If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

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

I hadn't read any reviews on this movie before watching it, as it was available on NETFLIX instant. I figured, at worst, it would be a pretty good "travelogue" of Thailand, with it's legendary scenery, especially the women. What I found was an absolutely charming love story, with enough humor and sexual tension to make it an extremely good view. Kip Pardue really surprised me; here, he comes across with the wholesome charm of a young Tom Hanks. Whenever the film begins to lag, the actor playing the brutish Austrian saves the film by doing something humorous and absolutely unexpected. While the plot contrivance involving financier James Brolin is pretty obvious,somehow the resolution seems fresh,largely due to the actress who plays the lead actresses sister.The scenery is knockout gorgeous, even more so than some of the women, which is saying a lot. I started this one about 12:30 at night, expecting to turn it off and go to sleep after a few minutes. I stayed up until after two; because, like a trashy romantic novel, I couldn't "put it down."Based on pure entertainment value alone, I give "bitter sweet" a 7 out of 10.

A part Thai film, part U.S. film, "Bitter/Sweet" did a wonderful job of merging the two cultures for both audiences. It centers on Brian (Kip Pardue) a young American, for the Western audiences to connect to, but takes place in Thailand. It even manages to include a small-town girl in big-city who comes back to her hometown storyline, without me completely noticing. That's because "Bitter/Sweet" is comedy first, romance second, and melodrama doesn't even come into play.There's nothing that you haven't seen before, except perhaps Kip Pardue as the leading man. The ignorant American was thankfully down-played and we actually got a fairly real character who was charming and sincere. I quite enjoyed Pardue and his character. The other characters were pretty cliché, especially the "evil" local coffee-buyer who became almost cartoon-ish. Spencer Garrett as the comic relief character was a lot of fun, and of course the girls were all cute.The romance angle was entirely predictable, but it works on its cute and sweet factors. The coffee element was really only there as a plot point and to back-up the romance story. But a plot in a romantic comedy? Hollywood hasn't discovered this yet and it is certainly welcome. "Bitter/Sweet" is light and sweet and an enjoyable trip to Thailand.

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.