Introducing The Dwights (2007)
52 %
Reviews Counted: 84 Fresh: 44 Rotten:40 Average Rating: 5.5/10
Consensus:
Despite the strength of its earnest portrayal of family dysfunction, Introducing the Dwights is predictable and tries too hard to be quirky.
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Theatrical Release: Jul 4, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $263,040
Synopsis: This Australian coming-of-age comedy/drama features SECRETS AND LIES star Brenda Blethyn as Jeannie, a semi-monstrous mom who gave up a promising career as a British comic to move Down Under and marry a one-hit wonder country singer. One of her two sons is mentally handicapped (Richard... [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Brenda Blethyn, Richard Wilson, Khan Chittenden, Frankie J. Holden, Rebecca Gibney
Director: Cherie Nowlan
Screenwriter: Keith Thompson
Producer: Rosemary Blight
Composer: Martin Armiger
Screenwriter: Keith Thompson
Producer: Rosemary Blight
Composer: Martin Armiger
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
A movie that works beautifully when it's on point and feels sort of hollow when it's not.
Comment
03/05/08
Yes, Introducing the Dwights is a melodrama, but this melodrama handles its emotional manipulation with such subtle honesty that it takes on an impressive degree of realism.
02/28/08
...does little more than disappoint its audience with annoying characters and stereotypical situations.
02/24/08
As lively as a slap in the face, this film struggles to connect with us due to an extremely unsympathetic central figure, but still wins us over with strong acting and a sweet romance.
09/21/07
It doesn't quite add up as a convincingly rounded drama, thanks largely to a tepid feelgood ending, but there are many good moments - and the expert acting from Blethyn alone is worth the price of a ticket.
09/21/07
If you're making a film about a stand-up, it helps if she has at least one good gag in her routine.
09/21/07
Brenda Blethyn gets her teeth into the role of a flamboyant showbiz monster who can't accept that her career has failed to make the big time.
09/21/07
This heartfelt, good-natured film grew on me, and Blethyn always commands attention.
09/21/07
You can’t help but mourn for the hint of an intriguing film that could have been.
09/21/07
Promising turns from Booth and Chittenden aren't enough to save a slight and sloppy Aussie soap from a poor script, messy direction and Blethyn's overbearing performance.
09/21/07
It’s Keith Thompson’s script that struggles here, his sub-Little Voice histrionics leaving next to nothing for the cast to work with.
09/21/07
In the hands of Mike Leigh, this could be a masterpiece, as it is, it's forgettable fun.
09/21/07
Feels like a Sunday night TV drama - and not a very good one at that.
09/21/07
Enjoyable, emotionally engaging Australian drama with superb performances from Blethyn and an up-and-coming young cast.
09/20/07
Introducing the Dwights is funny and poignant, with a tour-de-force performance by British actress Brenda Blethyn.
09/01/07
Top Critic
Director Cherie Nowlan is far too intent on serving up searing pathos washed down, inevitably, with a tub of soaring affirmation.
08/15/07
At times, it's a mawkish drama about a mother-son relationship that's uncomfortable to watch and too melodramatic to be believed. Then, it's a sprightly comedy about an innocent boy who hits the adolescent jackpot.
08/10/07
One of those quirky Australian comedies that’s almost as charming and sharp as it thinks it is.
07/31/07
Top CriticRelated Forums
INTRODUCING THE DWIGHTS - Cherie Nowlan's "Clubland" arrives stateside w/ a new name?
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