Viva: reviews

What the critics say average 6.9 from 8 outlets

• 9.1 Entertainment WeeklyLeah Greenblatt Havana?s crumbling trapped-in-time beauty also plays a starring role, but it?s Medina who provides the movie?s raw, tender heart. Read
• 8.0 New York TimesStephen Holden It infuses a too-familiar story with so much heart that you surrender to its charm and forgive it for being unabashedly formulaic. Read
• 7.0 The Hollywood ReporterStephen Farber Despite the predictable touches in the script by Mark O?Halloran, director Paddy Breathnach reveals a sensitive touch with the material. Read
• 7.0 Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan Nothing happens you won't see coming, but it's all so deftly done you're more than happy to wait for the inevitable to arrive. Read
• 6.3 The Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan The story is slightly melodramatic, but director Paddy Breathnach finds ways to make it surprisingly moving at times, in the same way that he makes the Havana slums look paradoxically beautiful. Read
• 6.0 CinemaníaRubén Romero Santos The political metaphor, with Jorge Perugorría as defeated former boxer who represents the new Cuba, is something simplistic but it works. Read
• 6.0 FotogramasPere Vall Uncritically with the system, 'Live' it is a fresh portrait of a free Cuba but, yes libertine. Read
• 5.8 The PlaylistRodrigo Perez A moving movie that tries too hard to please and thus never truly satisfies. Read