bjarias
"..what are you looking for... I want to be known very well by somebody." This is a crucial line in this film (and an ultimate if unrealized desire in most people's lives)... and it's a pretty good one. Very well cast, written, and acted (I liked her before, but now I'm locked solid in her corner)... it surprises you just how honest, sincere and well done it is. And it sheds light on a segment of today's world that a majority do not get to glimpse. That's the great part about certain films.. they get to take you to places you would not under ordinary circumstances experience. And when they do it this well it's a rare treat. You've seen these actors before, but here they get material that just lets them loose themselves in the character, and their real life persona is put aside. Truly that's a surprise reward of an enjoyable and unexpected film experience.
Rogue-32
Caught this on cable last night; I had never heard of it before but I always enjoy Nelson and Arquette, and I was pleased to discover a very charming, heart-felt little movie that develops in slow, subtle ways, without ever getting - you know the drill - heavy-handed or contrived.I'm generally a sucker for movies that start with the characters being one way and having them, through the course of the story, evolve and find themselves, and in this movie, the journey of the two brothers rings poignantly true, and there's a wonderful plot device (having the excellent Emily Mortimer as a journalist doing a documentary on the subject of 'mail-order wives') which is exploited in the best possible and most creative ways.
byrony
Tim Blake Nelson and David Arquette are brothers and farmers. When their mother dies, Nelson decides they should go find a wife "for cooking and cleaning but not for sex." They travel to St Petersburg Russia on a "romance" tour to find a wife. There they run into Emily Mortimer who's filming a documentary on these introduction services. The three leads are excellent with particular kudos to Nelson who delivers an honest performance as the older brother desperately trying to find a wife to take back. Arquette makes a nice turn as a mama's boy becoming a lothario and Mortimer is wonderful as the observer who becomes a part of the story. A very pleasant surprise of a movie. The Russian sequences were shot over two weeks during an actual romance tour.
ArizWldcat
I am a big fan of Tim Blake Nelson, and he did not disappoint in this film about a real "mail order bride" service called "A Foreign Affair". In fact, the filmmakers distributed a copy of the catalog this company puts out. Otherwise, this might seem like a fabrication, I suppose. The film was about two mama's boys (actually mama favored the younger boy) whose mama dies and leaves them helpless and unable to take care of themselves. The older one (Nelson) decides they need a wife (singular...sort of a reverse polygamy), and goes to the library to check out the mail order bride industry. (Allyce Beasley has a funny cameo as the librarian). Then he drags his reluctant brother off to Russia in search of a wife for both of them. Several of the company's real life clients appear in the film, interestingly enough. I enjoyed it immensely, and I hope this somehow finds its way into theaters.
AD
