Better Late Then Never

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

One reviewer stated that the entire purpose of this film was to expose what a scam the entire "mail order bride" industry was. I completely disagree. I think the point of the movie was to explore and show the different experiences and motives of the men and women using these services, which it did quite well. Some of these men seemed to have unrealistic expectations, looking for a super model type wife even though they themselves were overweight and older, but a couple seemed very genuine and sincere in their search to connect with someone. It was disheartening to see one man who was outright scammed and misled by a woman, and two more who were likely scammed. Two of the couples do get married, and the bond between one of them is quite evident and they seemed very genuine and in love--it was cute to watch them. The nicest thing about this film is that it shows the honest perspectives of both sides and even some of the parents, and it's very nice that it follows the story for quite some time (at least a year, if not more--I didn't keep track) to show how some of the relationships didn't work out while others seemed to get better.

What do you get when you mix a group of men with incredibly narrow perspectives about male/female relationships and women from a country filled with poverty and hardship? Mostly disenchantment, depression and bruised egos - but still a very interesting television snack.Marriages happened but how can real bonding grow from such toxic seed? The most important factor to the men in this search was aesthetic, sexual appeal and that proved to be detrimental to most all of them. The men who felt scammed only found themselves in that position because they allowed superficiality to be their guide. For some reason, for most of these men, they believe that if the woman is attractive that everything else can be overcome. Sexual attraction does not an entire relationship make.This is just the tip of the ice berg though. Each one of these guys had his own "issues" that made it impossible for them to even select someone compatible for a real marriage. Eric was obviously doing everything he could to prove himself "manly" but he just came across as ignorant and insecure instead. Michael was just a pouty, delusional man-child who refused to take hints or even hear the truth if it didn't fit what he wanted to believe. Ron was in complete denial about aging and was looking for someone to live with him in that impossibility. Bobby kept trying to win a woman who fit the media's beauty ideal (Angelina Jolie) probably because he thought she would be the prize that would be evidence of his elusive self-worth. Poor Travis seemed ready but was just looking for love in all the wrong places - places that would probably require him to literally relocate, reinvent and reestablish himself in order to find a relationship of any kind.The only man in this group who seemed serious and mature enough for a real relationship was Robert.In the end, this documentary was less of a window into the Russian Bride phenomena and more a testament to sexism, outdated gender roles and delusional approaches to relationships.

First off, I have to applaud the bravery of the western men and eastern European women who agreed to be filmed during their search for a partner. It can't have been easy, knowing how they risked appearing to an audience. That aside, I think the stars of this documentary would be the first to agree that something has gone wrong in their lives that they have resorted to such unorthodox measures. Understanding the desperation and deep loneliness of the men is key to understanding how they can be deceived by both themselves and the morally bankrupt businesses and individuals that exploit that loneliness for their own aims. The documentary-makers sympathetically but astutely expose these issues, through uncompromising filming and pertinent interview questions. The question the interviewers keep returning to - what is love - is a thought-provoking one that perhaps has no satisfactory answer. I'd suggest that the men asked in the documentary revealed the extent of their disconnection from reality and self-deception with their naive and romantic answers. While viewers may not be able to say what love is by the end of the documentary, I think they'll be more confident in saying what love isn't.

This review ABSOLUTELY CONTAINS SPOILERS. Be warned now.I was intrigued to watch this movie when I saw it listed on netflix. This documentary is about lonely men who would like to find someone to marry and they've taken to finding a mail order bride from the Ukraine online.These guys are not to be pitied in the way some may pity them because they're legitimately trying to find a wife that will like them. None seem to be sexual predators whatsoever. They spend upwards of $10,000 plus to communicate with these women through a reprehensible dating service that charges a royal fortune just for communication that in some cases is not even legitimate.Such as one overweight man, a nice guy who spent over $12,000 to talk with a girl who looked like a Russian Angelina Jolie (his words) who may or may not have been talking with 60 other guys paying a fortune also. Likelihood on she was talking to many guys and even more likely the person he was talking to wasn't even the same person as the photo he was shown. He was head over heals in love with her and even went on a tour to meet Ukrainian singles in three Ukrainian cities but held out waiting for her to show. She never did. He cried scam and the dating agency scrambled to get the model to meet him. Something was fishy and eventually he realized he was duped. But hey he said he'll try again...Another man, this time an old Australian man went as far as married one of these Ukrainian girls in Indonesia after a long period of communication and even came to the Ukraine to court her. He shouldn't have as he was warned by a close friend of the would be bride that she is only using him. He ignored the warning. After the wedding because he was from Australia she had to go home to the Ukraine because of immigration purposes. The man tried to communicate with her after the wedding but she never responded to him. He gets worried and travels to the Ukraine again to meet her to see what is up. After all she is his wife. He meets her, she says no thank you, she walks out. He is devastated. She later tells the documentary she was talking to many guys keeping her options open for the best deal.A younger fella, falls for a Ukrainian woman, it seems to be going good. He meets her on a tour to meet Ukrainian singles in three Ukrainian cities, he believes a spark happens between him and her. He falls in love. He communicates with her. They "fall in love" and he travels back to the Ukraine to meet her and her family. While he is there a "police officer" comes to arrest her for debt owed. Its $4000 dollars. The young fella says "I don't have $4000 dollars I only have a couple hundred" and the so called police officer accepts that. The young fella smelt something was wrong here, and he left empty handed and I believe he knew he was scammed. My hope is he'll likely find a nice American girl to settle down with and be the happier for it.One man did marry a Ukrainian. Very tall, pretty and stylish. She even got impregnated by this guy. I hope it works out but I am suspect of her motives. And I suspect I am not the only one.The entire point of this documentary is that Mail Order Brides aka Russian Love Brides is a complete scam based on LUST not love. While I don't doubt there are very very nice women in the Ukraine and Russia that truly want to be married to a nice respectable guy from the west, there is enough con artists out there to ruin it for everyone. And they do this by promoting the hottest women you can imagine. Girls who if born in North America would be Super Models, Actress, Married to Cartel Dons or Billionaires. Women who would not even give these guys the time of day in America. This is where the scam preys on unsuspecting guys and lures them to dish out thousands of dollars to communicate with them. Their weapon of choice is superficial lust.My opinion about mail order brides is, be careful, watch this documentary and others like it, before you give your hard earned money away. And remember that you lusting after these beautiful women is what scammers are counting on. So be smart if you pursue a Mail Order Bride.And to any guy who was in this documentary who might be reading this, I feel for you.