The uncomfortable premise of this mid-'80s sex farce sees middle-aged married man Matthew Hollis (Michael Caine) succumbing to the advances of his best friend's infatuated teenage daughter Jennifer (Michelle Johnson), blaming his scandalous actions on Rio's impulsive atmosphere. This rather tasteless plot, which also sees Matthew's wife Karen (Valerie Harper) conducting an affair with Jennifer's father Victor (Joseph Bologna), allows for lots of broad comedy, with Caine's character squirming awkwardly as he desperately tries to pretend that nothing untoward has occurred. It's reasonably funny to watch, but wildly inappropriate, making the film something of a guilty pleasure, even more so given that its young but well-developed star, Johnson, happily flaunts her naked body at every opportunity.Those who opt to fly down to Rio with Caine and Co. will also be treated to an early appearance from Demi Moore as Matthew's daughter Nicole, who also briefly goes topless, and the unforgettable sight of Michael Caine's incredibly massive spectacles (blame THEM on the '80s!).

Hapless middle-aged nerd Matthew Hollis (an excellent and engaging performance by Michael Caine) and his amiable sleaze best friend Victor Lyons (robustly played by Joseph Bologna) go on vacation to Rio with their teenage daughters in tow. Trouble rears its head when Matthew gets seduced by Victor's sultry nubile daughter Jennifer (a disarmingly sweet portrayal by the luscious Michelle Johnson). Director Stanley Donen relates the delightfully risqué story at a brisk pace, makes the most out of the exotic location, and gives the movie an easy'n'breezy charm that prevents the potentially distasteful subject matter from ever becoming too crass or offensive. Moreover, this film serves as a pleasant time capsule of the carefree 1980's, a pre-politically correct era when people where a lot less uptight and not so touchy feely. The racy script by Larry Gilbert and Charlie Peters offers a sidesplitting wealth of sharp lines. Caine and Bologna display a strong and appealing chemistry in the leads; they receive sound support from Demi Moore as Matthew's bitter daughter Nicole, Valerie Harper as Matthew's snippy fed-up wife Karen, and Jose Lewjoy as suave neighbor Eduardo Marques. The vibrant cinematography by Reynaldo Villalobos provides plenty of striking shots of the sumptuous seaside scenery. The lively score by Kenneth Wannberg and the bouncy soundtrack further add to the infectiously frothy merriment. As a tasty extra plus, the delectable Mrs. Johnson bares her deliciously ripe body several times. A real hoot.

Blame it on Rio was a different movie, to say the least. I think the movie industry was going crazy being the Hayes code was recently lifted so they were having fun with anything that would have violated it. The movie did not have much of a story at all, a basic she loves him he doesn't love her back idea, but there was no depth. It seemed to focus on sex and nudity. Although there was an overuse of showing topless women the art in the movie was beautiful. There were so many bright colors with intense detail; everything from the beach scenes to the kitchen in the house were so illustrated. I am not exactly sure where the film was shot, but wherever it was could definitely pass for Rio. I actually found the movie itself annoying though because Michelle was portrayed as an over emotional and naïve (some may call a typical teenage girl) and I did not like this. It is very unrealistic for an 18 year old to run around topless in front of her father and then have sex with his best friend who is also her best friend's father and a man she refers to as her uncle. Meanwhile Victor, Michelle's father had been sleeping with his best friend's wife, this is also very unrealistic. Even though the story line was a disappointment the actors did play their role very well and did not break character. I would not say this movie was particularly good, but the situation the characters were put in was somewhat interesting which is why I was able to make it through the entire movie. I would in no means recommend this unless it met some type of criteria for an assignment or research etc.

Why blame it on Rio? Blame it on the scriptwriters, who should have realised that a storyline about a teenage girl who goes on holiday to Rio de Janeiro and ends up having an affair with her father's best friend, a married man more then twice her age, would need to be handled sensitively if it were not to end up as little more than barely legal kiddie porn. Sensitivity, however, is a commodity in short supply in this silly sex comedy, which is just as trashy and exploitative as it sounds. Although it is ostensibly a comedy, wit and humour are nowhere in evidence either.Blame it on Stanley Donen. Donen was perhaps a director who hit his peak too soon, directing his greatest film "Singin' in the Rain" while still in his twenties. Although he made some other good musicals and comedies in the fifties and early sixties, he was left looking like a figure from the past by the decline of the Hollywood musical and the cinematic revolution of the late sixties and seventies. There were other directors around this time who were also left looking like dinosaurs, but most of them were a generation older than Donen who was only in his early forties when that revolution began. Although he is still alive more than a quarter of a century later, "Blame It on Rio" was to be his last film as both director and producer, and I doubt if it is the one he wants to be remembered by. (His penultimate offering, "Saturn Three", was pretty awful too).Blame it on Michael Caine. He has always had the ability, infuriating to those like me who admire for his best work, to move effortlessly from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again. Every film star, however eminent or talented, has at the back of their wardrobe what I think of as a "silver chalice" (after Paul Newman's disastrous screen debut, which he later publicly disowned). Sir Michael has a whole shelf full of silver chalices on public display. Which explains why he is the star not only of fine movies like "Alfie", "Get Carter" and "Hannah and her Sisters" but also of "The Swarm" and "Blame It on Rio". Here he plays Matthew, the middle-aged businessman who ends up being seduced by the amorous and hormonally overactive Jennifer. The only explanation for this bizarre choice of role is that, after all the hard work he had put in on "Educating Rita" and "The Honorary Consul" (two more of his best films), he felt that he was in need of some rest and relaxation, and could think of nothing more restful and relaxing than spending time with a beautiful near-naked teenage starlet in the tropical sunshine. Donen borrows the device used by Lewis Gilbert in "Alfie" of having Caine speak direct to camera, but that is about all the two films have in common. In terms of quality they are miles apart.Blame it on Joseph Bologna, who plays Jennifer's father Victor. Certainly, any character who takes as obsessive an interest in his daughter's love life as Victor does in Jennifer's is bound to seem somewhat creepy, but Bologna makes Victor creepier than he need be. His fury on discovering that Jennifer has an older lover seems less like parental over-protectiveness than like jealousy.Blame it on the lovely Michelle Johnson as Jennifer. Blessed with the angelic looks of a Brooke Shields (albeit with a more voluptuous figure than Brooke's slim, boyish one), Michelle was, before the film came out, hotly tipped for stardom. After it came out, she wasn't. Although she was happy to display her charms to the world, modesty obviously compelled her to keep her acting talents well hidden. The film also introduced another lovely young actress, Demi Moore who plays Nikki, Matthew's daughter and Jennifer's best friend. Demi, however, survived the wreck of this film much better than Michelle, probably because hers was only a minor role, and did indeed go on to become a major star.Blame it on the director, the producer, the scriptwriters, the actors. Blame it on whoever wrote that irritating theme song. Blame it on anyone who had anything to do with this lousy movie. But don't blame it on Rio. Why should the blameless citizens of that fair city be held responsible for the crimes against art and good taste which are committed in their name? 3/10