utgard14
So-so musical notable for being the first screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Unfortunately they aren't the stars of this, just supporting players. The stars are Gene Raymond and Dolores del Rio. Band leader Gene falls for Dolores but she's already in an arranged engagement. Not very interesting (the stars or the romance). The support outshines the leads in this case, with Fred and Ginger displaying their likable personalities and that classic screen chemistry. Fred has a nice dance number and Ginger gets to sing a tune early in the movie wearing a dress with a plunging neckline that's pretty sexy stuff. Later they have a fun dance number together to a song called "The Carioca." That's one of two great numbers in the film; the other being the climactic sequence with girls dancing on airplane wings. See it for those two numbers or for the Fred & Ginger scenes, which are always fun.
Dalbert Pringle
With its story set first in Miami and then in Rio De Janeiro, this 1933 "Boy-Meets-Girl" Comedy/Romance/Musical was so annoyingly corny and predictable that it was downright sickening for me to watch. Its story was a complete "air-head" insult to the intelligence of any thinking person.On top of a couple of badly-staged musical numbers, which were clearly "Busby Berkeley" type rip-offs, this decidedly dull-witted piece of pure escapist fluff also contained a number of really terrible songs, as well.There was not a single memorable character in the entire story. These boys & girls were all a bunch of one-dimensional paper-dolls, with the women, as usual, wearing way too much make-up and dressed to the nines in the most ridiculous-looking fashions imaginable.I understand that this movie is considered to be a big deal by many film-buffs just because it was the first picture to feature the likes of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers dancing (this time the Carioca) together.Well, if that's all that this film is notable for, then, from my point of view, it only deserves a 3-star rating. Believe me, there are certainly much better 1930's Musicals out there that are more worth your while.*Note* - I'd say that it was this DVD's bonus features which were far more entertaining to watch than the main attraction.#1 bonus was the 1933 comedy short called "Beer & Pretzels" which co-starred Curly, Larry & Moe, before they became known as The Three Stooges.Also included as a bonus was the "Merrie Melodies" cartoon titled "I Like Mountain Music".
TheLittleSongbird
Flying Down to Rio has much to like, even if some of the acting is slight and the story is silly and rather hackneyed. The great quality of the sets, production design and cinematography make for a film that is very easy on the eyes. The songs are lively and memorable, as is the catchy and characterful score and Brazilian flavours while the choreography is really imaginative and full to the brim with energy, in particular in the Carioca and climatic airplanes sequences. The way it's danced helps a lot as well. The dialogue is warm and funny, while it is solidly paced- not a dull moment, despite the Carioca sequence being very long- and directed and the performances generally work very well. Gene Raymond is stiff at times but very dashing while Dolores Del Rio is the epitome of glamour. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers steal the show though, in their first pairing though not in lead roles(that would be The Gay Divorcée) they show great chemistry, personal charm and wonderful energy and elegance in their dancing. Overall, a lot to like and a pleasure to watch, though the story is not as good as the rest. 8/10 Bethany Cox
DKosty123
It is the accidents in Hollywood History that have created some of the greatest moments in films. Casablanca is an accident because of a great script in an otherwise assembly line film. The Wizard of Oz was an accident of chaos in production which just happened to cast Judy Garland and let her play herself at age 16 to become a classic.RKO is strapped for money when this pre-code movie is made, without a doubt. It shows in the production and the casting. Other than Delores Del Rio, no one in this cast was even known to movie goers and because of that RKO cast it on the cheap. It just happened by accident that unknowns Astaire & Rogers got cast in this movie. This elevated this movie beyond where it otherwise would have gone.The plot itself is quite forgettable. The music and dancing turn out to be the strengths of the movie. What a glorious accident this was. I mean if RKO had cast Martha Raye & Lou Costello instead of Astaire and Rogers? One can only imagine where this movie would have wound up.Del Rio does look great in some revealing outfits. The movie does benefit from the pre-code dialog as well. Ginger even gets some outfits that are revealing. The fact is this movie is one of those great accidents in Hollywood history. It is not great, but very good because of that.
AD
