''Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights'' is a 2004 American

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

romance film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

directed by

Guy Ferland Guy Ferland (born February 18, 1966) is an American film and television director. Career After Alfred Hitchcock's 1946 film '' Notorious'' inspired him to become a filmmaker, Ferland went on to study cinema production at the University of South ...

and starring

Diego Luna Diego Dionisio Luna Alexander (; born 29 December 1979) is a Mexican actor, director, and producer, best known for his portrayal of Cassian Andor in ''Rogue One, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (2016) and the Disney+ series ''Andor (TV series), ...

Romola Garai Romola Sadie Garai ( ; born 6 August 1982) is a Hong Kong-born British actress and film director. Known for her extensive work on stage and screen, she often acts in period films. Her early film roles include '' Nicholas Nickleby'' (2002), '' ...

Sela Ward Sela Ann Ward (born July 11, 1956) is an American actress. Her breakthrough TV role was as Teddy Reed in the NBC drama series ''Sisters'' (1991–96), for which she received her first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama ...

John Slattery John M. Slattery Jr. (born August 13, 1962) is an American actor and director. He is known for his role as Roger Sterling in the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–15), for which he was nominated 4 times for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outsta ...

, Jonathan Jackson,

January Jones January Kristen Jones (born January 5, 1978) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Betty Draper in ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which she was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress – Television Series Drama ...

, and

Mika Boorem Mika Sue Boorem (; born August 18, 1987) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress, appearing on television in small guest roles on ''Touched by an Angel'' and ''Ally McBeal'', before earning critical acclaim for her perfor ...

. The film is a standalone

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

of the 1987 blockbuster ''

Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romance film, romantic drama film, drama Dance in film, dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tel ...

'', and serves as the second feature film in the titular franchise. While the movie follows a similar plot structure, the story takes place in Cuba during the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze ( ; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, singer, songwriter, and dancer. Known for his romantic, tough, and comedic roles in blockbusters and cult films, Swayze was nominated for three Golden Glob ...

, star of the original film, appears as a dance instructor.

Plot

In 1958, Katey Miller, her parents and her sister Susie arrive in Cuba during the

Cuban revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

. A bookworm, Katey is not very happy about having to move to a different country during her senior year of high school, as she had planned on attending

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

, although the rest of her family seem extremely pleased to be there. Meeting several other wealthy American teens by the pool - including James Phelps, the son of her father's boss - Katey becomes disgusted when one of the others insults a local waiter when he drops their drinks, as it was really Katey's fault. She attempts to talk to the waiter—Javier, who works at the hotel to support his family—because she feels awful about what happened, but he is uninterested. Katey watches a film of her parents dancing and wishes she could dance as well as them. Her father dances with her a bit. The next day in class, Katey is asked to read aloud from the

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

- a passage about love and passion. After class, James invites her to a party at the country club the next day. While walking home from school, Katey sees Javier dancing, and he offers to walk her home. They stop to listen to a street band and police show up, stopping him while she runs away. The next day, Katey tries some of the dance moves she saw. Javier sees her and invites her to see the real dancers on Saturday night, but she mentions her invitation to the country club. Upset, he leaves. Katey wears one of her maid's dresses to the country club party, impressing James. She later convinces him to take her to the Cuban nightclub ''La Rosa Negra'', where Javier is dancing. Javier dances with Katey while James sits at the bar. Soon he is accosted by Javier's brother Carlos, who tells him they will eventually kick Americans out of Cuba. Javier comes over and argues with his brother. James takes Katey back to the car and assaults her when she refuses to kiss him. She slaps him and runs into the club, so Javier walks her home. The next day, Katey walks by a dance class. The teacher asks if anyone wants to enter the big dance contest and then dances with Katey for a bit. She grabs a flyer for the competition. While walking to the pool, James apologizes to Katey and then tells her that Susie saw Javier with her and got him fired. Katey chews out her sister, then goes to find Javier, who is now working at a

chop shop A chop shop is a business, often mimicking a body shop, that illicitly disassembles stolen motor vehicles and sells their parts. Chop shops are often linked to car-theft rings as part of a broader organized crime enterprise. In the United Stat ...

with Carlos. She asks him to enter the dance contest with her, but he refuses. Meanwhile, it has become apparent that Carlos is helping the revolutionaries. The next day, Javier shows up at Katey's school and agrees to enter the dance contest with her. They start teaching each other dance moves and Javier convinces her to "feel the music." They practice constantly, and Katey dances more with the dance teacher, until it is the night of the dance. Katey and Javier compete with the other couples and are chosen to go on to the next round. Katey's parents disapprove of her relationship with Javier, but Katey reconciles with them. On the night of the contest's final round, while Katey and Javier are on the dance floor, Javier sees his brother and some revolutionaries disguised as waiters, and there is a police raid. The contest stops as everyone flees the club, and Javier has to save Carlos from the police. The brothers talk about how they miss their dad, then they hear that

