MartinHafer "Latin Lovers" is a tough movie to love. After all, the main character, Nora (Lana Turner), is very rich AND very arrogant. Through much of the film she seems to think she is entitled due to her money...yet she also is worried a man might want her for her money. Oddly, despite this, she is uninterested in marrying her long-time boyfriend (John Lund)...who is even richer than her.When the boyfriend goes to Brazil to play polo, she follows and soon is smitten with Roberto (Ricardo Montalban). She worries he, too, wants her money. And, when she tells him she's loaded, he's thrilled...futher convincing her that all men want is her cash, not her circa 1953 hot bod.In addition to Nora acting dumb and annoying through much of the film, the two men in her life aren't exactly prizes either--though you still often wonder WHAT they see in her! This is because Nora OFTEN gets angry and huffy and is as pleasant as a lion with a toothache. So, with some unlikable characters all you have left is the nice MGM gloss...which this one has in spades.

wes-connors Beautiful blonde Lana Turner (as Nora Taylor) worries men may want her because she is worth $37 million dollars. She is engaged to handsome blond John Lund (as Paul Chevron), who is worth $48 million dollars. It sounds like a good match, but Ms. Turner is still worried. When she was poor, a greedy boy stole all her marbles, she tells her analyst. Both Turner and Mr. Lund go to picturesque Brazil, where he plays polo. Turner wears expensive clothes and meets muscle-glistening Ricardo Montalban (as Roberto Santos). They are mutually attracted. Turner decides to hide her $37 million estate from Mr. Montalban, because she (now) thinks men are not interested in marrying beautiful and wealthy women. Honest. This story is as silly as it sounds. However, it is worth watching to see how the crew at MGM could pull out the big guns; in this case, for Turner and Montalban. The production always looks great.***** Latin Lovers (8/12/53) Mervyn LeRoy ~ Lana Turner, Ricardo Montalban, John Lund, Louis Calhern

JLRMovieReviews Lana Turner has 37 million dollars. John Lund has 48 million. She feels he's about to pop the question and thought she wanted to marry him -- until now, that is. He has to go to Brazil to look at some ponies he's interested in buying and to play a little polo. During a night on the town, she is intrigued when she is asked to dance by a Brazilian (who just happens to be in town), and he tells her not to go to Brazil. "It would be dangerous for you. There's something about the air in Brazil. Men in Brazil see what they want and just take it." She hops on a plane, going after Lund, who she thinks will just take her (up in his arms.) But this air only puts John Lund to sleep. Enter Ricardo Montalban. While he is showing his horses to John Lund, she takes an instant liking to Ricardo….and he notices her. The looks he gives her are too much and she acts more passionate here than I've ever seen her. But will he be bothered by her money? Jean Hagen is good in a supporting role as her secretary, and John Lund is good as a stuffed shirt. Louis Calhern is great as Ricardo's grandfather, providing a touch of class. (A side note that many may not know: Not only was Louis Calhern also in Lana's "A Life of Her Own" and "The Prodigal" but, in "The Bad and the Beautiful," he provides the voice of her father's on the record that Kirk Douglas smashes.) This was supposed to be a reunion movie with Fernando Lamas. (They made "The Merry Widow" prior to this.) But since they were no longer together as a couple, she wanted someone else to play opposite her. This was a break for Ricardo, who looks like he is having the time of his life. (Even though that wasn't him really singing.) Rita Moreno dances the samba with him, teaching Lana how to do it right. But, Rita gets jealous of her real quick, when she discovers he likes Lana. With their attraction to each other and the way they move together, it almost seems like we shouldn't be watching.But, if you've never seen Lana and Ricardo, looking their best and complementing each other, then you're missing something. Granted the movie may get silly, like with her Portguese teacher who'll practically live or die for her. But who cares? "Latin Lovers" may be colorful fluff, but it's one of the best and most provocative colorful fluffs you're likely to see. Just sit back and enjoy!

joseph952001 This movie came right on the heels of The Merry Widow and was suppose to reunite Lana and Fernando for one more film, but - uh - complications arose! So, Lana Turner tells it in her autobiography, they were at a party and Lex Barker asked Lana to dance with him, and she didn't know how jealous Fernando could be and she accepted, and after the dance, he thanked her and Fernando said something like "Why don't you take her in the bushes and f--- her!" Then they went home and an argument took place and Fernando beat her up and caused bruises all over body. So, she reported this to the studio with the claim that she would not make the movie with Fernanado, and so they replaced him with Ricardo Montalban a very devout Catholic and would not, in any way, have an affair with Lana. So, later on Fernando never knew why he was taken off the picture. Well, according to Esther Williams, who would later marry Fernando; in her autobiography she stated that Lana would yell out in her doorway of her dressing room, "Fernando, you get your f----ing Argentine ass in here!" And, also, according to Esther Williams, she placed a glass on the wall of her dressing room and heard Lana moaning "Ohhhhhh! Fernado!!!!!!" And that Lana at times would take a leather belt to her body and put the bruises on her legs and body herself and claim it was someone else! And to prove that Fernando didn't ever lay a hand on Lana, he successfully stayed married to Esther Williams until the day he died! Oh!!!! For those old days when we had these colorful genius that made those great movies! Where are these colorful genius' today? Don't have any! Anyway, true, this movie is very entertaining, but it's really just a rehash of The Merry Widow in many ways, and if you notice, when Lana hears Ricardo singing, the same lighting, the same look on her face before they do the Samba together. One thing that not too many people never knew about Lana Turner is that she was an excellent dancer, and only showed signs of it in The Merry Widow and Latin Lovers, but the ending is kinda unrealistic. If she "did" give the money to Ricardo, I'm sure she was smart enough to keep most of it for herself with him knowing about it! After all, he didn't know how money she had! By the way, that was not Ricardo singing. He can sing, but that wasn't his voice and you almost expect them to repeat "Baby It's Cold Outside" and of course, I'm surprised that in many of the scenes Lana never once said those famous lines, "Oh! Ricardo! No!" Oops! That was the line used by Esther Williams! And speaking of Esther Williams, since movies like this usually have guest movie stars in them, I'm surprised that Esther didn't do some kind of Brazilian Samba Water Ballet in it! Not Lana's best, but a nice diversion on a boring weekend afternoon with nothing to do!