Copacabana

I saw this movie when it first came out in and again several years later, on CBS also. Well the 2nd time around it was horribly butchered clearly to put its run time under 2 hours and stuff it full of commercials. I've been trying to find it that longer version for years cause yeah hey, Barry's on screen for more than an hour; I can live with that .

Okay Barry's passable actor. He's not as good as Gene Kelly but not as dismal as Neil Diamond (Two minutes of the "Jazz Singer" remake with Diamond on screen was all I could stomach). It has the distinction of being of 4 TV movie musical I could tolerate. The musical numbers are above average and the setting (refetrring to the time period) has a more authentic look than many movies over the last 20 years taking place in the 40s or 50s. Baring that sad ending; it brought back to mind MGM musicals.

My gripe with this movie, why I'm giving it an 8 is Tony, the character Barry plays--What (acting) reach is he doing??? He's playing himself! Manilow nut me has read books about him, every article I could get my mitts on and the background story is his life with a little tweaking here and there. Wish he had put himself in another movie genre first. As good entertain as it was, the chosen role for his debut was not a very good one.

Underrated tribute to 40s screwball comedies and musicals. First rate score, excellent performances, and beautiful period settings. The feature film lighting is also quite remarkable for this time as most TV movies adopted flat TV lighting. Manilow interprets his own material far better than any of the Tonys in the

various stage musical versions that followed in later years. He's sort of a male Barbara Streisand with an underplayed comic edge, versatile acting skills, and a great voice. Too bad musicals were (and still are) dead by 1985. The

showcase number, "Who Needs to Dream" is both the highlight and the biggest

disappointment because it should have been staged better, even on a low

budget. It's reminiscent of Gene Kelly's famous "Singin' In The Rain" but without the rain and painfully static camera shots--cutting back and forth, back and forth between Tony and Lola. Tony (Barry) moves around a bit more toward the end,

but one is left with the impression this was the last scene they shot when they were out of money or time to do it right. The DVD version offers a beautiful transfer but, sadly offers no commentary or extra features.

Having owned a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy (you get the idea) of this film on VHS, I could hardly wait for the day when it was released on DVD. My husband and I bought two copies (each of us had to have our own). (laugh) The plot, the dialogue, the way the actors plays the roles...everything about this movie is charming. When Barry sings, "Who Needs To Dream?" I cannot help but cry. It's such an incredibly beautiful song. Copacabana is what I consider a "lost treasure." More people should realize the worth of this film. Too often, viewers feel that unless a movie is "deep" it isn't worth watching. Untrue. To lay beside the one who IS your "every dream come true" and relax while enjoying the film without effort is a pleasure. This is a must-have for all Manilow fans who should show it to friends. They may think that they won't love it ...but, they will. (smile)

Reminiscent of the popular Latin American films in the '40s and '50s, the glitzy costumes, music, and performances blend for a camp experience. Just enjoy a clean, fun, not-to-be-taken-seriously piece of film. Forget your troubles for about two hours!

OK, I have been looking for this movie for years, I can't believe it's FINALLY on DVD. ( I too had a worn out VHS copy that I lost). My sis & I can practically sing every song from this movie....We've loved the song copacabana since it came out (I was a little kid at the time) so when they made a movie about it we were stoked to watch it, and watch we did, over & over. This is campy fun, with great costumes & one of the few musicals with cuban characters (albeit not very authentic) so if you like Latin music & choreography and enjoy great original songs...you'll love this movie. All of Manilow's songs here are well-written & are woven into the story in a pretty ingenious way. So do the merengue & the cha cha, you're at the COPA!