The Mambo Kings

REVIEW
Set to the pulsating rhythms of a Latin beat, The Mambo Kings opens like gangbusters and rarely lets go. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love," by Oscar Hijuelos, this stirring film adaptation has the look and feel of a 1950s musical, which only enhances its style. Assante and Banderas are musician brothers from Cuba who flee their homeland and venture to the uncertainty of New York City's nightclubs and ballrooms. Most of the film centers on the brothers' attempts to get ahead, which culminates into a lucky break: an appearance on "I Love Lucy. If the film falters at all, it's during the last half hour, which echoes tragic melodramatic moments from musicals past. There's an outstanding film score, featuring some terrific mambo numbers, and a haunting ballad, "Beautiful Maria of My Soul."