A Foreign Affair

This indie arrived without any warning. On the basis of the three principals, we decided to take a look at it. Directed with care by Helmut Schleppi, this is an endearing comedy about how love surprises even the most skeptical types in the wrong places.

If you haven't seen the film, please stop reading now.

Josh and Jake live in the family farm. Their mother seems to dote on Jake, the good for nothing brother that is totally helpless in practical matters. When the mother dies suddenly, Jake realizes a woman is needed in the ranch to help the brothers cope with the household chores. Josh is useless; since he was a "mamma's boy", he is not expected to do anything.

In learning about the possibility of "importing" a bride, Jake decides to take Josh to Russia and marry him off to a woman that would like to emigrate to the United States and help around the farm. Well, Jake is for a rude awakening! Josh suddenly awakens when he has to select a woman among the gorgeous candidates; he discovers sex and fun with the women that are looking for some pampering. Josh ends up spending his money in a radical make over at his brother's expense.

The brothers meet a young woman, who at first they think is another of the women wanting to emigrate. Angela is making a documentary about the phenomenon and ends up translating for the brothers.

Tim Blake Nelson is perfect as Jake, the good brother. He is one of the kindest souls ever seen in the movies. David Arquette is also good as the confused Josh. Emily Mortimer, as Angela, makes a great appearance.

The film is sweet, without being sugary. It will not disappoint.

1st watched 10/4/2004 - 8 out of 10(Dir-Helmut Schleppi): Excellent docu-drama about 2 brothers in search of a foreign wife to take care of them after their mother passes away. This is played out seriously and that's why it works. Both main actors do a great job with acting slightly off-kilter but keeping a straight face in this eccentric and unique story of their attempts to be loved. The older brother engages a foreign purchase-a-wife service disguised as a romantic getaway and their off to Russia in search of that special 'one.' It's obvious that both of these boys haven't been out of the nest much. One takes the search on in a business-like way(of course not attracting many women), and the younger gets a chance to be himself and and sew his wild oats and has a lot more choices because of this. A female reporter becomes involved in the story because she's doing a documentary and soon becomes a part of a triangle-type relationship. This is where the story is able to include documentary style footage that gives it that feel like this could really happen. This is definitely a catch and if you can find it at your local rental store give it a try, you won't be disappointed. And if you're like me, you'll want to watch it a second time just to make sure you 'get' everything that it's giving you.

I had a chance to see "A Foreign Affair" on April 15 at a pre-release screening with over 500 other film-goers and was mightily impressed by this movie! It strikes me as containing the same kind of graceful humor and insight as "Big Fish," "The Station Agent" and even "My Big, Fat Greek Wedding." The film makes important points about family, love and marriage without shouting and resorting to cheap theatrics. I hope people get behind the movie as they did for "Greek Wedding" so that this quiet little gem doesn't get buried under all of the bombastic comic book pictures. The script is delightful and well conveyed on the screen. Actors Nelson, Arquette and Mortimer are perfect in their roles. The interspersing of documentary-style interviews about marriage throughout the movie was a treat, as were the surprising touches at the end of the film --- again, humorous and touching at the same time. General consensus of the 500 folks at the screening: Outstanding!

It's always nice to see a unique story. The aren't many negative reviews of this flick, and they certainly aren't deserved. While the story explores a real part of present day life - internet bride hunting - it manages to bring humanity and subtle but solid humor to the story.

The film neither justifies or explains the social phenomenon, and it doesn't have to. It does portray very realistically the lives of the characters caught in their circumstances. The acting, cinematography and direction are all great. The writing is great: a simple story (with a few fun twists) mated to complex character development. This movie is very entertaining. Certainly the producers, director and writer are all worth watching for.

My wife, Ekaterina, and I met each other in Saint Petersburg, Russia on a tour sponsored by A Foreign Affair, the company that was involved in making this film. The film depicts with accuracy many of the experiences that we went through when we met. I am excited that the film was produced, because it will help people understand what awesome opportunities tours like these offer to people to meet each other. The film is an intelligent, romantic comedy that equals "A Greek Wedding" and "Monsoon Wedding" in portraying family values and relationships. Arquette, Blake Nelson, and Mortimer do wonderful jobs portraying their characters. The film also shows that Saint Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. I highly recommend it and sincerely hope that it becomes successful and popular.