The Park Bench

This is a sweet movie about a budding romance between a tutor and her student. They sit on a park bench and the film jumps from one meeting to the next with animated titles between them. It is cute, and one reviewer said that it didn't rise above that. I found myself, however, musing over what I thought was the film's question, "How do you know love when you find it." I don't often muse about romcoms after I see them, so I would say it was more than just cute.

A fully predictable, unrealistic film that regrettably perpetuates stereotypes about cultural diversity in the United States and over-simplifies complex issues such as culture, identity, immigration, and love. I found this film insulting on many levels, a lot more thought, insight, and frankly respect should have gone into the writing of this film prior to its production.

The topic of an inter-cultural relationship could have been developed in a more realistic manner while still incorporating elements of comedy. Independent film is not the place to follow predictable plot lines and fail to intelligently contribute to the conversation about the issues presented.

I loved this movie! The dance scene is my favorite - I have re-watched it a thousand times just like I have the proposal scene from Pride & Prejudice. The relationship development was terrific. I've tried finding other movies with Walter Perez, but the others I've seen (Fame) didn't showcase him as well as this one.

What a sweet film! It sort of crept up on me how much I liked it. The two leads are so charming and real. The dialogue feels very natural. The stars have a chemistry together that is a delight to watch with each bringing their own personalities to their characters. The writing is excellent and is both insightful and witty. There is an innocence to this movie that is refreshing. The creativity of adding the animation is a very nice touch. It adds a new layer of story-telling that illustrates the way we open up to people and reveal pieces of ourselves. Nothing was forced or over the top. I am going to start it again and watch it all over. I hope more people discover this gem of a film.

This film seems so unassuming but it really packs a punch. It did for me anyway. The characters felt like they really existed and I ended up getting really invested in their lives. It's small, for sure, but it's very lovely. One reason I think it works so well is because the actors have terrific chemistry. They play off each other well and the way they slowly confide in each other seems completely plausible. I just wanted to see what would happen the next day they met, and the next...

I also loved the animation - so colorful and fun. It added another dimension to the whole film. I wish there were more movies like this that told simple but engaging stories with characters I wanted to follow. It just made me feel good.

I hope more people will discover this movie.