All Is Bright

Paul Giamatti plays the lead role in this dark comedy as Dennis, a small time crook which comes out of Canadian prison after four years, just to find his best friend having moved in with his woman and daughter, and above that; they've told the daughter that he has died of some horrible kind if cancer. With no home and no family he is to survive Christmas. To finance he goes together with his best friend go to New York to sell, Christmas trees. Giamatti is great as a criminal. He looks like he is gonna snap every second, and is not very far from doing some criminal stunt. He's one the verge, you could say. Every time his friend gets a phone call... But there's obvious problems too. The music score is awful! Played in live somewhere, and should be acting as a good back ground, but it's annoyingly bad, and tedious, as well as misfired. Sad and tragic, and adds to the despair. It's a good plot, but the film is quite too slow for it's own good. This kind of comedies I've seen so much better from the Coen-brothers, or by Norwegian directors like Hans Petter Moland, Pål Sletaune, Rune Denstad Langlo or Jens Lien. The timing in this is not the same, but still there's some entertainment to find here. It's a rather pitiful Christmas story, and I had to stop watching three times because it was so boring, and annoyingly unhappy. I wouldn't recommend this, if your not a fan of Giamatti. Don't watch this if you're out for a Happy Christmas story, because it's a bleak one, both film and Christmas that is.

I really liked this film - like many of Paul Giamatti and Paul Rudd's movies. They seem to go for interesting characters and quiet, realistic stories rather than sentimental or violent American claptrap. It's a movie well worth watching more than once - there are nuances and side remarks I missed out the first time. Don't watch if you are into smartarse one-liners, car chases or beautiful young rich airheads covered in heavy make-up. More reminiscent of British/European films before they started targeting the US market. The characters are neither supergood nor evil - just human and flawed like all of us. Nice one.

Paul Giamatti and Paul Rudd (the two Pauls) in the role of two rather inept Canadian Christmas tree salesmen and the quirky characters they encounter while in New York City cannot save this flick from the big yawn category. Why this story doesn't work I do not know. All the right ingredients are there for a light hearted funny story but it just can't bring it together. Sort of like the two Pauls trying to sell their trees when they set up in NYC. No one really notices them except for a few and their sales are almost nil. That's this movie. Then the one on parole turns to his criminal mind to bring in the buyers. This action should have had some humor to it but his actions comes across as desperate and sad. And the piano heist at the closing of the story just comes across as unbelievable instead of being wickedly sneaky and crafty. The two Pauls should have been able to create more lighthearted and endearing characters. But sorrowfully for me that just doesn't happen.

Caught this last night on cable, expecting at the very least a decent film, considering the two Pauls. Giamatti is one of my favorite actors, I even created a yahoo group called talkpaul after he was overlooked for an Oscar nod for Sideways a few years back. Paul Rudd ain't no schlub either; he's always good no matter what he plays as well. The problem here, as it usually is, begins with the script. A lot of critics have mentioned how implausible most of the goings-on are in this mess, which they are. I was willing to overlook a lot because I found myself invested in Giamatti's character. But by the time -=- SPOILER ALERT -=- the money box from the Christmas tree sales gets lifted in the most unbelievably contrived manner and the two Pauls resort to their old thievery habits, stealing, of all things, a grand piano, out of an apartment window, so that Giamatti's young daughter (who's been told by her mother who's now engaged to Rudd's character that her daddy died of some unnameable cancer) can have a piano for Christmas (he promised one to her in his head, see) I was shaking my head in disappointed disbelief. -=- END OF SPOILER -=- Something else that bugged me: If you are aware of karma, you will know that what you do to others will be done to you in one form or another eventually. Here we have the two Pauls resorting back to thievery after they've just been stolen from, with no awareness whatsoever, of course, of the karma law. This is understandable considering these two ain't the most enlightened characters on the planet, but it bugged me because they hadn't learned anything, especially Giamatti's sad sack, who'd spent four years in the slammer for a theft crime. Just sayin'. The movie ended up this way -=- SPOILER ALERT -=- (the stealing of the piano, with his daughter running outside her house to play it in the snow, still never knowing about her father, who skulks off into the sad, lonely night) -=-END OF SPOILER -=- to keep the heavy-handed contrivedness going. This is a shame, because with more care given to the details of the story - letting it unfold in a far more organic, believable fashion - this could have been very decent, poignant, even moving. Everything was heavy-handed, including the title: All Is Bright, which of course is supposed to be ironic considering the anything-but-bright situation these guys are in, and the tagline is even more heavy-handed. The original title, Almost Christmas, is almost better, but obviously it doesn't matter since the film was so disappointing in so many ways.

Having never heard of this film but stumbling upon it and decided it looked interesting enough to warrant a view. The plot is relatively simple yet somewhat engaging- we seem to be interested in both lead characters actions from the start. However this film is not such a covert as people may be expecting. It is not another "Bad Santa" type. It is more so depressing and at times dull. The chemistry is decent as are the acting but the film doesn't seem to go anywhere within its climax. Ultimately what we get is a depressing and disappointing ending.

'ALL IS BRIGHT': Three Stars (Out of Five) Paul Giamatti and Paul Rudd star in this comedy-drama film that's a lot more serious (and less comedic) than I was expecting (with that pair). It's a Christmas movie about two losers from Canada trying to sell Christmas trees in New York City. It was directed by Phil Morrison (who also directed the 2005 indie critical darling 'JUNEBUG') and written by first time film writer Melissa James Gibson. It's a lot more of a downer than it looks like (in the trailers) and isn't really that funny but it is a somewhat interesting character study. Giamatti plays an ex-convict named Dennis, who just got out of prison in Quebec, Canada. His wife, Therese (Amy Landecker) is now sleeping with another man, Rene (Rudd). She also told their daughter, Michi (Tatyana Richaud), that Dennis was dead. In order to make enough money to buy Michi a piano for Christmas Dennis agree to sell Christmas trees with Rene in New York City. Neither is especially good at the job and it's a big challenge. For a Christmas movie and a comedy the film is pretty depressing. It's also surprisingly sad considering it stars Paul Giamatti and Paul Rudd. Giamatti does a lot of serious dramas as well as comedies but it's definitely not Rudd's usual thing (it does mark his second quirky indie film this year though, after 'PRINCE AVALANCHE' from a few moths ago). He is his usual dimwitted and easygoing self in it though and you can't help but love him (and root for him) despite his flaws. Giamatti is definitely less likable in the movie and is pretty hard to like but both of their characters have their hearts in the right place. If you're expecting big laughs this isn't the movie for you but it is a decent emotional buddy film. Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJalgBjCCrg

watched ALL IS BRIGHT ...a light but touching Drama with occasional ting of digestible Comedy...thanks to its clear plot the film doesn't get tangled within...also its talented cast executed their job perfectly...the story is a little slow in the start but it gets its pace after 20mins(it didn't suck though) its a good film it entertains you but nothing more...I guess its one of the best Christmas themed movie(although that wasn't the intent of the makers_ I guess)....as a Family Film its a MUST WATCH ....if you are forever alone(/watcher)its still WORTH A WATCH ....but again All IS BRIGHT for the family cause this kind of films come occasionally(or rarely nowadays)