A Foreign Affair (2003)

Director:

Helmut Schleppi

Writer:

Geert Heetebrij (written by)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

They're not looking for love, they're looking for a wife

Plot:

Two brothers need household help after their Ma passes away. They decide to join a romance tour to Russia to find and bring home a traditionally minded wife. |

Plot Keywords:

Tour | Hotel | Husband Wife Relationship | Bus | Death

Cast

Tim Blake Nelson	...	Jake Adams
David Arquette	...	Josh Adams
Lois Smith	...	Ma Adams
Rocío Linares	...	Young Jake
Redmond Gleeson	...	Funeral director
Allyce Beasley	...	Library lady
Larry Pine	...	Tour guide
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Megan Follows	...	Lena
Rebecca Gowing	...	Russian Mail Order Bride 1
Emily Mortimer	...	Angela Beck
Nonna Velikaya	...	Anna

Also Known As:

2 Brothers & a Bride (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual references.

Runtime:

94 min | Canada:82 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico

Company:

B&W Films Inc.

Trivia:

Actual tour clients and would-be brides appear as extras as the film was shot during a real St. Petersburg romance tour.

Goofs:

Continuity: While in the hotel at St Petersburg, when Josh is lying on the bed and having some snacks he puts the bag of crisps on the nearby table and try to remove the crumbs from the sheets. Then in the next shot, from the reflexion of the mirror, he is leaving his bed with the bag of crisps in his hand.

Soundtrack:

Funnel of Love

A very nice change of pace.

A Foreign Affair will open on May 7, 2004 in Los Angeles, Phoenix (where the A Foreign Affair romance tour company is located) and Grand Rapids, Michigan, home of Calvin College, where screenwriter Geert Heetebrij went to school. I'd highly recommend seeing the film that weekend if you live anywhere near one of these cities. The film was made on a shoestring budget and so it depends not on special effects, car chases and elaborate scenes, but simply on good acting, a compelling storyline and beautiful cinematography. The premise of the film is simple: two brothers live with their mother and when she dies they're left alone with no abilities to fend for themselves. They head to Russia on a romance tour to find a "wife." They want someone to cook and clean for them for the two years it would take their "bride" to get her green card. Along the way both brothers discover things about themselves and each other, with unexpected results. A Foreign Affair is a quirky, funny, sometimes sweet and always thoughtful piece of filmmaking. It was produced as an independent film, outside of the Hollywood process, and it shows. Well done.