A Foreign Affair
A Foreign Affair
PG-13 | 21 January 2003 (USA)
A Foreign Affair Trailers

Two brothers need household help after their Ma passes away. They decide to join a romance tour to Russia to find and bring home a traditionally minded wife.

Reviews
Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
IslandGuru Who payed the critics
Bardlerx Strictly average movie
Jerrie It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
bjarias "..what are you looking for... I want to be known very well by somebody." This is a crucial line in this film (and an ultimate if unrealized desire in most people's lives)... and it's a pretty good one. Very well cast, written, and acted (I liked her before, but now I'm locked solid in her corner)... it surprises you just how honest, sincere and well done it is. And it sheds light on a segment of today's world that a majority do not get to glimpse. That's the great part about certain films.. they get to take you to places you would not under ordinary circumstances experience. And when they do it this well it's a rare treat. You've seen these actors before, but here they get material that just lets them loose themselves in the character, and their real life persona is put aside. Truly that's a surprise reward of an enjoyable and unexpected film experience.
jotix100 This indie arrived without any warning. On the basis of the three principals, we decided to take a look at it. Directed with care by Helmut Schleppi, this is an endearing comedy about how love surprises even the most skeptical types in the wrong places.If you haven't seen the film, please stop reading now.Josh and Jake live in the family farm. Their mother seems to dote on Jake, the good for nothing brother that is totally helpless in practical matters. When the mother dies suddenly, Jake realizes a woman is needed in the ranch to help the brothers cope with the household chores. Josh is useless; since he was a "mamma's boy", he is not expected to do anything.In learning about the possibility of "importing" a bride, Jake decides to take Josh to Russia and marry him off to a woman that would like to emigrate to the United States and help around the farm. Well, Jake is for a rude awakening! Josh suddenly awakens when he has to select a woman among the gorgeous candidates; he discovers sex and fun with the women that are looking for some pampering. Josh ends up spending his money in a radical make over at his brother's expense.The brothers meet a young woman, who at first they think is another of the women wanting to emigrate. Angela is making a documentary about the phenomenon and ends up translating for the brothers.Tim Blake Nelson is perfect as Jake, the good brother. He is one of the kindest souls ever seen in the movies. David Arquette is also good as the confused Josh. Emily Mortimer, as Angela, makes a great appearance.The film is sweet, without being sugary. It will not disappoint.
jobeblanc It's always nice to see a unique story. The aren't many negative reviews of this flick, and they certainly aren't deserved. While the story explores a real part of present day life - internet bride hunting - it manages to bring humanity and subtle but solid humor to the story.The film neither justifies or explains the social phenomenon, and it doesn't have to. It does portray very realistically the lives of the characters caught in their circumstances. The acting, cinematography and direction are all great. The writing is great: a simple story (with a few fun twists) mated to complex character development. This movie is very entertaining. Certainly the producers, director and writer are all worth watching for.
mjkarlin Two momma's boys searching for a mail order Russian bride not for love or sex but to replace their dead mother as a housekeeper on their isolated southwestern farm, Tim Blake Nelson and David Arquette, go to Russia on a romance tour organized by a company (that really exists) called A Foreign Affair. The portrayal of the romance tour/Russian bride business is satirical, very funny but not unkind, but the real interest of the movie lies in the story of the two brothers discovering their true (and different) selves. The movie features a luminous performance by Emily Mortimer as a documentary filming British journalist who speaks fluent Russian and who encounters Blake Nelson in the course of the trip to St. Petersburg. The movie makes miraculous use of its limited budget and has numerous witty touches.