Bitter/Sweet

Syncretism: The amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought. Just what I wanted and needed to see on this particular night of viewing.

There was no lingering bad aftertaste. Throughout the movie are scenes of people briefly reflecting on, and then reconciling with and dismissing their old lives and actions, and starting completely anew. Landlocked, deep inside a continent, this attitude, way of life, world view, is so hard to relate to, that such a movie is a desperately needed breath of sea air.

Sure, there are minor weaknesses; the native (or not native? he looked like a pudgy Chinese mandarin) coffee buyer was badly handled; it doesn't effect the outcome. The efflorescence of the lush vegetation, culture and women from the sand and rain, that's what's important.

The simple production emphasizes the fragility of the relationship between the two cultures, and in a good way. Highly recommended.

I couldn't work out if this a poor made for TV film or a Thai production. I think its the latter. On the plus side it shows how stunning Asian ladies look. On the down side, the lead character Ticha cannot act. The other girls around her could.

Spencer Garrett as Werner stole every scene he was in - which tells you a lot about the acting standards of the rest of the cast.

If only they had dropped the pointless James Brolin (a big name added for the film backers?), spiced up the love scenes then this could've been a really good film. A cynic would say this is simply one big advert for Thai coffee - certainly had me going for the instant stuff!!

A missed opportunity. Catch it on a movie channel

This movie is awful and insulting to all the Thai Women in Thailand. My biggest complaint with the movie is their depiction of every main, female, character in the movie as rude, antagonistic, and bitchy to complete strangers. Anyone who's ever been to Thailand knows that Thai Women would never act the way they were acting in the movie with a total stranger. As a matter of fact, most Women anywhere in the world would not act so rude to a person they've just met, and expect them to buy their coffee beans. Also, the American Male, who's the coffee buyer in the movie is also portrayed like an push-over, idiot. The Writer should go back to writing class or give up writing anything that has to do with people. It's not because his characters are one dimensional - they're worse, and more like half dimensional.

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. That's because "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.

Saw the film tonight with a date. Both of us were touched to tears. Beautiful photography in a lush setting. Easy to digest, straight to the heart! Well written and had some very cool traditions. The actors were believable and I bought the story. Romantic and funny, I can see why Jeff Hare won the awards for Best Director in Houston. Also written by Hare a talented and versatile young director. This may be his best work yet. The female lead grew on me as the film progressed. The supporting actors were good, and the father (Brolin) was just right for the part.

Recommend Highly.