Rio de Janeiro’s beauty hasn’t gone unnoticed by Hollywood movie directors. The Marvelous City natural landscape has served as a movie set for several films and series, inspiring audiences all over the world. So check out our list with some Rio de Janeiro movies and series for you to travel to our city without leaving the couch!
Coisa mais linda (2019) | Most beautiful thing
“Most Beautiful Thing” is a Netflix tv show beautifully produced to be an export product. For this reason, the story set in Rio de Janeiro in its “golden age” in the late 1950s, with the rise of Bossa Nova and the “Girls from Ipanema.”
However, the production does not show the origins of the musical genre (born in the city), nor mentions real personalities like Tom Jobim or Vinicius de Moraes. The plot, in fact, is about women empowering, through the stories of four female protagonists: Malu (Maria Casadevall), Adélia (Pathy Dejesus), Thereza (Mel Lisboa) and Lígia (Fernanda Vasconcellos).
Malu, a young socialite from São Paulo, dreams of opening a restaurant in Rio de Janeiro with her husband. But, when she arrives in the Marvelous city, not only she discovers that he lied about what he was doing, but also finds out that he was unfaithful and ran away with all her money.
Malu then needs a new dream and, with Adelia’s help, decides to open a music club. But it comes up against its inexperience and the partners and suppliers male chauvinist.
The series already has a second season confirmed by the streaming service. Watch the first episode here.
–> Listen to our playlist “Bossa Nova in Rio” on Spotify.
–> Read also 10 Intangible Cultural Heritage of Rio de Janeiro: Bossa Nova is one of them.
Rio, Eu te amo (2014) | Rio, I love you
Rio, I Love You (Portuguese: Rio, Eu Te Amo) is a 2014 Brazilian anthology film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities. It’s the third film in the Cities of Love franchise (following 2006’s Paris, je t’aime and the 2008 film New York, I Love You), created and produced by Emmanuel Benbihy.
This collective feature-film is made of 10 stories of romance set in different parts of the city, revealing the most striking characteristics of the town and of Cariocas. The opening and closing sequences, plus the transitions, were directed by Brazilian Vicente Amorim. While musician Gilberto Gil composed the theme song.
Rio (2011)
“Rio” is a 2011 American 3D computer-animated musical adventure-comedy film. And it shows all the beauty and charms of the city – from the typically “Cariocas” characters to the most significant event in Brazil: Carnival.
When Blu, a domesticated macaw from small-town Minnesota, meets the fiercely independent Jewel, he takes off on an adventure to Rio de Janeiro for freedom and discovers its roots in the marvelous city.
The film features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Jemaine Clement, George Lopez, Tracy Morgan, and Jamie Foxx.
In addition to the friendly characters from Rio de Janeiro, “Rio” has a soundtrack signed by great exponents of Brazilian music: Sérgio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, Taio Cruz, will.i.am, Bebel Gilberto, with songs ranging from bossa nova to modern rhythm and blues. No wonder the film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song for the song “Real in Rio.” A sequel, Rio 2, was released on April 11, 2014. But then the focus of the second film is in the Amazon rainforest.
–> Watch “Rio” on Itunes here. Or on Amazon Prime here.
–> Learn more about Brazilian Carnival here. And visit the lookout where Blu flies hang gliding.
Fast Five (2011)
Fast Five is a 2011 American action film, the fifth in the franchise The Fast and the Furious, starring Vin Diesel (Dominic Toretto), Paul Walker (Brian O’Conner), and Jordana Brewster (Mia Toretto).
Fast Five features Dominic Toretto and his crew of street racers planning an assault to steal $ 100 million from corrupt businessman Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) while being chased by the agent the United States Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson).
The film was praised by critics, who liked the combination of comedy and action.
Some critics have even labeled the movie as the best film in the series. However, for us, Cariocas, the film did not portray the city we love so well because it labeled Rio as a haven for drug trafficking and corruption. Yes, our city has problems, but we have so much more! Anyway, it is worth watching the movie for the action scenes and the beautiful scenery of the marvelous city.
–> Watch Fast Five on Itunes or on Amazon.
–> What about visiting the Favela where many scenes from Fast Five film were set? Discover our Carioca Experience: Rocinha Favela Walking Tour.
Cidade de Deus (2002) | City of God
City of God (Portuguese: Cidade de Deus) is a 2002 Brazilian crime film co-directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund. The film depicts the growth of organized crime in the Cidade de Deus suburb of Rio de Janeiro, between the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1980s from the perspective of two friends with different destinies. In essence, one becomes a photographer, the other a drug dealer. Therefore, “City of God” shows a reality diametrically opposed to that of the high society portrayed in The Most Beautiful Thing. In common, both have good use of storytelling, with a narrative that really captivates the viewer’s attention.
The story was adapted by Bráulio Mantovani from the 1997 novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins. Also, the cast includes actors that were, in fact, residents of favelas such as Vidigal and the Cidade de Deus itself.
The film received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2004: Best Cinematography (César Charlone), Best Director (Meirelles), Best Film Editing (Daniel Rezende), and Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) (Mantovani). In 2003, it was Brazil’s entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Still, it did not end up being nominated as one of the five finalists.
–> Watch “City of God” on iTunes or on Amazon.
Did you like our list of Rio de Janeiro movies? Have you seen any of these films? If so, tell us what you think in the comments.
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