When I began to watch it I had a little doubt in my mind since the last supposed salsa movie didn't contain much salsa. But all my doubts was blown away after the three first minutes!! This movie has really captured the essence of what salsa is to me, a burning for the music! The dancing isn't incredible, there is a lot of nice moves, but nothing that really gets you going. But when Remi plays the piano, you just want to be there with him and sing and dance! I have actually started practicing playing salsa on the piano just because of this movie! If you've lost your glow, your inspiration, watch this movie, it may inspire you like it inspired me.

Easy classical and salsa music that makes you feel good. This is for sure a cross-cultural movie. The Latin, French and Spanish culture comes across. The plot gives you a positive memory of empowerment. However although this film contains salsa dance scenes, it is no film to train and practice dancing.

In the middle of a classical music competition, Remi Bonnet, a brilliant young pianist, switches from Chopin to salsa. The highbrow audience has a fit. People start throwing things. The judges faint. And Remi's piano teacher tells him that his career as a pianist is ruined. Remi kisses the bust of Chopin, asks for forgiveness, and heads for Paris. The stage is set in the first three minutes of `Salsa'. Remi is dying to be a salsa musician. We will never know how or why Remi became so hooked on latino music. Nor do we really find out how Nathalie, a dour parisian travel agent who he meets in Paris, is transformed into a superb, sexy salsa dancer capable of winning a dance contest on the first try. But we don't really care, because this is a musical comedy looking for every opportunity to show off music and dance. And that's not bad at all. `Salsa' reminds me of `Round Midnight', Bertrand Tavernier's homage to Dale Turner and the American jazz musicians who came to Paris in the 1950's. There, too, it is the story of a Frenchman who adores 'exotic' music from the other side of the Atlantic. Of course, `Round Midnight' is serious, whereas `Salsa' is a cliche-ridden comedy about one Frenchman's desire to join the fun that Cubans in contemporary Paris are having. Don't take it too seriously; enjoy the music.

After having red the overwhelming reviews this film got in my country, I but wanted to see it. But - what a disappointment! To see a bunch of one-dimensional characters in a plot that lacks of originality is not worth the money and the time to spend. I sometimes wonder about the filmcritics in switzerland.