Nong, Pee, Teerak

You are very sweet actress when I look at you I think I'm in love

We must admit that we weren't too taken with the trailer of 'Brother of the Year' - the latest comedy from Thai powerhouse studio GDH after last year's regional megahit 'Bad Genius' - which had suggested an unusual sibling rivalry taken to hysterical proportions. Oh yes, according to the trailer, in order to get back at his overbearing younger sister Jane (Urassaya Sperbund), her older brother Chut (Sunny Suwanmethanont) decides to sabotage her budding romance with Moji (Nichkhun Horvejkul) by revealing just how much of an alpha female she is. But we're glad that what was sold is really a gross over-representation of the actual love-hate relationship between Chut and Jane, which in fact is a lot more nuanced, a lot more poignant and a lot less over-the-top than we were led to believe.

In fact, what you see in the trailer is but the first act of the movie, which establishes both the conflict between Chut and Jane and the attraction between Jane and Moji. Beginning with Chut's dismay when Jane returns one evening to Bangkok after completing four years of university studies in Japan, the swiftly-paced narrative alternates between Chut and Jane to express just how they feel about each other - whereas Chut is annoyed and exasperated at having to live under the shadow of his younger sister who grows up to nag at his slovenly habits, Jane is utterly disappointed that her older brother is nothing like the role model and guardian she had expected him to be. To co-writer and director Vithaya Thongyuyong's credit, he doesn't intend or come out taking either Chut or Jane's side, so you'd actually empathise with both their mutual frustrations at each other.

At the same time, Jane's audition for a job at a Japanese company turns into a meet-cute on the baseball field with her boss Moji. Apparently it is tradition to initiate a newcomer with a game of baseball, but unbeknownst to Moji and the rest of his colleagues, Jane is quite the striker on the field, having been introduced to the sport by none other than Chut himself. Indeed, one of the most hilarious sequences in the film explains how Chut got the nickname 'Coochie' when he and Jane were in junior high school, and the latter had innocently used a pad to cover the former's bloody chin after knocking him out cold with a baseball bat in front of their schoolmates. Alas, things become even more complicated for the both of them when the same company she now works for happens to be one of the key accounts that Chut's high-flying advertising executive himself services.

A couple of careless words uttered at the urinals following an awkward pitch meeting precipitates a series of complications that entangle the personal and professional lives of Chut, Jane and Moji - and without giving too much away, suffice to say that Chut becomes depressed after being taken off the account at Jane's instruction, and Jane and Moji are forced to decide just how much they want to be together after Moji is abruptly re-deployed back to Japan. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Jane eventually chooses to take the leap of faith with Moji, and the wedding preparations as well as her impending move to Kitakyushu with him further strains the bond between brother and sister. Again, as is the case with such frictions, both Chut and Jane are to blame for their deteriorating state of affairs, with the onus being on both of them simultaneously to make up or make things even worse.

If it isn't yet clear, the film switches gears in the second half to become less of a comedy than an honest and heartfelt exploration of the ties that bind Chut and Jane. While Jane will come to acknowledge just how much of an enduring influence Chut has been on her and try to make amends for the wrongs she has done, Chut himself is also forced to put aside his pride and come to see with humility his own shortcomings as well as how much Jane actually cares for him. As cliched as that may sound, the process and journey with which Thongyuyong brings his viewers on is nothing but, and let's just say that we were really surprised by how moved we were by the time Chut and Jane finally put their differences aside and reconcile with each other.

Certainly, a large part of the movie's charm derives from the chemistry between Suwanmethanont and Sperbund. Both are utter naturals at playing the laid-back slacker and high-strung overachiever respectively, but even more significantly, effortlessly portray the complexities of their relationship with a careful balancing act between tenderness and animosity. Sperbund and Horvejkul's courtship is a lot more vanilla in comparison, so even though they do have a couple of bumps along the way, there isn't much the script or the actors do to make their romance quite so memorable. Ultimately, it is the bond between Chut and Jane that is the very emotional core of the film, and it is a joy watching Suwanmethanont and Sperbund spar with each other.

Unlike 'Bad Genius', 'Brother of the Year' doesn't have a high-concept premise, but it is also precisely that which makes the back-and-forth between Chut and Jane real and relatable. Even in the first act where it establishes the comedic proportions of their sibling rivalry, the film never resorts to slapstick gags for the sake of it, and is all the better off for demonstrating restraint and avoiding histrionics. Their emotional and psychological tug-of-war also gains meaning, significance and poignancy over the course of the film, and comes off affecting, heart-warming and uplifting by the time it is over. It is no wonder then that the movie has struck a chord among its home audience, and is already the bestselling local movie in Thailand; there is no language or cultural barrier to its themes, story and sentiment, so get ready to laugh, cry and be moved by one of the most endearing films you'll see this year.

Although I dont watch much Thai movie but this one was nice and family movie. Better than killing, jealous. Yaya and Sunny were good.

Going into this movie, I thought it was strictly a comedy about a brother who was overly protective of his sister. My expectations turned out to be incredibly wrong. It's really a family drama at heart and is relatable to pretty much anyone who has dealt with sibling rivalry. Older brother Chut finds himself constantly in the shadow of his smarter and more ordered younger sister, Jane. The rivalry between them began in their childhood and has continued to pollute their relationship as adults. Jane is beginning a successful career but is quite critical of her brother's disorderly lifestyle. While Chut is successful in his own right, family issues begin to surface when Chut and Jane end up having to work together. To top it all off, Chut doesn't approve of Jane's new boyfriend/colleague.

By this point in the movie, despite his flaws, I was rooting more for Chut and found Jane and her behavior quite grating. The more the movie went on, I felt Chut was completely justified in his behavior towards his sister. For this reason, I felt both characters were becoming completely unlikable. Jane was petty, continuing even to call her brother by a nickname from childhood that he hated and even getting his friends and coworkers to call him by the name. At the same time Chut spiraled downward more and more, further fueling his sister's annoyance. I almost felt like getting up and walking out because I couldn't find a reason to root for either of these characters. However, the movie completely turned itself around in the final act and provided a poignant message that every sibling who has ever dealt with rivalry should hear.

Overall, I don't feel this movie can completely be ruled a comedy or a drama, but the moments of comedy scattered throughout were really funny. If my expectation of what it type of movie it was from the beginning was different, I might have found my experience a bit different. This movie contains a great message, which might hit some viewers close to home, but it takes some patience to get there.

"Brother of the Year" from 2018 starring Sunny Suwanmetanon, Urassaya Sperbund and Nich Khun Horvejkul is a heartwarming comedy mixed with romance. Its color-ful and rich...and it gives out excellent directing and acting. There is sadly not that many movies today at all that presents the relationship between siblings...the connection you actually never can take away. Its with you until you die. You can lose a friend, you can break up with your boyfriend and you can divorce your husband...but a sibling is for life whether you like it or not. Yaya has wonderful chemistry with everyone she acts with, and her collaboration with Sunny is remarkable, as their characters Jane and Chut are siblings who fight and considers each other rivals, while secretly looks upon each other. Their connection is in that they know each other to the core, and aren't afraid to take off their masks to show the naked pain in having to deny each other the support they want to give due to pride and bitterness.

This movie made me laugh my tears off and laugh my ass off. I loved every minute of it, and i consider Yaya and Sunny the true stars of this movie. Their portrayal as the siblings Jane and Chut has everything you would dream of, and me having a brother i also would like to kill sometimes (kiddin about the killin,but he does drive me mad) i actually could symphatize with Jane. You can also hear Yaya talk japanese many times, and watch her with a big pregnant belly! Go For It Yaya!