Monday, June 13, 2011

Bitter/Sweet: Movie Review



Light, sweet, enjoyable trip to Thailand.

A part Thai film, part U.S. film, "Bitter/Sweet" did a wonderful job of merging the two cultures for both audiences. It centers on Brian (Kip Pardue) a young American, for the Western audiences to connect to, but takes place in Thailand. It even manages to include a small-town girl in big-city who comes back to her hometown storyline, without me completely noticing. 2009

Directed by: Jeff Hare

Screenplay by: Jeff Hare

Starring: Kip Pardue and Napakpapha Nakprasitte

"Bitter/Sweet" is comedy first, romance second, and melodrama doesn't even come into play.

There's nothing that you haven't seen before, except perhaps Kip Pardue as the leading man. The ignorant American was thankfully down-played and we actually got a fairly real character who was charming and sincere. I quite enjoyed Pardue and his character. The other characters were pretty cliché, especially the "evil" local coffee-buyer who became almost cartoon-ish. Spencer Garrett as the comic relief character was a lot of fun, and of course the girls were all cute.

The romance angle was entirely predictable, but it works on its cute and sweet factors. The coffee element was really only there as a plot point and to back-up the romance story. But a plot in a romantic comedy? Hollywood hasn't discovered this yet and it is certainly welcome. "Bitter/Sweet" is light and sweet and an enjoyable trip to Thailand.




Similar Titles:


Paris-Manhattan (2012) - Getting past an immature and frustrating heroine, the film delivers a funny and feel-good comedy about Woody Allen.

Darling Companion (2012) - Finding a heart-warming relationship dramedy after losing the dull romantic comedy.

Midsummer Madness (2007) - Lives up the madness in its title and the beauty of its country.