Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Asad Almond A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

David_Brown If someone is looking for a different kind of film, "Bitter/Sweet" is it. It goes without saying that the girls and scenery are beautiful, but there are elements of the story that are surprising and different. Spoilers ahead: In far too many films, you see the dumb and (Or) conniving upper class blonde who is nothing but a gold digger (Clarice Kensington (Jane Sibbett) from "It Takes Two" is a perfect example of this, so is Lanie (Slobhan Fallon) from "Fools Rush In"). Amanda (Laura Lorenson), in this film is not that. She is beautiful and intelligent, and knows when she sees they way that her fiancé Brian Chandler (Kip Pardue) looks at Ticha (Napakpapha Nakprasitte), she knows he loves her, and for that reason, she lets him go (Even when he is willing to go back to the US with her). Another thing different is Ticha. She is not the perfect woman with the answers to everything. She ran away from home so she could become a success. The only reason she did come back, was out of her parents desperation for her help because of the poverty they (And their entire coffee producing village were in). The ending of the film is very much like "Fools Rush In" (Where Alex Whitman (Matthew Perry) catches up with Isabel (Salma Hayak) and lets her know how much he loves her. But Ticha is even more stubborn than Isabel, who was afraid of, and thus running away from love. How? She was going to make a tiny boat and let Brian's picture drift away, which is something more permanent than Isobel's plans. When he finally convinces her how much he loves her, and the village will be taken care of, they say goodbye to things of their past (His engagement ring and her keys to her apartment and car), and let them sail off on that boat (Of course, she does let him know she wants a truck and her family has now become his obligation "Thai girls do that when they marry a foreigner"). But as the film ends, it is apparent that he has followed through on this. But, Ticha is no charity case, and is shown contributing to the home because she working with Brian in the coffee business, as is her sister and her b/f). Basically a great film to watch with your woman. 10/10 stars

Amy Adler 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.

right left 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.

deankmaurer 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.