Watch Looking For Fidel For Free

Good movie but grossly overrated

As Good As It Gets

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Was it just me or was half this movie filmed during an earthquake in Cuba? I know Oliver Stone was trying to make moments of the documentary gritty and raw by having multiple digital cameras capture interviews, but give me a break. One of his cameramen was drugged up during the production. These crazy zooms and wobbly control of the camera gave me a headache after watching for a few minutes. I liked the topic and was interested in seeing what Fidel Castro was saying about America, but I had to change the channel because of the camera work. It was making my eyes bleed and my head hurt. I hope I can get this movie on cd so I can listen to it in my car.

I found this documentary interesting, but it could have been SO much better. The main problem was the style in which it was taped. Even simple exchanges between Oliver Stone and Fidel Castro were taped with four or five cameras, two of which were hand held and none of which ever stopped moving -- panning back and forth, zooming in and out -- in a sort of MTV-documentary style. It was horribly distracting. Another problem was Stone, who spent much of the time sifting through reams of notes in an attempt to seem prepared. A very amateurish way of interviewing someone. Overall, this documentary is more flash than substance, like most of Stone's movies.

You'll know what I mean once you've seen the doc. The level of professionalism is ratcheted up to something akin to 60 Minutes over, say, typical documentary fare like Hidden in Plain Sight, which I have reviewed. There is no narration, although factoids appear a few times. And the interpreter is fairly impressive. I think I'd like the DVD if it had additional footage, which is inevitable here I think. If you have seen Buena Vista Social Club, you already have a feel for Cuba, which many Americans may not. I already knew that, for instance, Cuba's literacy rate is one of the best in the world. They generally do not suffer for lack of food either. The film makes references to the Cuban 5 and the Cuban international trade scenario. I suppose I will research further because the intent is to focus on Fidel here and it does that admirably. I felt like it dragged a little about 3o-45 minutes in, but Fidel's passion and struggle in having to face compromises in his wish to hold to certain revolutionary principles is more than charming. Small states are traditionally virtuous because they are weaker, and vice versa for big states, a point Castro manages to put in context without using it as a crutch. Watch for the shot of Che at the end, a startling likeness to Benicio Del Toro, who has looked like many.

I watched "Looking for Fidel" on HBO tonight, and thought that 'Comandante' was better done. Although 'Comandante' had less questions about dissidents, it gave you far more insight in to the way Castro thinks, than 'Looking for Fidel" does.In this short-film, Castro is grilled specifically on dissidents, and the moment of truth comes earlier on, when questioned on the 'closed trials' and why Castro did not allow the prisoners to see their families, Castro, in his unique orator voice asked of Stone, "Why is it that over 800 prisoners held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay have not been allowed to see their families for over two years?"If you have watched 'Comandante' and liked it, you are sure to enjoy this low key one-on-one.