Bruno Romy, Claire Dubien, Clément Morel, Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon ...( see more  see more... ) , Louis Lecouvreur

Fiona and Dom are teachers at a rural school. They share a passion for Latin dance and they're deeply in love. On weekends, they enter dance competitions around the country. Their house is crammed wit...( read more  read more... )h trophies. One night, as they are coming back from a competition, they encounter a man on a clumsy suicide mission, standing in the middle of the road. They swerve to avoid him, crash into a wall and their life is thrown into turmoil.

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63% liked it

382 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

22 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 17 min.

Directed by: Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon

Release Date: September 10, 2008

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DVD Release Date: September 15, 2009

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Flixster Reviews (68)


  • October 28, 2009
    Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, and Bruno Romy, three Belgian film-makers, bring us another bizarre spectacle in their latest effort, "Rumba". Like their prior film, "L' iceberg", "Rumba" very much plays like an unfiltered homage to Jacques Tati. What makes these filmmakers unique,...( read more) however, is a sort of quirky and modern spin on silent physical comedy - their universe is much more reminiscent of "Napoleon Dynamite" than anything out of Chaplin or Keaton. With the filmmaker's gangly appearances and the flamboyant neon colors of the set design, the world of Abel, Gordon and Romy is one quite unlike anything i've seen before.

    Fiona and Dom (Fiona Gordon and Dominque Abel) both work as teachers in a rural school: she, an English teacher (whose lessons are hilariously tongue-twisting), and he, a gym teacher. A funny scene early on shows us the typical "school's out" scene where children run from the school's premises like a stampede. In this world, however, the teachers wait a few moments before escaping with the same delight.

    When off duty, the couple are devout Latin dance enthusiasts. On their way to the latest dance competition, Fiona recalls that they've forgotten their outfits. Now running late, they're forced to change in the car. A hilarious spectacle ensues - at one point, Dominque finds himself completely upside down in the driver's seat.

    The couple is successful in the Rumba competition, but on the way home they get into an awful car accident due to a suicidal man (Bruno Romy) standing in the middle of the road. The accident leaves Fiona with one leg, and Dom an amnesiac. Suicide and crippling injuries: certainly prime material for slapstick.

    The comedy is certainly pitch-black, to say the least, but the filmmakers are consistently inventive enough to make even the most dreary of situations hilarious. At one point, Dom runs next door to get help as his house burns down. When the neighbor answers the door, Dom has forgotten what he came for.

    "Rumba", like "L' iceberg", perhaps doesn't sustain it's charm throughout. Even at a modest length, this odd mix of quirky dryness and broad physical comedy wears out - it's hilarious in short bursts, but because of it's peculiarity it's also exhausting. That being said, however, Abel, Gordon and Romy have once again succeeded in creating a truly singular work. With a film industry that's largely been homogenized, what a delight it is to see filmmakers working so far outside of the norm.
  • December 23, 2009
    Pensei muito na melhor forma de descrever esse filme, e a única que encontrei foi ASSISTA!
  • November 15, 2009
    Visuellement laid, du a une absence totale de conformisme. Rumba est burlesque, ludique alors pourquoi s'en priver.
  • August 5, 2009
    Add a review (optional)...
  • January 11, 2009
    fofíssimo, direção de arte maravilhosa, fotografia perfeita, trilha sonora doce aos ouvidos... parece um conto de fadas moderno! e glória ao roteirista que conseguiu construir uma história tão bonitinha com pouquíssimas falas. uma pérola.
  • December 10, 2008
    Cute, like a French Mr Bean.
  • November 16, 2008
    impossible to describe; very very funny and also touching

Critic Reviews


August 6, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It's not terrifically funny, but then how could it be? The influence of Jacques Tati abides in the material, without his sunniness. full review

July 31, 2009
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

The film could be cleverer, funnier, better-timed. Où sont les Tatis d'antan? But Gordon and Abel - she an anorexic Tilda Swinton, he a slightly squashed version of John Gordon Sinclair (Gregory's Gir... full review

View more Rumba reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Rumba Trivia


  • In the movie The Mask, what is the name of "the king of Rumba beat" when the Mask songs to escape the police?  Answer »

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