year-old Matthew and 18-year-old Jennifer develop a mutual attraction and embark on an affair. Jennifer is thrilled that she has seduced an older man, but Matthew is horrified that he is sleeping with his buddy's daughter.

What Works Well: Michael Caine manages to raise his performance above the material, and rescues a few laughs. The Brazilian scenery, street life, and culture are captured with palpable vibrancy.

What Does Not Work As Well: The carnage of excessive nudity, obsession with ogling, and aggressive seduction cannot hide the failings of a limp script. Once Matthew and Jennifer trigger their illicit liaison, momentum grinds to a halt, with insufficient plot points to occupy the remaining hour. Apart from Caine, the performances range from over-acting (Bologna) to non-acting (Johnson and Moore). Adding to the icky premise is the stench of every adult character behaving as badly as possible, driven by hormones and with no regard for damage caused to friendships or long-term relationships.

Key Quote:

Matthew: Last night never happened.

Jennifer: I know. I was there when it didn't.

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