User reviews

I couldn't work out if this a poor made for TV film or a Thai production. I think its the latter. On the plus side it shows how stunning Asian ladies look. On the down side, the lead character Ticha cannot act. The other girls around her could.

Spencer Garrett as Werner stole every scene he was in - which tells you a lot about the acting standards of the rest of the cast.

If only they had dropped the pointless James Brolin (a big name added for the film backers?), spiced up the love scenes then this could've been a really good film. A cynic would say this is simply one big advert for Thai coffee - certainly had me going for the instant stuff!!

A missed opportunity. Catch it on a movie channel

The story has been on the screen at least a couple of million times. Boy meets girl... whatever. This time it's set in Thailand, which is an excellent opportunity for breathtaking areal scenes, beautiful music, weird local incidents, gorgeous food, party yeaaah... Nope. Enter a boring US doofus and an obnoxiously rude female lead (not rude as in you feel the sexual tension between both and you can't wait until it plays out, nooo - rude as in I'm 13, I don't know how to deal with myself and I hate the world). Both are accompanied by an Austrian dude of dubious morals (seriously, he has a very concerning vibe). Then the whole thing gets naturally covered in cheese.

No character depth or development, because that's too much effort. Also, no interesting story, because a twist might cause an emotional shock in the viewers. Keep it simple and predictable, and slap an American soundtrack to it, because that symbolises the McDonald's tourists are looking for when they are abroad.

It's sad really, because not every movie needs to be expensive as long as it has chemistry and soul. And somehow no one cared to give it either.

A part Thai film, part U.S. film, "Bitter/Sweet" did a wonderful job of merging the two cultures for both audiences. It centers on Brian (Kip Pardue) a young American, for the Western audiences to connect to, but takes place in Thailand. It even manages to include a small-town girl in big-city who comes back to her hometown storyline, without me completely noticing. That's because "Bitter/Sweet" is comedy first, romance second, and melodrama doesn't even come into play.

There's nothing that you haven't seen before, except perhaps Kip Pardue as the leading man. The ignorant American was thankfully down-played and we actually got a fairly real character who was charming and sincere. I quite enjoyed Pardue and his character. The other characters were pretty cliché, especially the "evil" local coffee-buyer who became almost cartoon-ish. Spencer Garrett as the comic relief character was a lot of fun, and of course the girls were all cute.

The romance angle was entirely predictable, but it works on its cute and sweet factors. The coffee element was really only there as a plot point and to back-up the romance story. But a plot in a romantic comedy? Hollywood hasn't discovered this yet and it is certainly welcome. "Bitter/Sweet" is light and sweet and an enjoyable trip to Thailand.

This movie is awful and insulting to all the Thai Women in Thailand. My biggest complaint with the movie is their depiction of every main, female, character in the movie as rude, antagonistic, and bitchy to complete strangers. Anyone who's ever been to Thailand knows that Thai Women would never act the way they were acting in the movie with a total stranger. As a matter of fact, most Women anywhere in the world would not act so rude to a person they've just met, and expect them to buy their coffee beans. Also, the American Male, who's the coffee buyer in the movie is also portrayed like an push-over, idiot. The Writer should go back to writing class or give up writing anything that has to do with people. It's not because his characters are one dimensional - they're worse, and more like half dimensional.

Saw the film tonight with a date. Both of us were touched to tears. Beautiful photography in a lush setting. Easy to digest, straight to the heart! Well written and had some very cool traditions. The actors were believable and I bought the story. Romantic and funny, I can see why Jeff Hare won the awards for Best Director in Houston. Also written by Hare a talented and versatile young director. This may be his best work yet. The female lead grew on me as the film progressed. The supporting actors were good, and the father (Brolin) was just right for the part.

Recommend Highly.

I hadn't read any reviews on this movie before watching it, as it was available on NETFLIX instant. I figured, at worst, it would be a pretty good "travelogue" of Thailand, with it's legendary scenery, especially the women. What I found was an absolutely charming love story, with enough humor and sexual tension to make it an extremely good view. Kip Pardue really surprised me; here, he comes across with the wholesome charm of a young Tom Hanks. Whenever the film begins to lag, the actor playing the brutish Austrian saves the film by doing something humorous and absolutely unexpected. While the plot contrivance involving financier James Brolin is pretty obvious,somehow the resolution seems fresh,largely due to the actress who plays the lead actresses sister.

The scenery is knockout gorgeous, even more so than some of the women, which is saying a lot. I started this one about 12:30 at night, expecting to turn it off and go to sleep after a few minutes. I stayed up until after two; because, like a trashy romantic novel, I couldn't "put it down."

Based on pure entertainment value alone, I give "bitter sweet" a 7 out of 10.

Brian (Kip Pardue) is quite the lucky man. He is a successful coffee executive, with a sharp palate for great java. Also, he has a lovely fiancé and a bright future. One day, however, his not-by-the-books boss, Calvert (James Brolin) sends him to Thailand to possibly contract with some local coffee farmers. At this, Brian is skeptical for he prefers beans that are grown elsewhere. Nevertheless, he makes the trip. His contact is beautiful Ticha (Napakpapha Nakprasitte) who meets him reluctantly. This is because, even though her parents are java farmers, she left their rural area long ago to become a successful businesswoman in Bangkok. Only when her parents plead with her to help convince Brian to seal a deal with their community does she get involved. Wouldn't you guess, Brian and Ticha dislike each other instantly. However, the two travel to the southern countryside, where the scenery is breathtakingly lovely. The ice starts to thaw between these two very different people, thrown together by espresso. To his great surprise, Brian does sample the coffee and wants to do business. But, Calvert himself shows up at the wrong moment and almost ruins the venture, then Brian's fiancé comes calling, too. This, just as Brian and Ticha may be casting loving glances toward each other. With the farmers of the region desperately needing a semi-permanent cash flow, will it happen? This is one of those unusual films which wanders far from any Hollywood formula and succeeds well. The cast is wonderful, with Nakprasitte especially lovely and touching. Then, wow, the setting is filled with beauty and oriental sights that few in the Western Hemisphere will ever see. In itself, it is worth seeking the movie out. Finally, the story is an attention getter, revealing a clash of cultures and the unique world of coffee husbandry. The results are very sweet indeed.

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.

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.