Batista Batista is a Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player João Batista da Silva * Dave Bautista, Batista (wrestler) (Dave ...

has fled the country, so join the celebration. Later, Javier comes to the hotel to find Katey, they go to the beach and have sex. The next day, Katey's parents tell her they are leaving Cuba, so she has one last night with Javier. They go to ''La Rosa Negra'', where they are dubbed King and Queen. Katey's family is there to see her, and Katey narrates that she does not know when she will see Javier again, but this will not be their last time dancing together.

Cast

as Katey Miller *

as Javier Suarez *

as Jeannie Miller *

as Bert Miller *

as Susie Miller * Jonathan Jackson as James Phelps * Rene Lavan as Carlos Suarez *

as Dance Class Instructor *

as Eve * Mýa Harrison as Lola Martinez *

Angélica Aragón Angélica Espinoza Stransky (born 11 July 1953), known as Angélica Aragón (), is a Mexican film, television and stage actress and singer. She is daughter of the Mexican composer José Ángel Espinoza "Ferrusquilla". She is recognized for her ...

as Mrs. Suarez *

Kaly Cordova Kaly may refer to: * Kaly (Brno-Country District), a municipality and village in the Czech Republic * Kały-Towarzystwo, a village in central Poland * Kały, Opole Voivodeship, a village in south-western Poland * Kaly (film), a 2018 Indian film * " ...

as Dancer * Odette Maher as Girl by Pool (uncredited) * Modesto Lacen as Ramon

Production

''Havana Nights'' is based on an original screenplay by playwright and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

host

Peter Sagal Peter Daniel Sagal (born January 31, 1965) is an American humorist, writer, and host of the National Public Radio game show '' Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' and the PBS special ''Constitution USA with Peter Sagal''. __TOC__ Early life, famil ...

, based on the real life experience of producer JoAnn Jansen, who lived in Cuba as a 15-year-old in 1958–59. Sagal wrote the screenplay, which he titled ''Cuba Mine'', about a young American woman who witnessed the

and had a romance with a young Cuban revolutionary. The screenplay was to be a serious political romance story, documenting, among other stories, how the Cuban revolution transformed from idealism to terror. It was commissioned in 1992 by

Lawrence Bender Lawrence Bender (born October 17, 1957) is an American film producer. Throughout his career, Bender-produced films have received 36 Academy Award nominations, resulting in eight wins. Bender rose to fame by producing '' Reservoir Dogs'' in 1992 ...

, who was rising to fame with his production of

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

's ''

Reservoir Dogs ''Reservoir Dogs'' is a 1992 American crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino in his feature-length directorial debut. It stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen, Tarant ...

'' and ''

Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...

''. The screenplay was bought by a film studio, which requested several rewrites before deciding not to produce the film. A decade later, Bender decided to make a ''Dirty Dancing''

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

, and the film was very loosely adapted from Sagal's script. Not a single line from Sagal's original screenplay appears in the final film and Sagal says that the only remnants of the political theme that existed in his script is a scene wherein some people are executed.

Natalie Portman Natalie Hershlag{{efn, Some Hebrew sources claim that her birth name was "Neta-Lee Hershleg" ({{langx, he, נטע-לי הרשלג) and later, her first name was Americanized to "Natalie". {{Cite news , last=Shamir , first=Oron , date=August ...

was offered the role of Katey Miller but she turned it down.

Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...

was also considered for the role of Javier Suarez. The film was British actress

's first Hollywood film and she repeatedly has cited the filming of the movie as being an extremely negative experience which caused her to re-evaluate working in Hollywood. In a 2004 interview with ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

'' she explained that the filmmakers "were obsessed with having someone skinny. I just thought, why didn't they get someone like

Kate Bosworth Katherine Anne Bosworth (born January 2, 1983) is an American actress. Following minor roles in the films ''The Horse Whisperer (film), The Horse Whisperer'' (1998) and ''Remember the Titans'' (2000), she had a leading role in movie ''Blue Crush' ...

, if that's what they wanted?"

Distribution

The film was announced as a co-production between

Artisan Entertainment Artisan Entertainment (formerly known as U.S.A. Home Video, International Video Entertainment (IVE) and LIVE Entertainment) was an American film studio and home video company. It was considered one of the largest mini-major film studios until i ...

and

Miramax Films Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...

on May 12, 2000. Artisan would handle domestic distribution, while Miramax through

Buena Vista International Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...

would handle overseas distribution.

