Reviews (85)

The power of star power
With a weak script and often flat, boring storyline, this movie is actually really good due solely to the performances of the 3 leads, Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, and Faye Dunaway. Without their massive talents, this movie very well may not have made it onto video.
The movie revolves around a 21 year old man (Johnny Depp) who swears that he is the Don Juan from Byron's poem, having loved 1052 women and satisfied every last one of them. Of course, the only one who mattered rejected him, so he has decided to commit suicide. Phyciatrist Jack Michler (Brando) arrived on the scene to talk Don Juan off of the ledge is his on by pretending he is Don Octavio. Don Juan is brought to a menaal hospital where Michler has 10 days, due to the fact that he is retiring and must make a prognosis by then, to decided whether he believes Don Juan's story or not. The rest of the movie is split between Don Juan telling Dr. Michler the story of his life and Michler rekindling the romance with his wife, Marilyn (Dunaway)-due to the fact that Don Juan's romanicism is highly contageous.
Although the styoryline is nothing special, and the script is even less, the performances turned out by each lead is superb. Depp as the world's greatest lover is sweet and sentimental, looking and sounding (he is said to have fashioned his accent after Ricardo Montabond in "Fantasy Island") the part to perfection. Dunaway, although given a comparably smaller part than the others, gets everything she possibly can out of her screentime. The physical chemistry bwtween she and Brando is surprisingly great, as you really can believe they have been married for 30-someodd years. The real gem in this movie, however, is the great one himself. This performance is Brando at his best. He doesn't mugg through the movie (as with the Score) and he isn't off the walls eccentric (The Island of Dr. Moreau). His blue eyes have that boyish, mischevious twinkle they did so many years ago, and alhtough he is quite heavy, he does a good deal of moving around and full body shots compared to all other recent film appearances. No matter what his physical appearance is, Brando's facial exressions, subtle mannerisms and gestures, and most of all his humanity add so much to this mediocre film.
When you take 3 very talented entertainers and let them loose on an iffy script, Don Juan DeMarco is the end result. Bottom line, the actors seem to be having a great deal of fun playing off of one another (look for Brando and Dunaway's bed scenes for some great laughs and obvious improvisation)and anyone who enjoys any of the 3 leads should deffinatly see this film!!

Nobody does wonderful and quirky better than Johnny Depp!
This glorious and enchanting film is one of my favorites. Johnny Depp is contagious as the mental patient who convinces everyone with latent, romantic hearts, that he is indeed Don Juan de Marco, the greatest lover who ever lived. I love Johnny Depp in offbeat roles. In spite of all the controversy he has incurred over the years, he still captures my heart, especially when he plays roles like Don Juan and the Charlie Chaplin copy cat in Benny and Joon. I always thought he would have been sensational in the movie, Chaplin. Marlon Brando is also superb as the rotund, tired psychiatrist whom Don Juan, the patient, rescues from mediocrity. Faye Dunnaway is beautiful as his pragmatic, middle-aged wife. Together, they recapture the spirit of youth and demonstrate that regardless of advancing age, fun, sex appeal, and energy don't have to be wasted on the young. If you love adventure, passion, and joy, don't miss this alluring, little gem!

It sings? (sigh)
There are 2 movies, other than The Godfather, Streetcar Named Desire and The Contender, for which I want to remember Marlon Brando: A Bedtime Story and Don Juan de Marco. How many comedies has he made? In Don Juan de Marco, I enjoyed watching him be part of an ensemble cast, which has never really been his modus operandi on other sets. As much as he derided acting as a profession, his performance in this movie seemed to argue that he still liked doing it.

It is a very funny, sexy flight of notions about fantasy and reality, much like Harvey starring Jimmy Stewart did decades ago. Johnny Depp, Brando, Faye Dunaway and company, to paraphrase a line from the movie, really have a way of putting the story in touch with what is real. With Mexican ballads and exotic settings, Don Juan is like a male Sheherazad, buying time and confounding the truth. As a lovesick worshipper of romance, he asks why we even bother to call it love any more in a modern world rushing past emotion for the carrots at the end of the stick in our lives.

