Maxwell Bright is a complete asshole. He owns a TV sales outlet, and is a
total slob and misogynist. As the film opens, he chases his naked girlfriend
into the front yard. He is also naked. Two female cops arrive, and they take
her side - until she opens his chest with a garden hoe.
Later, during a drunken poker game, he decides what he needs is an Asian
mail order bride. Then his life changes completely,
The film starts out as a dark
comedy, but makes its way through an examination of cultural differences, and ends up a three-hanky weeper.
Act one is a portrait of a totally unsympathetic character, act two becomes a
dying man drama, and act three features redemption and enlightenment.
I should have
hated this film, but found it the best thing I have seen so far this year.
It garnered numerous festival awards and many positive reviews, but also a few
negative ones. This is decidedly not a studio sort of film, which I see as a good thing, and
it is
uniformly well acted, especially by Patrick Warburton, Marie Matiko and Eric
Roberts. Also watch for Jennifer Tilly and Carol Kane.
If you are not familiar with our grading system, you need to
read the
explanation, because the grading is not linear. For example, by
our definition, a
C is solid and a C+ is a VERY good movie. There are very few Bs
and As. Based on our descriptive system, this film is a:
