Btexxamar I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

Borgarkeri A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

pylgrym It was my privilege to see this movie at the Plaza Theater in Atlanta on a Saturday afternoon with about 150 Vietnamese: grandparents, parents, and kids obviously "made in the U.S.A." . . it was even a greater privilege to be allowed to sit next to a typical third grader who's command of English is far better than his understanding of the parlance of the Old Country. His folks and grandparents, uncles, etc. were all around us, but allowed the lad to ask me questions during the movie while giving his family leisure to thoroughly enjoy it. I whispered my replies as plainly as I could, given the situation, and as we walked out of the show he wished me well and genuinely thanked me (with a little familial prodding).... My situation is that I am a Vietnam veteran whose reckless, existential behavior in 1971 may well have resulted in a son or daughter, as another reviewer, ''huckfinn'', above.... Amazingly, the LORD saw fit in His grace and mercy to save me in 1973, and off and on I cast about for a way to make peace with that part of my sordid past.... well, after I had been married for almost four years, Dung Tanh Phu came into my life, a blessing from World Vision. "Young", as we called him, born just after I left The Nam, had had no little difficulty arriving to America as one of the Boat people. His aunt, Mui and he were the only ones of his family to escape in 1979. So traumatized was Young that he was a problem child in his first, foster home. When we received him (in the name of Christ), he was tubercular. The wife put him on macrobiotics for six months and amazed the folks at the St. Louis County Health Department. We kept him for three formative years and turned him back over to his aunt in somewhat less than delightful circumstances, but that's a longer story.... I won my war by having such wonderful opportunities given to me for ministry to the wonderful Vietnamese and may yet win another of my wars - if God wills - but three's a story yet to be written... suffice it to say that I dearly loved my experience of this film, and hope to share it with my grown children someday. Blessings!

Jay Harris The Beautiful Country Is a very well made & interesting film of a Vietnamese lad (about 20 yrs old) & his search for his American father. I have no way of knowing how true this story may or may not be, This should not deter you from seeing this poignant drama.Nick Nolte is the American Father of the lad portrayed byDamien Nguyen.He is just nothing short of excellent. Nick Nolte again proves what a fine actor he is in a short but excellent portrayal.The only other name actor is Tim Roth as the Captain of the ship that takes our intrepid young hero to America. Tim Roth also gives another fine performance. His role like Nick Nolte's is small.The other members of the cast are unknowns (to me), but are very good. The cinematography is excellent as well as the other technical credits.This is a good movie & should be seen,Rating: *** (out of 4)--88 points (out of 100) IMDb 8 (out of 10)

stevespelling Well worth seeing. It serves to give one a good understanding of the types of back stories, trials and travails that dispossessed immigrants coming to America might have experienced. I guess in some ways it could be similar to the story of many poor immigrants who came here in the past. Therefore it should have a universal appeal to American audiences. Next time we look at a first generation immigrant to this country we might have more of an appreciation of the humanity that we are encountering. Great performances all round, good screenplay, and thoughtfully directed. Bai Ling gives an excellent performance, and Damien Nguyen is outstanding in a first time lead role. He's in every scene and carries the entire picture... an incredible performance. One of the better movies of 2004.

Charles Delacroix I just saw this movie today, although it's been in release here for several weeks, I think. I was deeply moved.This is truly a beautiful movie: above all about Beauty and Ugliness. The main character, Binh, we're told very early in the movie, is Ugly; his mother is Beautiful; and the rest of the film displays a constant tension between the question What is Beauty? and the question What is Ugliness? The hooker's looks contrast sharply with Binh's. The limpid, natural beauty of Vietnam contrasts sharply with the cold, commercial ugliness of New York. The ugly interior of the ship contrasts sharply with the beauty of the sea. The culminating sequence in which Binh finds his father also says things about perception of Ugliness and Beauty that I don't think I can comment too much on without, perhaps, giving too much of the story away.The actor who played Binh was truly superb, in my opinion. Nick Nolte was excellent, but really more of a cameo; Binh is the main character in the story, and carries his persona well.I do have to note some disappointing features.First, it is perhaps natural in a movie about Vietnam not to include social commentary on ethnicity and race. Yet the 100% uniform (no exception, as far as I know) depiction of White Anglos as either racist or exploitive or both, is literally racist. I guess this kind of depiction is "PC" but if so, frankly it's time for "PC" to grow up. No one who's actually been to Texas, for example, would think that all white Texans go around calling everybody else "boy". Please. This kind of obvious inauthenticity is bound to call into question much else in the film's racial and ethnic commentary.There were some technical problems. In the open boat, when Binh awakes to find a fruit floating in the water, he looks first to his left, then to his right, and only then straight ahead to find land prominently on the horizon directly in front of him. It's a small thing but very inauthentic. People tend to look dead ahead first, not to the side. And a few other items like this too I think, can't recall offhand, but I remember noticing them at the time.But none of this detracts from the overall beauty of The Beautiful Country ... and the complex and challenging examination it poses of Beauty and Ugliness in many, many expressions. A wonderful movie.