Just an aside, in the commentary for The Usual Suspects, the director mentioned that, after the filming of a street scene, Gabriel Bryne and company heard that Don Juan de Marco was filming at a location near there. The whole set was reputed to be filled with nude women bathing. They all rushed over to check it out. I tell this story to my guy friends who are quick to dismiss it on the grounds that it is a chick flick. It got the Usual Suspects anecdote of approval. They might argue that all the beautiful nude and/or scantily clad women would have made them watch, but they are acting like Rocco, the male nurse in the hospital Ð I mean at Don Octavio de FloresÕ villa, and you know what happened to Rocco Ð if not watch this movie.

The people in the audience that saw it with me back in 1995 enjoyed it enough to not just applaud afterward but to come out chatting and politely flirting while filing out of the theater. The ushers standing by the exit mentioned that Don Juan de Marco Òthawed everybody outÓ in a way they had not seen by other movies. Watching it on DVD with friends can be just as fun. Muy romantica! (Dancing to one of the songs in the sound track Me Siento Loco, Poco a Poco Ð translation: I Feel Crazy, Little by Little.)

A stellar cast in a bad movie
With the recent death of legendary Marlon Brando, I've been watching his films lately as my own way of paying respects. Brando's talent was near genius that almost none can surpass. Oh sure, there are a handful of actors in certain roles who are as good or better as he was. However, the overall quality of acting in each of Brando's films, taken collectively, is unsurpassed. Johnny Depp is one of, if perhaps the only, actor of this generation who could maybe eclipse Brando. That they were friends solidifies this premise.

That said, I was so excited to see Brando, Depp, Dunaway, and Selena (albeit in a very small singing part) together in one film. But I must say, after watching it, I was disappointed. It wasn't Depp's accent (he did convincingly well) but the plot - if you want to call it - that was a big let-down. Brando is sweet and charming; Dunaway is beautiful as ever; and, of course, Depp is ultra suave and sexy as Don Juan. The movie starts off kinda cute, you wonder where it's going to go, and then - boom! The let-down. What was the point of this movie? I just didn't get it. Was it lust or love? Even if it was either or, I just came away thinking, "Who cares?"

If it weren't for the phenomenal actors, this film wouldn't have made a pile of beans. What a flop and a disappointment.

Well, there is just one more thing I'll admit that is good about this flick: the theme song. Bryan Adams' "Have you ever really loved a woman" is a most beautiful love song and it will remain my favorite. It ties in well with the movie with its Latin guitar strings.

The music and the actors themselves make for this movie, but the storyline is disappointing and disbelievable.

...Johnny at his most magnetic
I think I`ve written that line before... But who cares? This is a well written, amusing piece of entertainment.... You`ll love the interplay between Brando and Depp... Miss Dunaway`s character is under-developed, but overall - a good film... It brings u back to the days of Valentino and make-believe... Look out for the ill-fated Selena in the restaurant scene.... ... Read more

Reviews (85)

The power of star power
With a weak script and often flat, boring storyline, this movie is actually really good due solely to the performances of the 3 leads, Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, and Faye Dunaway. Without their massive talents, this movie very well may not have made it onto video.
The movie revolves around a 21 year old man (Johnny Depp) who swears that he is the Don Juan from Byron's poem, having loved 1052 women and satisfied every last one of them. Of course, the only one who mattered rejected him, so he has decided to commit suicide. Phyciatrist Jack Michler (Brando) arrived on the scene to talk Don Juan off of the ledge is his on by pretending he is Don Octavio. Don Juan is brought to a menaal hospital where Michler has 10 days, due to the fact that he is retiring and must make a prognosis by then, to decided whether he believes Don Juan's story or not. The rest of the movie is split between Don Juan telling Dr. Michler the story of his life and Michler rekindling the romance with his wife, Marilyn (Dunaway)-due to the fact that Don Juan's romanicism is highly contageous.
Although the styoryline is nothing special, and the script is even less, the performances turned out by each lead is superb. Depp as the world's greatest lover is sweet and sentimental, looking and sounding (he is said to have fashioned his accent after Ricardo Montabond in "Fantasy Island") the part to perfection. Dunaway, although given a comparably smaller part than the others, gets everything she possibly can out of her screentime. The physical chemistry bwtween she and Brando is surprisingly great, as you really can believe they have been married for 30-someodd years. The real gem in this movie, however, is the great one himself. This performance is Brando at his best. He doesn't mugg through the movie (as with the Score) and he isn't off the walls eccentric (The Island of Dr. Moreau). His blue eyes have that boyish, mischevious twinkle they did so many years ago, and alhtough he is quite heavy, he does a good deal of moving around and full body shots compared to all other recent film appearances. No matter what his physical appearance is, Brando's facial exressions, subtle mannerisms and gestures, and most of all his humanity add so much to this mediocre film.
When you take 3 very talented entertainers and let them loose on an iffy script, Don Juan DeMarco is the end result. Bottom line, the actors seem to be having a great deal of fun playing off of one another (look for Brando and Dunaway's bed scenes for some great laughs and obvious improvisation)and anyone who enjoys any of the 3 leads should deffinatly see this film!!

