With a bit of a slow start, Road to Rio finally joins the ranks of the immortal Road To movie series of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. I am a huge fan of these movies, so my reviews are a bit biased. Then again, humor is a matter of taste, and if I think they're funny, then the movies are deserving of good reviews!
In this one Bing and Bob take an ocean liner to Rio, where they each fall in love with Dorothy Lamour. The obstacle in this one is Dorothy's aunt, Gale Sondergaard, who repeatedly hypnotizes her for nefarious purposes. One scene Dorothy is in love with Bing, then the next she slaps him across the face and doesn't remember kissing him. Since she plays hot and cold, both guys think they have a shot-and when they discover what's going on with Gale, they have the masculine urge to save their damsel.
As usual, Bing, Bob, and Dorothy are movie magic together, and the quips fly off as quickly as they can rattle them out. Sure, there's a sequence about Bob cutting someone's mustache off that just isn't funny, but who cares about it when he gives a dozen one-liners in the following ten minutes of screen time? Personally I loved Dorothy in this one, since she was supposed to be spacey; even though she's a staple in these movies, no one would accuse her of being a good actress.
My biggest disappointment in this one is the lack of a title song. At least in Road to Bali, the song was recorded separately and audiences could still listen to it outside the movie, but there is no "Road to Rio" song. That just means I can watch Road to Morocco again!
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When Bing sings "But Beautiful" there's a screen behind him playing a movie and the opposite motion will make you sick. Also, whenever Gale hypnotizes Dorothy, the spinning motion will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
In this one Bing and Bob take an ocean liner to Rio, where they each fall in love with Dorothy Lamour. The obstacle in this one is Dorothy's aunt, Gale Sondergaard, who repeatedly hypnotizes her for nefarious purposes. One scene Dorothy is in love with Bing, then the next she slaps him across the face and doesn't remember kissing him. Since she plays hot and cold, both guys think they have a shot-and when they discover what's going on with Gale, they have the masculine urge to save their damsel.
As usual, Bing, Bob, and Dorothy are movie magic together, and the quips fly off as quickly as they can rattle them out. Sure, there's a sequence about Bob cutting someone's mustache off that just isn't funny, but who cares about it when he gives a dozen one-liners in the following ten minutes of screen time? Personally I loved Dorothy in this one, since she was supposed to be spacey; even though she's a staple in these movies, no one would accuse her of being a good actress.
My biggest disappointment in this one is the lack of a title song. At least in Road to Bali, the song was recorded separately and audiences could still listen to it outside the movie, but there is no "Road to Rio" song. That just means I can watch Road to Morocco again!
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When Bing sings "But Beautiful" there's a screen behind him playing a movie and the opposite motion will make you sick. Also, whenever Gale hypnotizes Dorothy, the spinning motion will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"