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Movies / On DVD / Introducing The Dwights
Introducing The Dwights

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Introducing The Dwights (2007)

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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.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] sexual content and language.

Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

Genre: Comedies

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... 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 Wilson); the other is a sensitive kid named Tim (Kham Chittenden), whose sexual maturity has been waylaid by his clingy mom's fear of being abandoned again (her husband--understandably--left her). He's got to look after his brother and drive Mom to her local club gigs as she attempts a comeback. Complications arise when Tim meets Jill (Emma Booth), a girl cute and bright enough to be worth standing up to his mother for. Director Cherie Nowlan stages the ensuing family fracas in the style of Australia's and England's past working-class comedy hits, like MURIEL'S WEDDING and LIFE IS SWEET. This suits the larger-than-life talents of Blethyn just fine: over the top is her natural habitat and here she inhabits it body and soul. The broad comic strokes are nicely balanced by some subtle shading in the sensitive romance between Tim and his Jill. Chittenden is very likeable, and his sensitivity makes a nice foil for the histrionics on display. Still, it's Blethyn's show all the way (she also wrote much of her own stand-up material), and fans of her work in the films of Mike Leigh will be happy with the warm, improvisatory feel of much of INTRODUCING THE DWIGHTS (or CLUBLAND as it's known in Australia). [More]

Starring: Brenda Blethyn, Richard Wilson, Khan Chittenden, Frankie J. Holden

Starring: Brenda Blethyn, Richard Wilson, Khan Chittenden, Frankie J. Holden, Rebecca Gibney, Emma Booth, Russell Dykstra, Philip Quast

Director: Cherie Nowlan

Director: Cherie Nowlan
Screenwriter: Keith Thompson
Producer: Rosemary Blight
Composer: Martin Armiger
Studio: Warner Independent

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Release:

Feb 12, 2008

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Reviews for Introducing The Dwights

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

A movie that works beautifully when it's on point and feels sort of hollow when it's not.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
03/05/08
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

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.

Full Review Source: BrandonFibbs.com | comment Comment
02/28/08
Brandon Fibbs
BrandonFibbs.com

...does little more than disappoint its audience with annoying characters and stereotypical situations.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
02/24/08
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

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.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
09/21/07
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

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.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
09/21/07
Derek Malcolm
This is London

If you're making a film about a stand-up, it helps if she has at least one good gag in her routine.

Full Review Source: thelondonpaper | comment Comment
09/21/07
Neil Smith
thelondonpaper

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.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
09/21/07
Anthony Quinn
Independent

This heartfelt, good-natured film grew on me, and Blethyn always commands attention.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
09/21/07
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]

You can’t help but mourn for the hint of an intriguing film that could have been.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
09/21/07
Wendy Ide
Times [UK]

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.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/21/07
Billy Mowbray
Channel 4 Film

It’s Keith Thompson’s script that struggles here, his sub-Little Voice histrionics leaving next to nothing for the cast to work with.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
09/21/07
Neil Smith
Total Film

In the hands of Mike Leigh, this could be a masterpiece, as it is, it's forgettable fun.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
09/21/07
Anna Smith
BBC

A story slighter than the froth on top of a tube of Fosters.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
09/21/07
Tim Evans
Sky Movies

Feels like a Sunday night TV drama - and not a very good one at that.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/21/07
Helen OHara
Empire Magazine

Enjoyable, emotionally engaging Australian drama with superb performances from Blethyn and an up-and-coming young cast.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
09/20/07
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Introducing the Dwights is funny and poignant, with a tour-de-force performance by British actress Brenda Blethyn.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
09/01/07
Claudia Puig
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Director Cherie Nowlan is far too intent on serving up searing pathos washed down, inevitably, with a tub of soaring affirmation.

Full Review Source: Style Weekly (Richmond, VA) | comment Comment
08/15/07
Thomas Peyser
Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)

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.

Full Review Source: Baltimore Sun | comment Comment
08/10/07
Chris Kaltenbach
Baltimore Sun

Short on credibility, characterization, humor and honesty.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
08/03/07
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer
 
 
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