Nobody does wonderful and quirky better than Johnny Depp!
This glorious and enchanting film is one of my favorites. Johnny Depp is contagious as the mental patient who convinces everyone with latent, romantic hearts, that he is indeed Don Juan de Marco, the greatest lover who ever lived. I love Johnny Depp in offbeat roles. In spite of all the controversy he has incurred over the years, he still captures my heart, especially when he plays roles like Don Juan and the Charlie Chaplin copy cat in Benny and Joon. I always thought he would have been sensational in the movie, Chaplin. Marlon Brando is also superb as the rotund, tired psychiatrist whom Don Juan, the patient, rescues from mediocrity. Faye Dunnaway is beautiful as his pragmatic, middle-aged wife. Together, they recapture the spirit of youth and demonstrate that regardless of advancing age, fun, sex appeal, and energy don't have to be wasted on the young. If you love adventure, passion, and joy, don't miss this alluring, little gem!

It sings? (sigh)
There are 2 movies, other than The Godfather, Streetcar Named Desire and The Contender, for which I want to remember Marlon Brando: A Bedtime Story and Don Juan de Marco. How many comedies has he made? In Don Juan de Marco, I enjoyed watching him be part of an ensemble cast, which has never really been his modus operandi on other sets. As much as he derided acting as a profession, his performance in this movie seemed to argue that he still liked doing it.

It is a very funny, sexy flight of notions about fantasy and reality, much like Harvey starring Jimmy Stewart did decades ago. Johnny Depp, Brando, Faye Dunaway and company, to paraphrase a line from the movie, really have a way of putting the story in touch with what is real. With Mexican ballads and exotic settings, Don Juan is like a male Sheherazad, buying time and confounding the truth. As a lovesick worshipper of romance, he asks why we even bother to call it love any more in a modern world rushing past emotion for the carrots at the end of the stick in our lives.

Just an aside, in the commentary for The Usual Suspects, the director mentioned that, after the filming of a street scene, Gabriel Bryne and company heard that Don Juan de Marco was filming at a location near there. The whole set was reputed to be filled with nude women bathing. They all rushed over to check it out. I tell this story to my guy friends who are quick to dismiss it on the grounds that it is a chick flick. It got the Usual Suspects anecdote of approval. They might argue that all the beautiful nude and/or scantily clad women would have made them watch, but they are acting like Rocco, the male nurse in the hospital Ð I mean at Don Octavio de FloresÕ villa, and you know what happened to Rocco Ð if not watch this movie.

The people in the audience that saw it with me back in 1995 enjoyed it enough to not just applaud afterward but to come out chatting and politely flirting while filing out of the theater. The ushers standing by the exit mentioned that Don Juan de Marco Òthawed everybody outÓ in a way they had not seen by other movies. Watching it on DVD with friends can be just as fun. Muy romantica! (Dancing to one of the songs in the sound track Me Siento Loco, Poco a Poco Ð translation: I Feel Crazy, Little by Little.)

A stellar cast in a bad movie
With the recent death of legendary Marlon Brando, I've been watching his films lately as my own way of paying respects. Brando's talent was near genius that almost none can surpass. Oh sure, there are a handful of actors in certain roles who are as good or better as he was. However, the overall quality of acting in each of Brando's films, taken collectively, is unsurpassed. Johnny Depp is one of, if perhaps the only, actor of this generation who could maybe eclipse Brando. That they were friends solidifies this premise.

