Don Juan DeMarco

Psychologist Dr Jack Mickler (Marlon Brando) is called upon to negotiate a man down from the top of a tall building - a man claiming to be the great Latin lover Don Juan de Marco (Johnny Depp). Although Mickler is about to retire, he agrees to take Mr de Marco on, and delve into his mind and past. What he didn't count on was that Don Juan is starting to make him feel like HE'S missing something...

The lives of Brando and Dunaway interact with their roles in the film - as oldies in need of rejuvenation by the young sex god. They were both sex symbols in their youth - Brando, till about the age of 60, was a real life Don Juan - he really HAS probably slept with over a thousand women. So if you know this it brings an interesting layer to the movie.

It is a great journey which calls up all the great noble romances of the past in a tongue in cheek manner, with a love of stories, of fantasy, of women.

I wouldn't hesitate to call it the most romantic movie ever made. If there was one flick you had to put on to set the right mood between you and a girl, this would be it.

Looking at Johnny Depp might also help her in that regard.

Its also a great fun family movie - which is a delicate balance to strike.

4/5

Disclaimer: there are about two sex scenes, which, though very discreetly and beautifully shot, featuring no vital organs, may be inappropriate for littlies, if you wish to shield them thus.

This film is a romantic comedy based on the story of a young man who believes he is Don Juan, the famous and fictional Spanish lover who seduced more than a thousand young maidens, and the attempts of a psychiatrist on the verge of reform to cure him before losing his last patient. Although the story of the film has not turned out brilliant, the film is worth the poetic beauty of what happens on screen, as well as the grandiose interpretation of Johnny Depp in the lead role.

In fact, the script of the film is not particularly remarkable. It is what it is, no surprises. It has beauty, has poetry, the main character itself was idealized under poetic and very literary premises (it behaves as if it had come out of an adventure book), but nothing more. There is not even a concern to give credence to what is shown. The bet made lies in the poetic beauty of the plot, and in the beautiful and convincing performance of Depp, who metamorphoses when he puts on the seducer's mask. He has all the charisma, the presence, the strength necessary to give life to that character, associating them with a genial touch of madness and dissociation of reality (something very present in most of the characters the actor has done). Beside him, Marlon Brando, in one of his last works worthy of mention.

Moreover, I believe that there are two or three characteristics that deserve a positive reference: the first is careful flashbacks, with great attention to the costumes and scenarios chosen; the second is the dialogues, and particularly the Depp monologues, loaded with literary beauty; the third is the insertion, on the soundtrack, of a beautiful song by Brian Addams, "Have You Ever Really Loved a Women," a theme that fits like a glove in the film's tonic.

It's an interesting movie, full of positive features that will certainly appeal to Depp fans, but it may not have much more to offer those who do not like romantic comedies.

Unless you understand these 4 secrets, you will miss what the film is all about:

1. The film is NOT about Don Juan !

2. The film tells us how to rekindle love in our lives, even if we are old and gray-haired. This is so very important!!

3. If we do not have a good dose of fantasy, of rich imagination, of beautiful dreams in our lives, then we will become 'burned out' by the harsh boredom of reality-as-we-perceive it. We are also challenged by the question "What really is real?"

4. If we have too much fantasy and not enough reality, then we cannot cope with the rest of the world. Also, society will not be able to cope with us and we will be isolated, perhaps in a mental institution or at least in our own twisted world.

Oh - did I say that this film is not about Don Juan? Well, in a sense, I lied. It is and it is not. See the film and think about it.

Superbly well acted by Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando, and Fay Dunaway (what an incredible beauty even at her age!). An amazing script and a very original story. Unless you understand the meanings above, or if you have a cold heart, you'll probably rate it a 5 or 6.

I give it a 9 out of 10!!

This is really an example of how a romantic comedy should be and how fantastic a romantic comedy can be. Intelligent, witty and great fun. It gives its audience respect by delivering a clever story with good actors and great lines.

The story is quite absurd and so is the duo in it - Marlon Brando and Johnny Depp. But this is just a good thing. Hollywood usually thinks its audience is filled with morons when making romantic comedies, but this is not so. There are still a few of us out here who enjoy the combination of intelligence, elegance and romance. This film delivers on all counts.

Love is a simple enough ingredient for a film. This film knows how to use it and the result is wonderful.

I loved this film. It made me think if I'm dreaming enough? Or am I just living life by its face value? Don Juan DeMarco, is about dreams, about fantasies, and about love. It raises the important question, how much of imagination is enough to spice up your life, and not turn you into a delusional freak. Everybody knows and accepts the fact that one can not have everything one desires, one can become everything one wants to be. so what do you do? Give up, and live the dull and routine life you have, or have 2 different worlds, one for yourself and one for everybody around you. But while doing that how do you make sure you don't end up severing your link with the real world and end up in a mental asylum. Its this tight rope that Don Juan DeMarco, played brilliantly by Johny Depp has to walk on. His real life leaves lot to be desired for. Rejected by his one and only true love, he drifts away in his fantasy world, where he is the greatest lover of all. By doing that, though he is able to transform himself into a real charmer, he distances himself from the real world, and his real identity. So he ends up in a clinic for delusional patients under the care of weary and dreary pshychatrist Dr Jack, played by charming Marlyn Brando. And this is the beginning of the delightful exchange of ideas and vision between the 2 completely different personas. In the process both of them tend to gain, and make their lives a little better. Don Juan gets back his identity, so that he doesn't have to live in the mental hospital, while Jack gets his grove back :-) Coming back to the technical aspects of the film, I don't think there's anything lacking there. Good screenplay, solid acting and soothing original score. The script comes up with jewels every now and then, which makes you rexamine your own beliefs in life, and love. A highly enjoyable film.