Papa Hemingway in Cuba (2015)

Wow! Such a good movie.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

After the execrable HBO fiasco HEMINGWAY AND GELHORN, I was very wary of Hemingway movies. But this modestly charming film about a young reporter who looks up to the aging Hemingway as a father figure in his final days is surprisingly touching and authentic. Adrian Sparks is amazing as the aging lion Hemingway. What he puts across is not so much the publicity-hungry tough guy the world remembers, but the shy, reclusive author tortured by sadness and regret and the sense of loss. This is a Hemingway who has accomplished so much but feels deep down that on almost every human level he blew it. The sadness makes it easier to understand the binge drinking and the rage. Joely Richardson is terrific as Mary Hemingway, Ernest's fourth and final wife. Not only is she tough, beautiful and classy enough to imitate Marlene Dietrich and match Papa drink for drink, but you can see her enormous sadness even when she's laughing her head off. This woman has seen Hemingway at his greatest and now she's stuck with what's left of him . . . but she never gives in to despair. Now I have to say that the young reporter's story is not nearly as compelling as the lion in winter stuff. Ed Myers is what they call a "Mary Sue" in fan fiction. He's just a stand-in for the viewer, like, "it would be so cool if I got to hang out with Hemingway in Cuba! I bet he'd teach me stuff and we'd go fishing and just hanging around with him would make that pretty girl at the office fall crazy in love with me!" There's nothing about this guy that explains why Hemingway (or anyone else) would adopt him as a son. Or why the prettiest girl in the office would fall madly in love with him.One final thought: if you wonder how Hemingway himself would have viewed this story of his last days there's a very interesting early story he wrote called "The Battler." It's about how a teenage Nick Adams (really Hemingway himself) comes across a washed up champion prize fighter who's gone punch drunk and become a hobo. The man drifts from town to town in a permanent daze cared for by a single black servant who is really more of a keeper. The champ's ex wife is denounced as a tramp but ultimately it's revealed that she sends the champ money every month so he can drift around and not starve. When I was a kid I wondered what the point of the story was. I think it's Hemingway acknowledging the limits of his own values. You can be the big, tough, famous white guy, you can be the champ at what you do, but in the end the people who are supposed to "serve" you (women and blacks) will end up owning you. Winner take nothing!This movie tells that story, in a way. But it also suggests a more human possibility of redemption, when Hemingway tells the kid, in effect, "don't be like me. Learn from my mistakes." The resolution is pretty cheesy (the pretty girl at the office? Really?) But at least they were trying to imagine the possibility of hope. Hemingway could have used a little of that himself!

For those who admire the writing of Ernest Hemingway, this film offers a wonderful perspective into the time that he lived in Cuba late in his life. This period also coincides with the overthrow of Batista in Cuba by the rebel forces of Fidel Castro. The film is successful in blending biography and history in a well-photographed motion picture--the first American film since the height of Cold War with location filming in Cuba.The film is based on the true life story of writer Denne Petitclerc, a young journalist who formed a bond with his idol Hemingway while writing for the Miami Herald in the late 1950s. Peticlerc sent a letter to Hemingway, who responded warmly. A virtual father-son relationship ensued in their meetings in Cuba.Some of the most interesting portions of the film are those that bring to the forefront such political developments as the Cuban revolution led by Castro and the troubling harassment of Hemingway by FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. There is even a scene where the journalist meets with American mafia boss Santos Trafficante.The personal side of the film comes across in a fine performance by Adrian Sparks as the aging Hemingway, losing his powers as a writer and fighting personal demons. Giovanni Ribisi is good as the journalist, who provides support to Hemingway during the crisis that eventually ends in Idaho when Hemingway took his life. There are good supporting performances from Minka Kelly as Deb, the journalist's girlfriend, Joely Richardson as the feisty Mary Hemingway, and James Remar as Trafficante.The film might have probed deeper into the artistry of Hemingway and how his life story figured so prominently in his works of fiction. Occasionally, the famous books, "A Farewell to Arms," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," and "The Old Man and the Sea" were referenced. But the backdrop of Hemingway's creative process in bringing those literary works to life could have been explored more completely. In that way, we would know why Hemingway was such a great inspiration to so many writers.

I'm baffled by the hostility of many professional critics to this film. (The user, or amateur, reviewers are much more accurate, fair, knowledgeable and balanced. I'm finding this is true with user book reviews also. The amateur reviewers often know much more, care more, and are less biased about the subject than the professional reviewers.) I think the reason that so many professional critics did not like this film is because in liberal circles today Hemingway is very much out of fashion, and looked down upon. He is 'politically incorrect' now. Also Hemingway is not nearly as popular and well known today as was the case from 1930 to 1965.If you know about and like this famous author, as I do, this is the film for you. The stage actor, Adrian Sparks, who plays Hemingway nails the author's look, mannerisms, ideas, and even the sound of his voice. The film captures perfectly Hemingway's relationship with his prickly last wife, Mary, his mental state and concerns, and his relationship with friends, in the late 1950s period in Cuba, all per the historical record. And an added treat is that the film was made in Cuba at Hemingway's actual home, and favorite bar, the Floridita. The director may have even used the author's actual fishing boat the 'Pilar', which used to be kept at the Finca Vigia Estate after the author's death. If not it was a very close replica right down to the black hull. Also I thought screenwriter Denne Petitclerc's, a friend of the Hemingways, script was accurate, honest, inclusive, intelligent, well done, and thoughtful.

As my title to this review states if one knows a lot about Hemingway's life this movie might be an enjoyable experience. If you don't know much you may get lost in the story. I have read the majority of Hemingway's books and just about everything available about his personal life. Still, the film twists a few facts and leaves out significant pieces of information. There are a few story lines that don't connect very well. Hemingway's alleged knowledge of a cross-dressing J Edgar Hoover is offered as the reason for the FBI's harassment of Hemingway. Other research suggests the feud between these two was far more complicated. The scenes of Cuba alone are worth seeing the movie.