X
- 2013
- R
- Anchor Bay Films
- 1 h 47 m
- 2013
- R
- Anchor Bay Films
- 1 h 47 m
Summary While out on parole, Dennis (Paul Giamatti) reluctantly takes a job selling Christmas trees with his old buddy Rene (Paul Rudd) in order to make enough money to buy his estranged daughter the piano she's always wanted.
Directed By: Phil Morrison
Written By: Melissa James Gibson
- 2013
- R
- Anchor Bay Films
- 1 h 47 m
- 2013
- R
- Anchor Bay Films
- 1 h 47 m
All Is Bright
54
5.5
Where to Watch
Summary While out on parole, Dennis (Paul Giamatti) reluctantly takes a job selling Christmas trees with his old buddy Rene (Paul Rudd) in order to make enough money to buy his estranged daughter the piano she's always wanted.
Directed By: Phil Morrison
Written By: Melissa James Gibson
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
54
33% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
47% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
20% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
54
33% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
47% Mixed
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
20% Negative
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
A sardonic, smart screwball comedy.
Although laughs do come... the film is happy to observe wryly as boredom and failure threaten to overwhelm the men.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 14 User Ratings
5.5
29% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
50% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
21% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 14 User Ratings
5.5
29% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
50% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
21% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Not exactly filled with Xmas spirit and hardly a positive message to send, though 'All Is Bright' - or 'Almost Christmas', as it is known in my neck of the woods - is still somehow worth a watch I'd say.
Paul Giamatti puts in a good performance, he is certainly the film's standout in my opinion. Paul Rudd is there alongside him, though, and is also a plus point. I also like Sally Hawkins in this, even though her questionable accent takes a little while to get used to. Elsewhere, it's neat seeing Colman Domingo involved - albeit in a minor role.
It's an odd one, at least for the genre it is attached to. It's moreso a tale at Christmas, rather than a Christmas tale. One I did just narrowly enjoy.
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Directed by Phil Morrison (Junebug) from a lackluster script by Melissa James Gibson, All Is Bright coasts entirely on the formidable talent of its cast, though Giamatti merely offers another variation on the irascible persona he’s been cultivating since Sideways, while Rudd is ultimately defeated by his character’s shapelessness.
Semi-flat with only a few jokes and emotional beats that land, the picture is often dull when it should be poignant.
There are tones of 1970s shaggy realism that are interrupted by moments of character-driven shtick. The wistful scenes aren’t rich enough to engross you and the comedy isn’t clever enough to make a difference.
Their misadventures in the Big Apple, including Giamatti’s involvement with a Russian house sitter (a bizarrely cast Sally Hawkins) are neither funny nor touching, just tedious.
Messed up characters trying to make ends meet. Their life's complications are twisted in such a way that it becomes a source for laughter with heartfelt moments.
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i found some interesting little scenes in there....still even if there was a hilarious montage of them stealing things for a whole hour it would remain miserable....-JRA
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This is two hours of time lost from your life. I like these actors but this is a pointless movie with no story and no end. Not sure what the point of the entire movie was, it was just angry banter and a few lame character interactions and not much else. I highly suggest passing on this project.
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Awards
North Carolina Film Critics Association
• 1 Nomination
