One of the surprise Oscar nominees for Best Animated Feature, delivers a simple, sturdy story thats greatly enhanced by its glorious retro visuals and a swoon-worthy soundtrack.
While wholly fictional, the narrative follows the trajectory weve seen in many a biopic: After being introduced to the protagonist in his autumn years Chico (Eman Xor Oña) is a wizened shoeshine in grubby contemporary Havana were whisked back to his heyday, 1948, when hes one of Cubas leading jazz pianists. He strikes up a multifaceted partnership with chanteuse Rita (Limara Meneses) but the naked fistfight that caps their first night together suggests this is no fairytale romance.
As many viewers will have a strong sense of precisely where this standard rise-and-fall tale is going, theyre afforded more time to admire the remarkable scenery along the way. While the bold, crude lines that depict the characters rarely detract from their expressiveness, you cant help but wish that their personalities received the same attention to detail that graces the backdrops, whether its the art deco playground that is pre-communist Havana or the dingy basement jazz clubs of New York City (populated by the visages and music of Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk).
Ultimately, Chico & Rita proves the cinematic equivalent of any great song that entices you to overlook its trite lyrics because its melody and rhythm are so compelling. Furthermore, it possesses that one intangible that trumps all shortcomings: it has soul. C.W.
