Bitter/Sweet (2009)

Amateur movie with Big budget

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The acting in this movie is really good.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

If someone is looking for a different kind of film, "Bitter/Sweet" is it. It goes without saying that the girls and scenery are beautiful, but there are elements of the story that are surprising and different. Spoilers ahead: In far too many films, you see the dumb and (Or) conniving upper class blonde who is nothing but a gold digger (Clarice Kensington (Jane Sibbett) from "It Takes Two" is a perfect example of this, so is Lanie (Slobhan Fallon) from "Fools Rush In"). Amanda (Laura Lorenson), in this film is not that. She is beautiful and intelligent, and knows when she sees they way that her fiancé Brian Chandler (Kip Pardue) looks at Ticha (Napakpapha Nakprasitte), she knows he loves her, and for that reason, she lets him go (Even when he is willing to go back to the US with her). Another thing different is Ticha. She is not the perfect woman with the answers to everything. She ran away from home so she could become a success. The only reason she did come back, was out of her parents desperation for her help because of the poverty they (And their entire coffee producing village were in). The ending of the film is very much like "Fools Rush In" (Where Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry) catches up with Isabel (Salma Hayak) and lets her know how much he loves her. But Ticha is even more stubborn than Isabel, who was afraid of, and thus running away from love. How? She was going to make a tiny boat and let Brian's picture drift away, which is something more permanent than Isobel's plans. When he finally convinces her how much he loves her, and the village will be taken care of, they say goodbye to things of their past (His engagement ring and her keys to her apartment and car), and let them sail off on that boat (Of course, she does let him know she wants a truck and her family has now become his obligation "Thai girls do that when they marry a foreigner"). But as the film ends, it is apparent that he has followed through on this. But, Ticha is no charity case, and is shown contributing to the home because she working with Brian in the coffee business, as is her sister and her b/f). Basically a great film to watch with your woman. 10/10 stars

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.

Wow, I wasn't sure what to expect but my wife wanted to see a rom-com one night so we saw Bitter/Sweet at a festival and were very pleased.Everything from the actors to the setting were beautiful, the directing and acting were spot on - we believed what everyone was saying, feeling and they all looked to part as well. Kip Pardue was good and Borlin too, we did not expect the film to end the way it did. And we felt the connection between the two main characters and the movie made us want to not only go to Thailand but drink the coffee.So if you like coffee, Thailand or just rom-coms - see this film as you will no regret it.

Charming performances, lushly exotic Thai locations and a feel-good spirit accent this award-winning, thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy-drama crafted by writer-director Jeff Hare.An engaging Kip Pardue stars as work-consumed Brian Chandler, who's drafted by coffee king Calvert Jenkins (James Brolin) to journey to Thailand to explore coffee-field pockets for a potential crop purchase. While there, he encounters the quirky locals, but most importantly he meets Ticha, the percolating female scion of a coffee family. Worldviews soon conflict, commerce clashes with the earnest art of coffee production, and the two immediately lock horns. Yet what is originally bitter can indeed turn sweet, and both Brian and Ticha take a journey of self-discovery amid this paradise spread."Bitter/Sweet" may appear to be a date movie--but it emerges as much more than that (though couples will certainly enjoy it together). Rather, it's a character-driven play complete with a jolting twist, a rich brew that nudges memories of three other quality films. In the vein of "Slumdog Millionaire," it delivers a sweet-and-low relationship stacked against the odds in a mesmerizing land. And just as "Sideways" is a fine-vintage voyage that toasts to wine and vineyard aficionados, so too does "Bitter/Sweet" intrinsically treat is arching theme--coffee and coffee connoisseurs--with care and respect. The film additionally shares the spirit of Bill Forsyth's 1983 winner, "Local Hero," in which an outsider arrives in an insular community, stirring up the local denizens and the regional status quo.Director Jeff Hare continues to display his vibrant cinematic talent while adeptly tackling yet another genre. His 1999 short, "A Perfect Little Man," starring Neal McDonough, was a searing, intensely dark psychological drama about a man's ill-destined spiral into madness and violence. His 2005 dramedy, "Checking Out," was an appealing ensemble piece that featured snap-crackle-pop dialog and, in this viewer's humble opinion, one of Peter Falk's best-ever performances.Now, with this film, Hare sets his keen eye on colliding cultures and the whims of romance--and ultimately he executes a sheer delight that brims with a whole latte love.