Papa: Hemingway in Cuba

The awkward title for Papa: Hemingway in Cuba is somewhat misleading. It does indeed take place in Cuba, and was the first American film to shoot in the country in more than 50 years.

And while the lackluster drama includes Hemingway, it’s more about a Hemingway fan — specifically journalist Denne Bart Petitclerc, who became a protégé of the legendary novelist in his later years in Havana.

That’s where the bulk of the film is set, in 1959, when Ed Myers (Giovanni Ribisi) is a young reporter in Miami who writes a fan letter to Hemingway (Adrian Sparks). Much to his surprise, he gets a response, along with an invitation to go fishing at the writer’s Cuban estate.

That leads to a friendship that eventually results in Ed becoming part of Hemingway’s inner circle. He becomes a frequent visitor against the backdrop of the Cuban Revolution, with Batista’s regime clashing with Castro’s forces on the streets.

Behind the scenes, Hemingway is a broken man struggling with alcoholism and writer’s block, along with a self-loathing that causes turmoil with his wife, Mary (Joely Richardson). “A Pulitzer doesn’t make you a good character. I’m living proof of that,” he laments.

While the relationship provides Ed — who grew up an orphan — with a family of sorts that he never had, it also causes friction with his girlfriend (Minka Kelly) back home.

The true-life backstory has some potential, yet the film offers only minimal insight into the political unrest in Cuba at the time, which feels like a missed opportunity. Directed by prolific producer Bob Yari, Papa becomes bogged down in heavy-handed dialogue and stilted narration, as well as melodramatic contrivances in the second half.

Sparks, a veteran character actor, brings depth to his portrayal of the larger-than-life writer, and Petitclerc’s screenplay focuses more on his celebrity than his work. At least that approach gives a glimpse into Hemingway outside of his literary reputation, even if it’s embellished to the point where he practically becomes an action hero while running from gunfire.

In real life, Petitclerc later transitioned from journalism into writing novels and screenplays, including a big-screen adaptation of Hemingway’s Islands in the Stream in the 1970s. Apparently he wrote this script shortly before his death in 2006, but it’s doubtful Papa would approve.

Rated R, 109 minutes.