The above lyrics were stamped into our collective brains with the theatrical release of "Saturday Night Fever". Cuban director Agustin now brings us "Falling Awake", the Hispanic version. While it may not be intentional, the similarities are striking.
This time the characters live in the Bronx instead of Brooklyn. The subway to Manhattan (and a better world) plays a central role in both films. There is a girl in Manhattan that represents a love interest and a ticket out of the "boroughs". Both leads are "held captive" by the limitations of their stupid pals. They are Hispanic this time, not Italian. The central character, in this case Jay (Andrew Cisneros), plays music, in contrast to Travolta's Tony Manero dancing to it. Both lead characters have an older brother that is revered and elsewhere. In "Saturday Night Fever" the older brother is a priest. In "Falling Awake" the older brother is a Marine. At times, I was wondering whether I was watching a tribute to Travolta's breakthrough on the big screen.
Jay lives with his parents, siblings and an extended family. His father (Nestor Serrano) is a doorman who is proud and stern, especially towards Jay, much like his counterpart in "Saturday Night Fever". I apologize for all of the comparisons but they were overwhelming. Jay's escape is to stand in a park and play guitar for coins. A beautiful girl, Alessandra (Jenna Dewan), wanders by Jay while he plays, until they hook up.
What follows is a love in bloom, fighting against the trap of Jay's life in the Bronx. While I have lots of complaints, another one being the director's insane overuse of rain as the cleansing agent of the mean and dangerous streets, I confess to enjoying parts of what I watched, especially the performance of Mr. Cisneros. He has charisma, and I think he has a nice future in the business. If you want to watch a new version of "Saturday Night Fever", check it out, else you can pass this one up.
| Movie title | Falling Awake |
|---|---|
| Release year | 2010 |
| MPAA Rating | R |
| Our rating | |
| Summary | Hispanic version of "Saturday Night Fever" features a fine performance by its star, Andrew Cisneros, but the rest is stereotypical stuff. |
