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Simply A Masterpiece

best movie i've ever seen.

Absolutely the worst movie.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Papa: Hemingway in Cuba was released in the U.S. in 2015, written by Denne Bart Petitclerc. It's the dumb-luck story about Miami Globe reporter, Ed Myers, who is the real-life Petitclerc, too shy to mail a fan letter he addresses to the American icon. When his love- interest steals and mails the letter, Myers receives a phone call from Hemingway that snowballs into a deep, trusting, faith-filled, and fruitful friendship.The dates, photos, and video clips of Hemingway solidify his legacy. The opening credits chronicle moments in Cuba and foreshadow his death. If you know that Hemingway quickly left Cuba after 20 years of life in Finca Vigia near Havanna, like me you await that that moment when he abruptly leaves Cuba. I was disappointed his departure was overlooked in this movie, but it made room for sequences of Hemingway providing guns to Cuban fighters – which was unknown to me. The violent attack on the presidential palace as Castro gains power blazes Myers' career as a war correspondent. The action Hemingway and Myers experience ducking bullets and hiding near vehicles strewn in a Havana street, rivets Myer's dream of what it takes to become a good reporter of his time.Touching scenes and dialogue include Myers' humble story of how he landed a job, was fired for an inability to spell, but hired back after typing all of Hemingway's books. This moment takes place on the beach with Hemingway and his wife as waves break in the background, mirroring Myers' break into journalism. The actors (Giovanni Ribisi as Myers, Adrian Sparks as Ernest Hemingway, and Joely Richardson as Mary Hemingway) are heartfelt, but sometimes lack conviction. None-the- less, your heart strings tug like undertow with Ribisi's convincing humility as Myers, and Sparks' persuasive affection as Hemingway. Myers later convinces Hemingway he loves and needs him, which undoes a near- tragic event. Director Bob Yari effectively steers the action as the dialogue booms. Comical scenes include the Hemingway's swimming in the nude, Myers' first encounter with Mrs. Hemingway. The butt-shots are modest and fun, and Myers' first-blush is diminished by movie's end when he swims with the sharks, so to speak. Conflicts include the Hemingway couple forgetting how to show love toward each other, as they deal with aging, writer's block, Hemingway's father's suicide, and Mary's loss of herself as she lives in his shadow. The birthday party sequence shows Mary's extremes to convince the audience that the weight of blame is hers for the couple's unhappiness.Supporting cast includes close and longtime friend, Evan Shipman (Shaun Toub), who's real life bout with gangrene inspire The Hills of Kilimanjaro. Myers' girlfriend, Debbie Hunt (Minka Kelly), is gorgeous in her role. She tempts Myers to stay away from Hemingway. He almost does. Myers affection for her conflicts with his need for Hemingway, as Myers navigates explosive love scenes with Deb and a grandiose friendship with Hemingway. J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, duel plane crashes, revolution headlines, and guns dumped into the ocean sequence fast. I watched a second time to piece the implications. The inclusion of the Finca Vigia, beautiful landscaping, and a swimming pool larger than their living room show the bountiful creativity of the Hemingways. The bar scenes and daiquiris add crunch and the palm trees calm. His yellow car moves about in the beautiful Havana countryside that lacks the sting of industrial growth and housing developments, with plant-life touched only by human hands and small tools. The architecture is lovely. And the ocean scenes reflect the depth and vastness of Hemingway's soul as a writer with the Havana skyline, smoky and depressing. SPOILER ALERT: Papa… does not include Hemingway's life and death in Idaho. I give it 8 stars: 2 for the acting, 2 for dialogue, 2 for the beautiful scenery and Hemingway's real-life former home, and 2 for showing the many facets of Ernest Hemingway (some which I never knew) as told by budding journalist, Denne Bart Petitclerc.I watched on Netflix.

As with many who have written reviews, I am a Hemingway fan. This is a fabulous film in a tradition not seen often enough. Everyone else has said many good things about the film and they are true. What I would like to draw attention to is the story not told here. Denne's story.There are hints dropped in the film and I am sure I didn't pick up on all of them. Why change his name? Not sure why "Ed", but Myers was his mother's maiden name. Ed is asked in the film, if he ever met found his parents. I believe (correct me if I am wrong) but he says his father died early of drink and he met his mother for about 10 minutes in Berkeley and indicates her reaction wasn't good. (She got a PhD, became a professor, and worked with handicapped children.) There is more there.Denne goes on to be a quite successful screenwriter and was married to "Debbie" Elva for 21 years. (There is more than a little of Hemingway's leanness in screen writing.) When I saw the movie, I assumed it was made from a book and there would be more there. It wasn't. Denne did the screenplay. Denne did move to Ketchum and stayed close to Mary until her death. There is another story there.

