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07/27/07
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Introducing The Dwights (2007)
53
%
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Reviews Counted:85
Fresh:45
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.
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... [More]
Starring: Brenda Blethyn, Richard Wilson, Khan Chittenden, Frankie J. Holden
Director: Cherie Nowlan
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Reviews for Introducing The Dwights
A funny-sad, icky-sweet comedy of family dysfunction.
07/05/07
Top CriticBlethyn creates sympathy for a manipulative, prickly character who's struggling to redefine her roles onstage and off. Director Cherie Nowlan steers the comedy to a feel-good ending.
07/13/07
In the hands of Mike Leigh, this could be a masterpiece, as it is, it's forgettable fun.
09/21/07
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
There are films about monstrous overbearing moms, often played by Shelley Winters, and there are those "heartwarming" losing-one's-virginity flicks ("Summer of '42"). Australia's entry into this field consolidates the best elements of both genres.
07/08/07
Introducing the Dwights is a marvelous Australian family dramedy that occasionally creates the claustrophobic sensation of being trapped in quarreling hell.
07/11/07
Reminiscent of past Australian films that didn't hesitate to throw jarring characters at us and challenge us to appreciate their humanity, even amidst wacky behaviours.
07/20/07
The movie belongs to Blethyn, who takes a difficult, easily misunderstood role and gracefully cracks it open to reveal what's inside.
07/07/07
Top CriticAt 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
There's nothing lovely, however, about the movie's bombastic ending, but there are enough small moments until then to make this mixed-up experience vaguely worthwhile.
07/26/07
Top CriticIntroducing the Dwights is funny and poignant, with a tour-de-force performance by British actress Brenda Blethyn.
09/01/07
The supporting players are amiable, and while the family's multiple dysfunctions verge on cartoonishness, the actors keep their characters relatively realistic.
07/12/07
Clubland is warm and entertaining enough, with Brenda Blethyn doing a variation on her Little Voice vulgarian amid appealing support perfs.
01/24/07
Top CriticIt 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
Upbeat fun with plenty of sex thrown in for good measure.
06/25/07
A thoroughly enjoyable and charming film that will strike a chord with anyone who's ever felt the need to get away from the strangling, constrictive strings of their mother's apron.
07/06/07
New title (at Sundance it was called Clubland) better suggests the central issue, the difficulties of living in attention-craving showbiz family; the filmmakers give the rather familiar coming-of-age saga necessary edge and dispassionate tone.
06/24/07
It's sweet, quirky, sincere, and provides a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of those big-budgeted extravaganzas currently invading your local theater.
07/04/07
An Australian family drama that depicts how difficult people can help us refine and polish our finer qualities.
07/05/07
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