That said, I was so excited to see Brando, Depp, Dunaway, and Selena (albeit in a very small singing part) together in one film. But I must say, after watching it, I was disappointed. It wasn't Depp's accent (he did convincingly well) but the plot - if you want to call it - that was a big let-down. Brando is sweet and charming; Dunaway is beautiful as ever; and, of course, Depp is ultra suave and sexy as Don Juan. The movie starts off kinda cute, you wonder where it's going to go, and then - boom! The let-down. What was the point of this movie? I just didn't get it. Was it lust or love? Even if it was either or, I just came away thinking, "Who cares?"

If it weren't for the phenomenal actors, this film wouldn't have made a pile of beans. What a flop and a disappointment.

Well, there is just one more thing I'll admit that is good about this flick: the theme song. Bryan Adams' "Have you ever really loved a woman" is a most beautiful love song and it will remain my favorite. It ties in well with the movie with its Latin guitar strings.

The music and the actors themselves make for this movie, but the storyline is disappointing and disbelievable.

...Johnny at his most magnetic
I think I`ve written that line before... But who cares? This is a well written, amusing piece of entertainment.... You`ll love the interplay between Brando and Depp... Miss Dunaway`s character is under-developed, but overall - a good film... It brings u back to the days of Valentino and make-believe... Look out for the ill-fated Selena in the restaurant scene.... ... Read more

Reviews (85)

The power of star power
With a weak script and often flat, boring storyline, this movie is actually really good due solely to the performances of the 3 leads, Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp, and Faye Dunaway. Without their massive talents, this movie very well may not have made it onto video.
The movie revolves around a 21 year old man (Johnny Depp) who swears that he is the Don Juan from Byron's poem, having loved 1052 women and satisfied every last one of them. Of course, the only one who mattered rejected him, so he has decided to commit suicide. Phyciatrist Jack Michler (Brando) arrived on the scene to talk Don Juan off of the ledge is his on by pretending he is Don Octavio. Don Juan is brought to a menaal hospital where Michler has 10 days, due to the fact that he is retiring and must make a prognosis by then, to decided whether he believes Don Juan's story or not. The rest of the movie is split between Don Juan telling Dr. Michler the story of his life and Michler rekindling the romance with his wife, Marilyn (Dunaway)-due to the fact that Don Juan's romanicism is highly contageous.
Although the styoryline is nothing special, and the script is even less, the performances turned out by each lead is superb. Depp as the world's greatest lover is sweet and sentimental, looking and sounding (he is said to have fashioned his accent after Ricardo Montabond in "Fantasy Island") the part to perfection. Dunaway, although given a comparably smaller part than the others, gets everything she possibly can out of her screentime. The physical chemistry bwtween she and Brando is surprisingly great, as you really can believe they have been married for 30-someodd years. The real gem in this movie, however, is the great one himself. This performance is Brando at his best. He doesn't mugg through the movie (as with the Score) and he isn't off the walls eccentric (The Island of Dr. Moreau). His blue eyes have that boyish, mischevious twinkle they did so many years ago, and alhtough he is quite heavy, he does a good deal of moving around and full body shots compared to all other recent film appearances. No matter what his physical appearance is, Brando's facial exressions, subtle mannerisms and gestures, and most of all his humanity add so much to this mediocre film.
When you take 3 very talented entertainers and let them loose on an iffy script, Don Juan DeMarco is the end result. Bottom line, the actors seem to be having a great deal of fun playing off of one another (look for Brando and Dunaway's bed scenes for some great laughs and obvious improvisation)and anyone who enjoys any of the 3 leads should deffinatly see this film!!

Nobody does wonderful and quirky better than Johnny Depp!
This glorious and enchanting film is one of my favorites. Johnny Depp is contagious as the mental patient who convinces everyone with latent, romantic hearts, that he is indeed Don Juan de Marco, the greatest lover who ever lived. I love Johnny Depp in offbeat roles. In spite of all the controversy he has incurred over the years, he still captures my heart, especially when he plays roles like Don Juan and the Charlie Chaplin copy cat in Benny and Joon. I always thought he would have been sensational in the movie, Chaplin. Marlon Brando is also superb as the rotund, tired psychiatrist whom Don Juan, the patient, rescues from mediocrity. Faye Dunnaway is beautiful as his pragmatic, middle-aged wife. Together, they recapture the spirit of youth and demonstrate that regardless of advancing age, fun, sex appeal, and energy don't have to be wasted on the young. If you love adventure, passion, and joy, don't miss this alluring, little gem!

