Blame It on Rio (1984)

Director: Stanley Donen
Writers: Charlie Peters, Larry Gelbart
Starring: Michael Caine, Joseph Bologna, Demi Moore, Valerie Harper, Michelle Johnson

Stanley Donen's Blame it on Rio is the perfect film to see on a lazy weekend afternoon. It is more than a bit silly, but it has that rare ability to make one temporarily forget about a lot of the things that complicate one's life on a daily basis.

Best friends Matthew (Michael Caine, Get Carter) and Victor (Joseph Bologna, Cops and Robbers) land in Rio de Janeiro together with their teenage daughters Jennifer (Michelle Johnson, Death Becomes Her) and Nicole (Demi Moore, Indecent Proposal) determined to have a good time. This of course is what everyone else is doing in Rio so the two friends and their daughters easily join the wild crowds of naked people. However, instead of trying to have fun with some of the local boys, Jennifer decides to seduce Matthew. This proves to be an easy task and Jennifer immediately assumes that it is only a matter of time before the one-night stand evolves into a serious relationship.

But the old geezer isn't sure that he wants to be in a "relationship" with the daughter of his best friend and goes into defensive mode. However, the more he tries to convince Jennifer that they cannot possibly be together, the stronger her determination becomes to win his heart.

Meanwhile, Victor begins meeting a local beauty from his age group who just like him has come to the conclusion that marriage is overrated. Nicole also discovers that Matthew and Jennifer have been taking unusually long walks on the beach, but instead of confronting them decides to learn more about the local dating scene.

Here's the truth about Blame it on Rio: It wasn't meant to be a multiple Oscar winner. As mentioned earlier, it is a very silly film that wants to have a bit of naughty fun without keeping track of all those unwritten rules that determine what it can't and can do so that it does not offend the politically correct crowd. That's really it. And as soon as one realizes that this is indeed the case, the easier it will be for one to see how charming the film truly is.

There is some nudity in the film, but it does not make it sleazy (which is exactly what the late Roger Ebert argued). On the contrary, the entire film has that genuinely relaxed atmosphere that is found in many similarly-themed European comedies from the late '70s and early '80s. Some of the actors also act goofy at times, but so do many real people when they go vacationing on places like Ibiza and Mykonos.

Caine and Bologna's experience clearly shows, but it does not make Johnson and Moore look terrible. It is easy to tell that they knew exactly what type of film they were making with Donen and simply mixed business with pleasure. Only Valerie Harper, who plays Caine's frustrated wife, looks slightly more intense than the rest of the cast.

The various panoramic shots from Rio are outstanding and make the city look a lot friendlier and safer than it really is. The large white villa and its beautiful garden also have to be seen to be believed.

Donen decided to shoot Blame it on Rio after viewing Claude Berri's Un moment d'égarement (In a Wild Moment). The relationships between the main characters in Berri's film are practically identical, but they visit the French Riviera.

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