2 Brothers & a Bride

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.

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!

Two momma's boys searching for a mail order Russian bride not for love or sex but to replace their dead mother as a housekeeper on their isolated southwestern farm, Tim Blake Nelson and David Arquette, go to Russia on a romance tour organized by a company (that really exists) called A Foreign Affair. The portrayal of the romance tour/Russian bride business is satirical, very funny but not unkind, but the real interest of the movie lies in the story of the two brothers discovering their true (and different) selves. The movie features a luminous performance by Emily Mortimer as a documentary filming British journalist who speaks fluent Russian and who encounters Blake Nelson in the course of the trip to St. Petersburg. The movie makes miraculous use of its limited budget and has numerous witty touches.

I was able to see this movie at the Sundance Film Festival. It was absolutely hilarious, and had some touching parts too. David Arquette and Tim Blake Nelson play brothers who venture off to St. Petersburg on a romance cruise to meet a Russian wife to take care of them. David Arquette was perfect for his role and the chemistry between Nelson and Emily Mortimer was excellent. I also enjoyed the musical score of this film.

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.