The creators of "Crash", "The Illusionist", and "The Painted Veil" have done it again. Their latest movie, "Papa", a labor of love that took over 4 years to get to the big screen, tremendous commitment and dedication, grabs you from the first scene. The movie opens with a seemingly innocent scene showing a small boy talking to his father. Unfortunately, the few carelessly words spoken by the man, will remain with the son the remainder of his life, a great lesson for us all, and one of a number within the movie if one pays attention. We then see the man as an adult, albeit an incomplete one. He is an outwardly successful and confident reporter in Miami, who is in a relationship with the perfect girl from the same newspaper. He has a secret though. For personal reasons, he idolizes Ernest Hemmingway, and has been struggling for years to perfect a letter which he has composed to the legend to thank him for writing the words that helped him learn to write and gave him his life's purpose. His stunning, but nosy girlfriend, played perfectly by actress Minka Kelly, sends his letter to the great man and this starts him on an incredible journey that will change all their lives. The letter must have been heartfelt and well written because Hemmingway calls and invites him to Cuba, and they develop a kinship. The movie is the first to be filmed in Cuba in 55 years, and stayed true to the times and place, shooting in Hemmingway's home, as well as Floridita, the Havana club he frequented. Authenticity was clearly important to the creators, as they even used Hemmingway's typewriter in the movie. As the movie progresses, one gains a giant glimpse of what life was in Cuba for those who lived there during that time period. We see the beauty as well as the ugliness. One also gains insight into Hemmingway's world, and what made him the man he was. We see how much beloved he was to the Cuban people, and his great love for them and the country. We see the introverted man who was often besieged by his fans and the public, a man tormented by the events he had witnessed in the war, during the revolution, as well as in his own past. We see a man who is a struggling writer, just trying to type out a few words each day, although, he clearly had more pressure than most. We see a man struggling with his day to day life not meeting his expectations, not unlike us all at times. We see a man struggling with depression and alcohol and the devastating effects of both. We are shown what makes him great, as well as what makes him human. One is reminded of the movie Crash in that both show we are not perfect as human beings. We all can do incredible things, as well as terrible things, and yet are neither all bad, nor or all good. Adrian Sparks plays Hemmingway, and truly seems to channel the man in portraying his extreme highs and lows. He is terrifying in scenes showing him as he loses his temper and self-control, and yet tender and loving to those he cares about in other scenes. His wife, played wonderfully by Joely Richardson, brings one further into his world and the challenges faced by those who loved the man. The movie does not shy away from showing how deeply depression and mental illness, as well as addiction impact those who struggle with such conditions, as well as all of those who care about them. The movie is gripping as it shows Hemmingway spiraling out of control and on edge, as well as the struggle of the Cuban people during the revolution, all as witnessed through the eyes of the "Kid", played by Giovanni Ribisi, who somehow manages to slip right into the time period and subtly and expertly captures the conservativeness of the time period and the perfect balance between confidence and insecurity as an adult who learns true humility and comes to be a man under the wing of a legend, who while a genius and larger than life, remains only human and still fallible like us all. Other notable performances include Shaun Toub and a cameo appearance by Mariel Hemmingway. The movie has a number of lessons, one of which is how we all determine our destiny via the choices we make. Do yourself a favor, and choose to see this true gem of a movie. You won't regret it.

Went into this anticipating intriguing true story providing some insights into the revered author. Was initially put off by the embarrassing performances of Papa and especially Mary Hemingway characters, but eventually realized they were provided with a dreadful trite script and were just battling their way through it under vacuous direction. Not being drawn into the story, I had plenty of time to notice the comically inept directing and editing. Amateurish disconnects, visual glitches, motivational and logical inconsistencies, silly scoring, etc. etc. My companion said it had the feel of a Lifetime movie, but I think that is generous because this was a greater waste of talent and potentially interesting material.