For those who enjoy the music and style of 1920s entertainment, "We're from Jazz" is smile-inducing, genial light entertainment. And as that is the entire point of the film, it wouldn't be very fair to ask much more from it.
There's a basic plot, but it doesn't get too involved because it's really just there to introduce four likable characters and get them into various situations where they can play jazz -- which in many cases swings over to what might better be called ragtime or even big-band, but who's really counting? The music is good.
The heroes run into political opposition to this new Western music and even end up hobos for a while, but the stakes never seem fantastically high, because everyone knows we're here for a good time rather than high drama. Things do get a bit odd when our heroes start following an unconvincing Cuban singer, though, who seems to know English, Russian, and only about one word of Spanish.
The potential subjects for Soviet film seem to have broadened hugely in the late 1980s, and this one has a nice time waxing nostalgic about a subject that it admits was a hot-button in its time but now is matter for the breeziest of breezy films. If you like the music of the era that is its subject, this movie is aimed right at you.
There's a basic plot, but it doesn't get too involved because it's really just there to introduce four likable characters and get them into various situations where they can play jazz -- which in many cases swings over to what might better be called ragtime or even big-band, but who's really counting? The music is good.
The heroes run into political opposition to this new Western music and even end up hobos for a while, but the stakes never seem fantastically high, because everyone knows we're here for a good time rather than high drama. Things do get a bit odd when our heroes start following an unconvincing Cuban singer, though, who seems to know English, Russian, and only about one word of Spanish.
The potential subjects for Soviet film seem to have broadened hugely in the late 1980s, and this one has a nice time waxing nostalgic about a subject that it admits was a hot-button in its time but now is matter for the breeziest of breezy films. If you like the music of the era that is its subject, this movie is aimed right at you.