Capsule reviews for April 11

Cuban Fury

No amount of fancy footwork can disguise the sketchy one-joke nature of this British comedy, starring the portly Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead) as Bruce, an advertising executive who tries to find a spark with his new boss (Rashida Jones) by rediscovering an unlikely childhood affinity for salsa dancing. That leads to a reunion with his mentor (Ian McShane), a dance teacher with mean-spirited motivational tactics. Frost shows some versatile charm, and there are some clever sight gags and broad laughs amid the genial crowd-pleasing approach. Yet the screenplay is predictable both in its derivative storytelling and in its efforts to manufacture a heartfelt finale. (Rated R, 98 minutes).

Only Lovers Left Alive

This visually and structurally offbeat vampire tale from director Jim Jarmusch (Broken Flowers) follows Adam (Tom Hiddleston), a fledgling musician in Detroit whose romance with the equally undead Eve (Tilda Swinton) has spanned centuries. However, things change between the two once Eve’s impulsive younger sister (Mia Wasikowska) arrives to stay with them. Working in an overcrowded genre, Jarmusch crafts an original story that is bleak and deliberately paced — capturing the isolation and despair of its setting — but retains a sense of humor. The strong cast builds chemistry through complex performances. Viewers with patience will be rewarded by a story of survival that builds toward inevitable tragedy. (Rated R, 123 minutes).

Rio 2

Fans of the 2011 kid-friendly animated film upon which this colorful sequel is based might want more of the same, and that’s pretty much what they’ll get. In this installment, talking macaws Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (Anne Hathaway) leave Rio for the wilds of the Amazon jungle, where they meet a variety of creatures both charming and dangerous. The pace is lively and the characters provide some laughs with their rapid-fire banter, but the storytelling isn’t very inspired, and neither are the musical numbers, in a stylish but shallow follow-up lacking the freshness of an original that was mediocre in the first place. (Rated G, 101 minutes).