Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Protraph Lack of good storyline.

PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

vincentlynch-moonoi The first four Road pictures -- Singapore (1940), Zanzibar (1941); Morocco (1942), and Utopia (1946) -- were, IMHO, by far the best. The last two (Bali and Hong Kong; 1952 and 1962) definitely were running out of steam...but were still enjoyable. "The Road To Rio" was right there in the middle...not great, but really good.Scat Sweeney and Hot Lips Barton, both out-of-work musicians, head for Louisiana and through their bumbling cause a fire at a circus. They escape a mob by stowing away on board a ship bound for Rio de Janeiro. Of course, they run into Dorothy Lamour (Lucia), who seems to have a split personality, but is actually being controlled by the hypnosis by her sleazy guardian, played deliciously by Gale Sondergaard. It's up to the boys to save Lucia from marrying Sondergaard's brother. Along the way, the boys gain the help of the Wiere Brothers, who were pretty funny guys who never seemed to make it big in movies. And then there's a cameo by Bob Hope's frequent sidekick -- Jerry Colonna -- which goes nowhere...but that's the gag. Hope and Crosby had a chemistry together that has rarely been matched in Hollywood history, and it shows here. The version I just viewed was the Kino Lorber Blu_Ray restoration, and the color in great with only occasional graininess making it slightly less than perfect. Recommended.

lugonian ROAD TO RIO (Paramount, 1947), directed by Norman Z. McLeod, marks the fifth installment to the popular "in name only" comedy series featuring that famous trio of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. Unlike its preceding adventures of ROAD TO ZANZIBAR (1941), MOROCCO (1942) and UTOPIA (1946), ROAD TO RIO is no doubt funnier than its initial entry, ROAD TO SINGAPORE (1940), yet coming across on its own merits presenting itself almost like a straight-forward musical-comedy than its predecessors consisting of offbeat situations, talking animals and formalistic Hollywood in-jokes. Certain aspects, however, ranging from opening titles bearing animated names of its principal players dancing across the screen; to the wide-eyed/ bushy-mustached Jerry Colonna coming from nowhere leading his calvary on horseback belting out a long wide yell; Hope and Crosby's "patty-cake" routine and witty comedy lines are true reminders of this being very much a part of the "Road" adventures the public then has grown to love so well.The plot gets off to a really good start in a carnival where the smooth talking "Scat" Sweeney (Bing Crosby) has his pal "Hot-Lips" Barton (Bob Hope) doing a high wire bicycle act leading to disastrous results before the carnival catches fire, burning to the ground. To avoid capture by an angry boss and mob, the boys make a run for it, ending up as stowaways taking refuge in a lifeboat of the S.S. Queen bound for Rio. During their voyage, they encounter the beautiful Lucia Maria De Andrade (Dorothy Lamour) traveling with her aunt, Catherine Vail (Gale Sondergaard). As Scat and Hot Lips each vie for Lucia's affections, they become confused by her sudden mood changes (from "I love you," to "I hate you," I loathe you," "I despise you" ...) reactions, unaware she's actually under a hypnotic trance by her aunt, whose intentions are for her to forget about these men and concentrate on her forthcoming marriage. Upon their arrival in Rio, Scat and Hot Lips obtain jobs working for Mr. Cardoso (Nestor Paiva) in his nightclub with three odd-ball musicians (The Wiere Brothers) who don't speak any English, before braving Mrs. Vail's henchmen (Frank Faylen and Joseph Vitale) disguised as a pirate and Caribbean dancer, to entertain at Lucia's wedding, to extremely funny results.In between Hope and Crosby antics and Lamour's hypnotic trance, song interludes by Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen enter the scene, including: "We're on Our Way" (sung by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope); American standards of "Swanee River" (by Stephen Foster), and "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" (by James A. Bland); "But Beautiful" (sung by Crosby); "You Have to Know the Language" (sung and performed by Crosby and the Andrews Sisters); "Experience" (sung by Dorothy Lamour); and "Brasilia (I Yi Yi)." Crosby's performing on board ship with the Andrews Sisters (Laverne, Patti and Maxene), a popular singing trio during the World War II years, ranks one of the film's several highlights. For being the longest (100 minutes) in the "Road" series, Crosby's vocalizing of "But Beautiful" to Lamour was usually one that got deleted from most television prints during the 1970s and 80s to fill in enough commercial breaks during its standard two hour time slot.This highly entertaining and worthwhile "Road" entry, formerly presented on American Movie Classics (1997-2001), is often hailed as the last great "Road" comedy, though certainly not its finish. ROAD TO BALI (1952) and THE ROAD TO HONG KONG (1962) came after-wards, indicating its popularity was best suited for the 1940s rather than the forthcoming decades. With all "Road" comedies placed on home video and DVD over the years, ROAD TO RIO not only has had limited TV revivals in recent years, but labeled as one being "out of print" by DVD distributors. With the overplayed ROAD TO MOROCCO listed among one of the greatest comedies by the American Film Institute, ROAD TO RIO, with Crosby, Hope and Lamour at their finest, is certainly entertaining enough to merit attention and availability for future generations to endure. (***1/2)

Scaramouche2004 Since the very first Road To.. Picture back in 1940, each subsequent entry in the series seemed to build on its wacky and manic content, with each becoming slightly more off the wall and crazy as the last.However when the fifth entry was released in 1947, for some reason things were toned down a tad, making the Road to Rio, although still funny and enjoyable appear to lack the quirkiness and zany antics of what had gone before.The banter and wise cracks between our two heroes is as good as ever, and the musical numbers up to par as well, but in spite of this, I always have a problem associating this film with any other in the series. It seems out on it's own; out on a limb.Maybe it's because unlike its predecessors, the gang are not lost in the untamed wild of somewhere or other, perhaps its the lack of talking animals, or perhaps it has more to do with the fact that this story actually has a plot; a real story you can follow instead of the more customary and formulaic half-hearted story onto which a few gags and songs had been pinned.Still the film is enjoyable and very funny, with The Andrew Sisters, Bing's other frequent stalwarts from radio and record, joining in on the fun for 'You Don't Have to Know the Language' and a delightful comic turn from The Weire Brothers as three local boys trying to pass themselves off as red blooded Americans, despite only knowing three slang terms in English which had been taught to them by Hope and Crosby just minutes before.As I said you will enjoy this entry very much but you will probably find this movie more akin to a Bob Hope 'My Favorite Blonde/Brunette' kind of comedy than anything so far seen in the 'Road To...' franchise

Michael O'Keefe Fifth of the Hope and Crosby 'road shows'. Not wacky, just straight comedy as Hot Lips Barton(Hope)and Scat Sweeney(Crosby)flee from Oklahoma and Texas avoiding matrimony. After burning down a tent show, the boys stow away on a ocean liner headed to Rio. Aboard ship, the song and dance duo fall for the luscious Lucia(Dorothy Lamour), who runs hot and cold, because she is being hypnotized by her evil aunt(Gale Sondergard)trying to force her into an arranged marriage. Songs written by the team of Johnny Burke-Jimmy Van Heusen are entertaining; the best being "But Beautiful" by Crosby and "Experience" by Miss Lamour along with Hope's bubble blowing trumpet. The cast also features: Frank Faylen, George Meeker and the Andrews Sisters.