I recently saw this at the 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival. A fictional early 1960's Brazillian Bossa Nova band is getting in on the beginning of the the Bossa Nova sound that would soon sweep around the world. They manage to get the attention of music publisher who acquires the North American rights to one of their songs and with their feet slightly in the door of the big time music world they head to New York as a struggling band to try to make the big time. from writer/director Walter Lima Jr. this film sets out promisingly enough but soon loses its way. It becomes a romance story and plods along without any romantic sparkle and as it turns into the mid 1970's the band is back in Brazil as the film continues to aimlessly plod along until it suddenly becomes a political story. Despite a great soundtrack containing portions of some great Brazillian music this film never finds itself and is basically all over the place. It tries to be an epic but is too long and tedious and quickly becomes boring. Being a big fan of Brazillian jazz, Bossa Nova and Samba I was disappointed this and would give it a 6.0 out of 10 and would not recommend it.
Review of Os Desafinados
