Cuban Fury [Blu-ray]

Director: James Griffiths James Griffiths

Overview

A once-promising dance prodigy whose career was sidelined by insecurity takes up salsa dancing as a means of impressing his sexy boss in this upbeat comedy about conquering demons. Back in 1987, young Brit Bruce Garrett was poised to take the UK Junior Salsa Championships by storm when his fragile confidence was shattered by a vicious bully. Flash forward 22 years, and Bruce (Nick Frost) has yet to make an emotional recovery. His weight has spiraled out of control along with his sense of self-pity, and the only person capable of putting a smile on his face is his beautiful new American boss Julia (Rashida Jones). Although at first the thought of sweeping Julia off her feet feels like a long shot to Bruce, the discovery that she has a passion for dance soon provides him with just the motivation he needs to pull his life together, get back on his feet, and move to the beat. Chris O'Dowd, Olivia Colman, and Ian McShane co-star.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/29/2014
UPC:	0741952747291
Original Release:	2014
Rating:	R
Source:	Momentum
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	36,493

Special Features

Behind-the-scenes featurettes; How to dance Salsa Nick Frost; Q&A with Nick Frost

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Nick Frost	Bruce
Rashida Jones	Julia
Chris O'Dowd	Drew
Ian McShane	Ron Parfitt
Olivia Colman	Sam
Ben Radcliffe	Young Bruce
Isabella Steinbarth	Young Sam
Alexandra Roach	Helen
Rory Kinnear	Gary
Tim Plester	Mickey
Steve Oram	Security Guard Kevin
Louis Kyriacou	Bully #2
Kyran Gaffney	Bully #3
Janine Wood	Female Client
Kayvan Novak	Bejan
Richard Banks	Office Worker
Ian	Actor
Brandon Robinson	Bully #1
Olivia Coleman	Actor
Daniel Pemberton	Composer

Technical Credits

Jon Brown

James Griffiths	Director
Nira Park	Producer,Casting
James Biddle	Producer
Jenny Borgars	Executive Producer
Danny Perkins	Executive Producer
Matthew Justice	Executive Producer
Tessa Ross	Executive Producer
Nick Frost	Executive Producer
Rachael Prior	Executive Producer
Lucy Bristow	Camera Operator
Nina Gold	Casting
Neil Finnighan	Stunts
Bradley James Allan	Stunts
Neal Champion	Special Effects Supervisor
Jim Greenhorn	Sound Mixer
Mark Appleby	Sound Effects
Alex Bryce	Sound Effects
John Casali	Sound Effects
Arthur Graley	Sound Effects
Jon Brown	Screenwriter
Olivier Courson	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

The clumsy fat man has been a comedy trope since the silent era, and it continues to thrive today with the ongoing career of Kevin James. Even if James Griffiths' Cuban Fury accomplishes nothing else, it allows its hefty star, Nick Frost, to leave that tired cliché behind and show that girth and grace can go hand in hand. Frost plays Bruce Garrett, an expert on lathes (his coffee mug at work insists that he loves lathes) and a onetime champion salsa dancer as a teen -- however, he gave it all up when some bullies administered a beating while he was on his way to an important tournament. He hung up his shoes long ago and now has a white-collar, nine-to-five job, but when he learns that his new boss, a very pretty American businesswoman named Julia (Rashida Jones), takes salsa lessons, he thinks this might be the way to win her heart. In order to scrape the rust off, he pays a visit to his former teacher, the no-nonsense Ron Parfitt (Ian McShane), who still holds a grudge against Bruce for quitting on him 20 years earlier. As the gruff instructor puts Bruce through his paces again, our hero discovers that Drew (Chris O'Dowd), his frenemy at work, is already in hot pursuit of Julia and plays by the old adage that all's fair in love and war. Written by British TV veteran Jon Brown, Cuban Fury has the kind of solidly constructed, functional script that lives or dies on the strength of its performers. If you like the actors, you'll like the film, and thankfully the entire ensemble delivers. Frost is charming, sweet, and proves himself a credible dancer; Jones plays her character's fish-out-of-water awkwardness like the comedy pro she is; O'Dowd is enjoyably hissable as an unconscionable a-hole; and while Ian McShane doesn't deviate from his typical confrontational intensity, he makes that persona as funny as it is intimidating -- he steals every scene he's in. The movie is almost too low-key for its own good: It aims for smiles more than laughs. Those expecting the rapid-fire pace and pop-culture ransacking of Frost's collaborations with Simon Pegg will discover that Cuban Fury has much more in common with small-scale charmers like Waking Ned Devine and The Full Monty -- and it also owes a debt to the wonderful Japanese film Shall We Dance? It's a winning showcase for Frost's versatility that's packed with enjoyable performances, and offers a thoroughly pleasant way to spend 98 minutes of your movie-watching life.