PAPA: HEMINGWAY IN CUBA
An intimate Hemingway portrait overwhelmed by troubling content.
Should You Watch It?
PAPA: HEMINGWAY IN CUBA offers an intimate look at Ernest Hemingway through the eyes of Ed Myers, a young reporter who becomes part of Hemingway’s household. Filming at the original Hemingway homestead may interest historians and Hemingway fans.
The movie also carries excessive content. It includes graphic violence, several suicide attempts, fornication, naked swimming, obscene language, drunkenness, smoking, and sympathy for Fidel Castro’s communist revolution. Some of the characters recognize and regret wrongdoing, but that moral awareness does not outweigh the film’s content concerns.
If you are a Hemingway enthusiast, the historical setting and personal access may hold interest. For family viewing or a conscientious Christian audience, the practical answer is clear: skip it.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESIn 1957, orphaned Miami reporter Ed Myers writes a letter praising his literary hero, Ernest Hemingway. To his surprise, Hemingway replies and invites him to Cuba for a weekend of fishing.
Myers soon becomes a regular visitor at Hemingway’s home, where he observes the author’s troubled marriage, writing struggles, and changing political surroundings. As Myers grows closer to the family, his work and personal relationships become entangled with the upheaval surrounding Cuba’s revolution.
Is It Any Good?
Two stars means this film has some interesting material but does not develop it consistently. The original Hemingway homestead outside Havana gives the production authenticity, and the intimate scenes involving Hemingway may appeal to historians and Hemingway buffs.
The drama is weakened by several overly melodramatic scenes in both dialogue and acting. Myers and Debbie’s relationship is intended to matter, but it is not developed well enough to create much sympathy when their relationship encounters trouble. The movie offers an intriguing portrait of Hemingway, but its uneven storytelling limits its impact.
The Worldview
The movie’s worldview is described as overall moral because its characters recognize and sometimes regret wrongdoing. Hemingway expresses remorse for cheating on his wife, and he discusses prayer despite saying that he never cared for God. The story also presents a troubled, angry man who struggles with writer’s block and suicidal behavior.
That moral awareness is complicated by the film’s treatment of sexuality, drunken conflict, and suicide. The story also presents Hemingway’s sympathy for Castro’s communist revolution, even though that revolution turned out worse than expected. The film therefore acknowledges wrongdoing while still giving significant space to destructive choices and misguided political allegiance.
The movie’s questions about remorse and prayer point toward a need for a heart genuinely turned toward God: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Light moral worldview where characters are held accountable for wrongdoing though title character is clearly troubled, angry and sometimes suicidal, Hemingway shows remorse for cheating on his wife in the past, one scene shows Hemingway saying he never cared for God but would pray for a terminally ill friend, several scenes show Castro’s regime in the process of rising to power in Cuba, and Hemingway naively sides with the revolution and against America, plus a character recalls an event in his past where he witnessed a group of men blackmailing someone because of homosexual acts; 31 obscenities and profanities, the middle finger gesture is used, offensive slang terms are used to refer to men and women on multiple occasions; very strong and strong violence includes a bloody Gangrene wound is shown, several scenes depict gunfights and men being killed, a man is ambushed and shot dozens of times, several scenes depict a man attempting suicide with a gun, a man is punched and slapped on the face; depicted fornication in a couple scenes, character tells a story about how he cheated on his wife, a story is told about men having sexual relations with each other, and several scenes include some sexual innuendo; several scenes show characters swimming naked with partial or very brief full nudity, natural upper male nudity in several scenes; a few scenes depict drinking and moderate drunkenness; several scenes show cigar and cigarette smoking; and, men lie to their wives or girlfriends, weapons are smuggled into Cuba, the FBI tries to frame someone, a husband and wife vehemently argue in a couple scenes.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film presents characters who recognize wrongdoing and sometimes feel remorse. How is biblical repentance different from simply feeling regret?
2 Corinthians 7:10 · Psalm 51:17Hemingway speaks about prayer even though he says he has not cared for God. What does Scripture say God desires from those who seek Him?
Jeremiah 29:13 · James 4:8The story includes sympathy for a political revolution that turns out worse than expected. Why should Christians test political hopes and loyalties against God’s truth?
Psalm 146:3 · Acts 5:29Myers becomes entangled in the troubled lives and choices of others. How can the people and ideas we admire shape our own conduct?
1 Corinthians 15:33 · Philippians 4:8The Final Word
PAPA: HEMINGWAY IN CUBA may interest Hemingway fans because of its authentic setting and intimate subject. But its graphic violence, sexual content, nudity, profanity, suicide, and troubling political sympathy make it a poor choice for families and a difficult choice for Christian viewers. Our answer is SKIP IT. For better alternatives, see.
