Themes: Musician's Life, Sibling Relationships, Immigrant Life
Main Cast: Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas, Cathy Moriarty, Maruschka Detmers, Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Release Year: 1992
Country: US/FR
Run Time: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
New York art dealer Arne Glimcher took his first crack at film directing with this florid, high-energy romance about two brothers who flee Cuba in the early 1950s to make it as musicians in the United States. Cynthia Cidre wrote the literate screenplay adapted from Oscar Hijuelos's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love. Cesar (Armand Assante) and Nestor Castillo (Antonio Banderas) are popular musicians on Havana's club circuit, but when they make enemies of the wrong people, they are forced to leave for New York City, the moody Nestor leaving behind his true love. In New York, the brothers work as meat-cutters during the day as Cesar tries to organize a band and make inroads into the lively New York music scene. Soon, as The Mambo Kings, they get club bookings and Cesar falls in love with a sharp-tongued cigarette girl, Lanna Lake (Cathy Moriarty), and Nestor with the beautiful Delores Fuentes (Maruschka Detmers), who wants to be a teacher. Cesar concentrates on singing and managing the band, while Nestor plays the trumpet and writes emotional songs of love. All seems to be going well until Cesar antagonizes the moneymen on the Latin nightclub circuit and they finds themselves playing bar mitzvahs. But after they're discovered by Desi Arnaz (Desi Arnaz Jr.), the group is prominently featured on I Love Lucy. Their popularity soars and they cut a successful album called "Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love." Cesar is glorying in his success, but Nestor is disappointed and longs to return to Cuba. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Roscoe Lee Browne - Fernando Perez; Celia Cruz - Evalina Montoya; Vondie Curtis-Hall - Miguel Montoya; Talisa Soto - Maria Rivera; Joe Petruzzi - Carlo Ricci; Theodora Castellanos - Blanca; Lazaro Perez - Pablo; Jose Alberto - Johnny Casanova; Karen Assante - Karen; Anita Banderas - Anita; Doug Barron - Mike Wells; Stephanie Blake - Stripper; June Brown - Portly Woman; Pablo Calogero - Ramon, The Mambo Kings Band; Helena Carroll - Mrs. Shannon; Scott Cohen - Bernardito, The Mambo Kings Band; Joe Conzo - Killer; Jonathan Del Arco - Young Cesar; Jessica Z. Diamond - Secretary; Thomas F. Duffy - Mulligan; Ahn Duong - Ismelda Perez; Jose Duvall - Nando; Colleen Fitzpatrick - Redhead on Bus; Carlos Gomez - Creep; Cordelia Gonzalez - Anna Maria; Frank Grillo - Machito; Mario Grillo - Mario, The Mambo Kings Band; John Herrera - Luis Fajardo; Ryan Howell - Kid with Basketball; Ralph Irizarry - Pito, The Mambo Kings Band; Pete MacNamara - Johnny Bing, The Mambo Kings Band; Diane Manzo - Amanda; Adrian Martinez - Pablito; Valerie McIntosh - Tracy Blair; Dawn McKinster - Poolside Patron; James Medina - Manny - The Mambo Kings Band; Salvador Miranda - Young Nestor; Rene Monteaqudo - Robertico; Jocelyn O'Brien - Gina; Jessica Neal Ortiz - Leticia; Miller P. - Killer's Girlfriend; Julie Pinson - 2nd Girlfriend; Marcos Quintanilla - Willie, The Mambo Kings Band; Cynthia Santos - Mario's Girlfriend; Maiquel Saurez - Cleaning Woman; Debra Scott - Enchantment; Susie Stillwell - Club Patron; J.T. Taylor - Frankie Suarez, The Mambo Kings Band; Ron Thompson - Empire MC; Yul Vázquez - Flaco, The Mambo Kings Band; Martin Charles Warner - Mac; Natalie Zimmerman - 3rd Girlfriend; Tito Puente - Himself; Billy Hopkins; Suzanne Smith; William Thomas - Xavier
Credit
Steven A. Saklad - Art Director, Billy Hopkins - Casting, Suzanne Smith - Casting, Michael Peters - Choreography, Jack B. Bernstein - Co-producer, Gary Jones - Costume Designer, Bridget Kelly - Costume Designer, Ann Roth - Costume Designer, Arnold Glimcher - Director, Claire Simpson - Editor, Carlos Franzetti - Composer (Music Score), Robert Kraft - Composer (Music Score), Stuart Wurtzel - Production Designer, Michael Ballhaus - Cinematographer, Arnold Glimcher - Producer, Arnon Milchan - Producer, Steven E. Reuther - Producer, Kara Lindstrom - Set Designer, Susumu Tokunow - Sound/Sound Designer, Cynthia Cidre - Screenwriter, Oscar Hijuelos - Book Author