It sings? (sigh)
There are 2 movies, other than The Godfather, Streetcar Named Desire and The Contender, for which I want to remember Marlon Brando: A Bedtime Story and Don Juan de Marco. How many comedies has he made? In Don Juan de Marco, I enjoyed watching him be part of an ensemble cast, which has never really been his modus operandi on other sets. As much as he derided acting as a profession, his performance in this movie seemed to argue that he still liked doing it.

It is a very funny, sexy flight of notions about fantasy and reality, much like Harvey starring Jimmy Stewart did decades ago. Johnny Depp, Brando, Faye Dunaway and company, to paraphrase a line from the movie, really have a way of putting the story in touch with what is real. With Mexican ballads and exotic settings, Don Juan is like a male Sheherazad, buying time and confounding the truth. As a lovesick worshipper of romance, he asks why we even bother to call it love any more in a modern world rushing past emotion for the carrots at the end of the stick in our lives.

Just an aside, in the commentary for The Usual Suspects, the director mentioned that, after the filming of a street scene, Gabriel Bryne and company heard that Don Juan de Marco was filming at a location near there. The whole set was reputed to be filled with nude women bathing. They all rushed over to check it out. I tell this story to my guy friends who are quick to dismiss it on the grounds that it is a chick flick. It got the Usual Suspects anecdote of approval. They might argue that all the beautiful nude and/or scantily clad women would have made them watch, but they are acting like Rocco, the male nurse in the hospital Ð I mean at Don Octavio de FloresÕ villa, and you know what happened to Rocco Ð if not watch this movie.

The people in the audience that saw it with me back in 1995 enjoyed it enough to not just applaud afterward but to come out chatting and politely flirting while filing out of the theater. The ushers standing by the exit mentioned that Don Juan de Marco Òthawed everybody outÓ in a way they had not seen by other movies. Watching it on DVD with friends can be just as fun. Muy romantica! (Dancing to one of the songs in the sound track Me Siento Loco, Poco a Poco Ð translation: I Feel Crazy, Little by Little.)

A stellar cast in a bad movie
With the recent death of legendary Marlon Brando, I've been watching his films lately as my own way of paying respects. Brando's talent was near genius that almost none can surpass. Oh sure, there are a handful of actors in certain roles who are as good or better as he was. However, the overall quality of acting in each of Brando's films, taken collectively, is unsurpassed. Johnny Depp is one of, if perhaps the only, actor of this generation who could maybe eclipse Brando. That they were friends solidifies this premise.

That said, I was so excited to see Brando, Depp, Dunaway, and Selena (albeit in a very small singing part) together in one film. But I must say, after watching it, I was disappointed. It wasn't Depp's accent (he did convincingly well) but the plot - if you want to call it - that was a big let-down. Brando is sweet and charming; Dunaway is beautiful as ever; and, of course, Depp is ultra suave and sexy as Don Juan. The movie starts off kinda cute, you wonder where it's going to go, and then - boom! The let-down. What was the point of this movie? I just didn't get it. Was it lust or love? Even if it was either or, I just came away thinking, "Who cares?"

If it weren't for the phenomenal actors, this film wouldn't have made a pile of beans. What a flop and a disappointment.

Well, there is just one more thing I'll admit that is good about this flick: the theme song. Bryan Adams' "Have you ever really loved a woman" is a most beautiful love song and it will remain my favorite. It ties in well with the movie with its Latin guitar strings.

The music and the actors themselves make for this movie, but the storyline is disappointing and disbelievable.

...Johnny at his most magnetic
I think I`ve written that line before... But who cares? This is a well written, amusing piece of entertainment.... You`ll love the interplay between Brando and Depp... Miss Dunaway`s character is under-developed, but overall - a good film... It brings u back to the days of Valentino and make-believe... Look out for the ill-fated Selena in the restaurant scene.... ... Read more