Buena Vista Social Club

Hard to rank. The music is exceptional. The documentary is boring.

Seems to be conceived around the musical group, but other than providing some nice listening throughout, it's very bad at capturing that subject. The editing is a mess and while Wenders' good cinematic eye shows up in random places most of it is not very well shot either. What it's best at is showing so many interesting glimpses of people and, through them, Cuba. Those little moments help it succeed as a portrait of a country and its people where it fails as a portrait of a band and its members.

The music is great, but this is some highly uninspired filmmaking. It all seems so rehearsed and planned out.

The thrill here is the jam sessions with some of the best Cuban musicians of the day. Unfortunately, the rest of this documentary is held together by interviews that aren't all that informative, and are dizzying with cameras swooping around the interviewees over and over and over. For a movie about music, this has some of the worst sound pickups (the camerawork isn't much to brag about either).

Wim Wenders is really not a documentary maker. This particular documentary doesn't bring much: 1) at the level of the music, as it doesn't foster understanding of the music in itself or its creative process, 2) the personalities of the musicians, or barely scratch the surface, 3) Cuban society.

It is alright. The documentary does not explain a lot, which is a shame. I just wanted that breakout moment.

I love the music, the album, and the fascinating characters in the group the film focuses on, but it's like Wenders didn't try at all putting this together. Lazy camerawork, the editing is a mess, very little flow, and doesn't go as deep as it should considering the rich source material.

I'm here for the music. Wenders just sucks.

This is the shittiest documentary I've ever seen. For starters, it seems to have been filmed on someone's phone. Secondly, it's about 80% footage of in-studio session recording. There's nothing to be learned. I'm interested in the actual album, because I'm interested in exploring Latin music and it is regarded as a classic. But this sucks.

There's a bit for almost everyone here -- we learn a little more about the BVSC musicians, see some good performance footage, and some nice scenes of Cuban life -- but only a bit. Recommended mainly as a supplementary companion piece for those who love the album.

very boring.

Some of The best classic cuban music singers.

The music itself is fantastic, featuring memorable and rich songs with accomplished musicianship and great passion. It was a pleasure to spend time with the players and learn a little bit (unfortunately, not a lot) about their lives and careers. However, the cinematography is simply awful. The movie has a cheap, amateurish, washed-out look. It's very unpleasant to behold, especially with the shaky camerawork. It feels like it was all done rather haphazardly with little thought. Just buy the CD.

"Wenders is clearly an outsider-looking-in." - Ed Gonzalez

Obviously a work of great love. Oozes joy. What it lacks in conflict or narrative it makes up for in beautiful flowing visuals so at odds with the assumed formality of documentary.

I love the songs a little more than the movie, interesting portrait though.

It may be best to see this in a cold, wet, democratic country in the middle of the winter.

I love the buena vista social club music, don't miss the CD! The movie well is just another documentary and not that interesing...

Cuba ftw !

I hate how Wenders vandalize every rule of documentary making to drive his movie. I love these old man and soundtrack.