Sexual misconduct by Harvey Weinstein

In October 2017, in the midst of producer

Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...

's sexual abuse allegations in Hollywood, Garai later revealed that Weinstein, whose company

Miramax Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...

was co-producing the film, had required her to meet him alone in a hotel room while he was wearing only a bathrobe to obtain the part: "I had to go to his hotel room in the Savoy, and he answered the door in his bathrobe. I was only 18. I felt violated by it, it has stayed very clearly in my memory."

Reception

Robert Denerstein of the ''

Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. the Monday–Friday ...

'' gave it a D+, saying: "Tries to add Cuban flavor to a familiar plot but comes up with nothing more than a bubbling stew of cliches." Peter Howell of the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'' thought it to be "Charmless, clumsy and culturally offensive all at the same time" and merited it one out of five stars. Wesley Morris of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' rated it two out of four stars and called the movie "as square as a sock hop." Philip Martin of the ''

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette The ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' is the newspaper of record in the U.S. state of Arkansas, printed in Little Rock with a northwest edition published in Lowell. It is distributed for sale in all 75 of Arkansas's counties. By virtue of one ...

'', who rated it B−, because "aside from the triteness of the dialogue, the mathematical predictability of the script and the muddling of numbskulled politics, DD: HN is a fairly enjoyable experience." According to Louis Hobson of Jam! Magazine, who thought the movie was worth three and a half out of five stars, the main redeeming factor was the choreography: "You may have problems with the obvious, clichéd story, but the dancing is incredible." Philip Wuntch of ''

The Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation in 2022 of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885, by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ' ...

'' gave the film a C, stating that "both the dance numbers and the personal drama are largely listless."

Soundtrack

# "Dance Like This" –

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean ( ; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, singer, and record producer. Born in Haiti, Jean emigrated to the Northeastern United States, United States as a child. He gained fame as a founding member of the Fugees, a Ne ...

featuring

Claudette Ortiz Claudette Ortiz (born July 21, 1981) is an American singer, model and television personality, best known as a member of the R&B trio City High. Ortiz also was a castmate in TV One's reality series '' R&B Divas: Los Angeles''. Early life Born on ...

# "Dirty Dancing" –

The Black Eyed Peas The Black Eyed Peas are an American musical group formed in Los Angeles in 1995, composed of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo (rapper), Taboo. Fergie (singer), Fergie was a member during the height of their popularity in the 2000s, and ...

# "Guajira (I Love U 2 Much)" –

Yerba Buena Yerba buena or hierba buena is the Spanish name for a number of aromatic plants, most of which belong to the mint family. ''Yerba buena'' translates as "good herb". The specific plant species regarded as ''yerba buena'' varies from region to reg ...

# "Can I Walk By" –

Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...

featuring Monica # "Satellite (From "Havana Nights")" –

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

featuring Jorge Moreno # "El Beso Del Final" –

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...

# "Represent, Cuba" – Orishas featuring

Heather Headley Heather Headley (born October 5, 1974) is a Trinidadian-born American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the title role of '' Aida''. She also won the 2010 Grammy A ...

# "Do You Only Wanna Dance" –

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), known professionally as Mýa, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress. She was born in Washington D.C. and studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Her ca ...

# "You Send Me" – Shawn Kane # "El Estuche" –

Aterciopelados Aterciopelados (), also known as Los Aterciopelados, is a rock band from Colombia, led by Andrea Echeverri and Héctor Buitrago. Their music fuses rock with a variety of Colombian and Latin American musical traditions. Aterciopelados have reco ...

# "Do You Only Wanna Dance" – Julio Daivel Big Band (conducted by Cucco Peña) # "Satellite (Spanish Version) Nave Espacial (From "Havana Nights")" – Santana featuring Jorge Moreno

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights 2004 films 2000s coming-of-age drama films 2000s dance films 2004 romantic drama films 2000s romantic musical films 2000s teen drama films 2000s teen romance films A Band Apart films American coming-of-age drama films American dance films American musical drama films American romantic drama films American romantic musical films American teen drama films American teen musical films American teen romance films Coming-of-age romance films Dirty Dancing (franchise) Films about interracial romance Films directed by Guy Ferland Films produced by Lawrence Bender Films scored by Heitor Pereira Films set in 1958 Films set in Havana Films shot in Puerto Rico Films with screenplays by Boaz Yakin Lionsgate films Miramax films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films American prequel films English-language romantic drama films English-language romantic musical films 2004 musical films