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A Foreign Affair (2003) More at IMDbPro »
11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
A walk down memory lane., 1 May 2004
Author: Daryl Cady (dcady@nc.rr.com) from Raleigh, North Carolina
My wife, Ekaterina, and I met each other in Saint Petersburg, Russia on a tour sponsored by A Foreign Affair, the company that was involved in making this film. The film depicts with accuracy many of the experiences that we went through when we met. I am excited that the film was produced, because it will help people understand what awesome opportunities tours like these offer to people to meet each other. The film is an intelligent, romantic comedy that equals "A Greek Wedding" and "Monsoon Wedding" in portraying family values and relationships. Arquette, Blake Nelson, and Mortimer do wonderful jobs portraying their characters. The film also shows that Saint Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. I highly recommend it and sincerely hope that it becomes successful and popular.
10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
A very nice change of pace., 16 April 2004
Author: dehp from Grand Rapids, Michigan
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.
8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
A film of graceful humor and insight, 21 April 2004
Author: vanden-2 from Grand Rapids, Mich.
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!
7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Very funny, 11 February 2003
Author: ArizWldcat from Ogden UT
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.
7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Damn Good!, 30 July 2004
Author: jobeblanc from Panama
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.
5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Funny AND Heartwarming, 10 March 2004
Author: csissy3 from New Jersey
I saw an advanced screening of A Foreign Affair and I thought it was perfect. A refreshing film that's not only funny but also sweet. wonderful performances by Tim Blake Nelson, and David Arquette. They play two brothers looking for someone to take care of them after their doting mother passes away. After seeing an ad for A Foreign Affair party tours they decide that going to Russia to find themselves a wife is the best way to get a replacement. They're not looking for love, they're looking for a wife, but what follows is funny, touches your heart and lifts your spirits. A thoroughly enjoyable movie. They filmed this movie on location in Russia and it features genuine clients from an actual tour party. If you liked Lost in Translation then you'll love this film. It's original and definitely entertaining.
4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent docu-drama about 2 brothers in search of a foreign wife..., 4 October 2004
Author: dwpollar from Bothell, Washington
1st watched 10/4/2004 - 8 out of 10(Dir-Helmut Schleppi): Excellent docu-drama about 2 brothers in search of a foreign wife to take care of them after their mother passes away. This is played out seriously and that's why it works. Both main actors do a great job with acting slightly off-kilter but keeping a straight face in this eccentric and unique story of their attempts to be loved. The older brother engages a foreign purchase-a-wife service disguised as a romantic getaway and their off to Russia in search of that special 'one.' It's obvious that both of these boys haven't been out of the nest much. One takes the search on in a business-like way(of course not attracting many women), and the younger gets a chance to be himself and and sew his wild oats and has a lot more choices because of this. A female reporter becomes involved in the story because she's doing a documentary and soon becomes a part of a triangle-type relationship. This is where the story is able to include documentary style footage that gives it that feel like this could really happen. This is definitely a catch and if you can find it at your local rental store give it a try, you won't be disappointed. And if you're like me, you'll want to watch it a second time just to make sure you 'get' everything that it's giving you.
4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Charming, shrewd, original and appealing, 6 January 2004
Author: mjkarlin from Beverly Hills, CA
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.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Find your love in Russia., 27 March 2007
Author: mario_c from Porto, Portugal
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
Jake (Tim Blake Nelson) and Josh (David Arquette) are two brothers who live with their mother (Lois Smith) in a farm. In spite of being both adult they are extremely bonded to each other and to their mother. Their life is peaceful, because they have nothing to worry about except the farm business. They are both single, but they don't worry about that because they have all they need at "mom's home"… When their mother dies, their life turns into a mess, because they feel very lonely and they don't know how to do the home tasks… They need to find someone to take care of them and of their house. After Jake have seen the site of "A Foreign Affair" (which truly exists on the Internet!) they set off to Russia in order to find a "wife", which must be, under the "Jake's plan", obedient, good cooker, housekeeper, but above all she must take care of them both!
It's a very interesting movie about human relationship, family ties and self-discovery. All the characters are very well conceived, especially the main one, Jack (played by Tim Blake Nelson).
Jake starts to be very harsh to women, to his brother, to himself, because he follows his own plan straight to the line and he doesn't care about the other people's feelings. He doesn't want to find a woman to love him but to be his mistress. His travel to Russia is not to find his love but just to seek a lady to take care of him and his brother. But he got wrong, because he will find a woman that will change his mind…
At the beginning Josh is weak, dependent, obedient and follows his brother's ideas without thinking by his own mind, but he will change a lot in this trip… he will be another man after a beautiful Russian woman seduce him! They both changed and grew up a lot in this trip, and this movie's value is just because of that. It shows us how people can change and be better to themselves and to the others when they get free and find their true self.
Emily Mortimer's character (Angela Beck) is also fantastic because it shows us a woman that is lonely and a little bit frustrated, but at the same time full of tenderness (her face is so sweet in this film!), patience, and will to help Jake to find what he really wants, and what he really needs: love!
I found this story very realistic and very well conceived. The production is also great because it took care of all the details (including the linguistic ones…) and treated very well the shock of cultures (between American and Russian societies) that a story like this one would inevitably have.
This movie is catalogued as a comedy but I think it's not a comedy at all. It might have a few jokes, but it's not a comedy because of that. I think it was conceived to be a drama, and a good one in my opinion!
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Sparkling Gem, 20 April 2004
Author: kclark-16 from Grand Rapids, MI
A Foreign Affair is a well-written, well-acted, well-filmed, well-just about everything you'd want in a movie. This is the clever story of two bumpkins traveling to St. Petersburg to find a Slavic beauty to be their wife (i.e., cook and housekeeper). David Arquette wonderfully plays a selfish oaf whose quest for a wife degenerates into a quest for romance blurred with lust. Tim Blake Nelson is business-like and rational in his search--romance, love and lust are far from his mind. Emily Mortimer is radiant as a reporter disgusted by these so-called romance tours. The film is both story and character driven. Each of the main characters discovers his or her true self. Without revealing the surprising ending(s), the movie is a deep and profound allegory of love. Here's my advice: go and see the movie and take all of your friends.
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