Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
Lions Gate Films | Release Date: February 27, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
39
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
19
Negative:
11
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Chicago TribuneAllison Benedikt
A pelvis-gyrating, ponytail-releasing, shirt-unbuttoning good time. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Sufficiently original and engaging to be called merely "Havana Nights" but will no doubt get a boost by the reference to the popular 1987 "Dirty Dancing." Read full review
60
VarietyDavid Rooney
Superficial but entertaining new pic offers equal parts freshness and kitsch appeal set to a pulsating Latin soundtrack. Read full review
60
NewsweekDavid Ansen
This sweet, sometimes clunky chick flick is a likable teen romance, but not likely to arouse the giddy swoons Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey generated back in ’87. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Even as the prosaic script gets lost in the intoxicating fantasy of the bloodless revolution, the hot heartbeat of the music drives the film with pure energy. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
It's only possible to have the time of your life once, and, for this franchise, that was in 1987. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Contains all the elements of a satisfying teen genre picture, but they've been compromised out of existence. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
There are two sparks of light amid the trifling dialogue and bad faux-'80s love-on-the-beach montages in Havana Nights, and they are the film's costars. Read full review
50
Rolling StoneGuy Ferland
Luna and Garai struggle to look like they're having the time of their life. But the movie, more wan than wicked, proves you can't go home again. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Not a sequel, not a prequel, but a "reimagining" as the producers say. And they're basically correct, although I wouldn't put any real emphasis on the "imagination" aspect of that term. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineAngel Cohn
Katey and Javier's dramatically expedient relationship is nowhere near as interesting as the Cuban Revolution, which is relegated to window dressing. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
[Garai and Luna] must be given credit for their presence and charisma in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and together with the film's general ambiance, they do a lot to make amends for the lockstep plot. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The movie's mix of erotic Latin dance and vaguely liberal politics should have young girls swooning in the aisles. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
Swayze's presence crosses the line from curious to bizarre and adds a heavy layer of cheese to Havana Nights. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Bland though it is, "Havana Nights" could be the start of a globe-bettering franchise -- and across history, too: "Dirty Dancing: Monticello Mornings"; "Dirty Dancing: Gaza Strip Afternoons." Read full review
50
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Has its modest charms. Read full review
50
SalonCharles Taylor
The plot construction here is especially lazy. The whole movie is built toward the dance competition. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
The plot of "Nights" will occupy only 10 or 12 brain cells. Read full review
42
Portland OregonianBarry Johnson
At its best during the anachronistic nightclub scenes and anytime prolonged dancing is on screen. It's mostly music video stuff, but the young actors are likable enough, and the film works up just enough momentum to give it some significance. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
The dance sequences might have saved it, were it not for the fact that director Guy Ferland seems to have learned everything he knows about (over) shooting and (blindly) cutting such scenes from watching "Moulin Rouge" and "Chicago." Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
It's disappointing the film is so sketchy and underdeveloped. The filmmakers may have sold their story short. Read full review
38
USA TodayMike Clark
If you can't find a more scintillating brand of dirty to enjoy during your own nights (Helena or Hoboken), you're not trying very hard. Read full review
38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
Despite being set in 1958 Cuba, Havana Nights sticks to the formula. This would be perfectly acceptable if the dancing was "dirtier" and if there was a spark between the young couple. Read full review
38
New York PostJonathan Foreman
About three-quarters of the way through, Havana Nights suddenly becomes laugh-out-loud awful, with dreadful, lame lines delivered painfully badly - as if a different screenwriter and director had taken over for the movie's final act. Read full review
38
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
In the end, they are only moments, and even at a merciful 86 minutes, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights feels formidably long. Read full review
30
Dallas ObserverMelissa Levine
Silly, misguided, formulaic and largely a piece of trash, but it's not quite a disaster. There's the dancing and the music and the sunlight. Read full review
30
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
It's one of the rare films for which a blooper reel would be redundant. Read full review
30
Washington PostMark Jenkins
The movie is still a routine Hollywood high school morality play. Read full review
30
Film ThreatKevin Carr
This cinematic train wreck reminds me of when Hollywood decided to cash in on the success of “Chinatown” by making a sequel... Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
This belated "reimagining" is as beguiling as a dried-out palm tree. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Has some good music and hot dancing -- filmed choppily -- but it completely lacks the magic of its predecessor. Read full review
20
Village VoiceTricia Romano
Havana Nights es mucho frío -- the only titter of excitement comes in a cameo from a strangely reptilian Patrick Swayze. Read full review
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