Destination: Jamaica
Movie: How Stella Got Her Groove Back
I missed reading the book (1996), How Stella Got Her Groove Back
As it turns out, I was uninvited from the press tour, so the movie may be as close as I get to the luscious scenery of an all-inclusive beach resort on Montego Bay–but that is a whole other story.
The hotel where Angela Bassett’s character, Stella, retreats from her pressure cooker life in California, I find out by Googling, is played by the Round Hill Hotel and Villas. One publication described the retreat of movie stars and presidents as follows:
“Amenities are many: 13 tennis and four squash courts; 51 swimming pools (34 three- to seven-bedroom villas each have private pools); a croquet lawn; jogging and cycling trails; basketball and volleyball courts; a fully-equipped gym with personal trainers; six gourmet restaurants; duty-free shopping, and a large and sumptuous spa.”
But in this movie, 40-year-old Stella only has eyes for a 20-year-0ld. He (Taye Diggs) looks as good as the beach scene or the deep green jungles, and as if Stella was looking for “active travel” she finds it in her luxurious bedroom, turning the jungle ever more steamy.
While I’m googling, I come across the tidbit that Terry McMillan, who wrote the original book, based it on her own love affair and marriage with a younger man. Shortly after the movie came out, they were divorced. Too bad she didn’t know the ending of her own romance before she wrote the book. Throughout the movie, alarm bells kept ringing. Stella remarks that he has “cocoa puffs in his bed”. He is put out that she focuses on their age difference. I never quite can believe it is going to work.
But, to be honest, I didn’t watch for the story. I just wanted to SEE. The people I know who have been to Jamaica had a wonderful time, but they were there on honeymoons, so what do they know?
Mostly I hear that the resorts are stunning, but travelers can’t venture outside the perimeter of the manicured resort without a guard. That kind of travel just does not appeal to me. Plenty of Caribbean islands offer sugar sand beaches and neon green jungles without the lawlessness. (My only Caribbean Island and my favorite anyhow: St. Lucia).
Of course there has to be more to Jamaica than crime ridden urban areas and ultra chic resorts. Here is an alternative view of Jamaica travel that does NOT involve either extreme. J The Travel Authority looks for off the beaten track adventure wherever she goes.
So, if you’re going to Jamaica, and want a little taste in advance, this movie might do it for you. But be warned–it is chick flick writ large.
The video trailer comes from You Tube, as I think they make perfectly clear! One photo belongs to me–the St. Lucia photo–all rights reserved. The others are from Flickr via Creative Commons license and you can click on the photo to find out more. Amazon links may earn me a few pence if you choose to use them.
So…been to Jamaica? Outside an all-inclusive resort? Tell me, tell me.
In reference to what Richard Mussler-Wright said about having to be guarded. Its only sad that the persons or hotel you stayed conveyed this type of feeling. As a Jamaican, I do apologize for your less than fulfilling stay in Jamaica.
Jamaican today is far more on the warm and friendly side especially towards tourist. With the advent of all-inclusive hotels, the portrayal of safety have been somewhat misleading because these hotels wish to keep visitors on property to get all the business possible from them.
The Island has much to offer to visitors in terms of culture, tours, attractions, history, sites, pristine beaches and much more.
Your experience to a large extent will depend on the hotel you choose to stay. Why? Some hotels don’t apply a open-minded attitude and therefore, influence the mindset of visitors in terms of where they are free to go. Not underscoring the importance of safety, but there should be a reasonable balance for one to experience a great vacation. Best of luck!
Lived in Jamaica in 1958, but haven’t returned in the intervening 53 years…. A lot must have changed, but I can’t believe that the drop-dead gorgeous–even with no ocean in sight–interior, where tourists seldome ventured, has become completely lawless. It was a kind of paradise then, and I hope it’s still a kind of paradise. Here’s hoping the troubles there can be mended to the point where it is paradise, period.
your comment about visitors needing guards brought to mind the dichotomies that emerged in the recent PBS series Black in Latin America. have you seen it?
I am not a fan of the Henry Louis Gates Jr style of television — and he did not go to Jamaica — but parallels to what you comment on emerged especially in the program about Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
I’ve been, just for a few days, but I rented a car and we (my then 8-year-old and I) drove around parts of the island – mostly in the north. Didn’t feel threatened anywhere. That was in 1996, though. Times might have changed.
Thanks for sharing. I too missed the book and the movie release. I certainly want to visit Jamaica! Did not realize that travelers can’t wander without a guard. And I agree, that kind of travel is not appealing.
Curious: How did you get uninvited from a press tour? -r
i haven’t been to jamaica yet, although i have been to the bahamas. i was surprised by how separated the tourists were from “real life” – that’s not the way i want to travel, either.