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Movie Info

A Chinese-American professor, Ray Ding (Chris Tashima), and his half-Asian lover, Aurora (Allison Sie), split up after three years. Ray has trouble getting over the relationship, then sneaks into her home when she is not there. To forget about her, he begins a romance with a Vietnamese immigrant, Betty (Joan Chen), who carries around scars -- both external and internal.

Genre:

drama, comedy
Original Language:

English
Director:

Eric Byler
Producer:

Lisa Onodera
Writer:

Eric Byler
Runtime:

1h 48m
Production Co:

American Knees

Cast & Crew

Chris Tashima
Raymond Ding

Allison Sie
Aurora

Kelly Hu
Brenda

Ben Shenkman
Steve

Joan Chen
Betty

Sab Shimono
Wood

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Critic Reviews for Americanese

All Critics (9) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (6) | Rotten (3)

Fine, understated performances and the self-assured way that Byler lets the film find its own rhythms, rather than setting into some template, result in a mature film of subtle complexity.

May 30, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Kevin Crust
Los Angeles Times
A collection of scenes in search of a coherent story, the film's characters don't develop, and plot lines fail to coalesce by the movie's conclusion.

April 26, 2006

Sura Wood
Hollywood Reporter
[Director Eric] Byler deals with characters who have lived their years, learned from them, and try to apply their values to their lives. Their romances are not heedless but wary, and involve a lot of negotiation.

March 30, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
This diverting, occasionally wry seriocomedy ultimately doesn't add up to a satisfying whole.

March 28, 2006

Dennis Harvey
Variety
It's not the glacial pace that fatigues, but a lack of connection with the characters.

November 30, 2006 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central
Byler doesn't rush his storytelling; this is a deliberately paced, thoughtful meditation on racial issues and relationships ...

August 24, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Kim Voynar
Cinematical
I'm convinced that Byler is a talent to watch.

May 30, 2006 | Full Review…

Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
You don't have to be Asian-American to understand the universal longing for love and self-acceptance.

April 9, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com
Byler was just warming up with Charlotte Sometimes and somewhere deep down not only gets people - but how filmmaking can translate to those who don't.

March 20, 2006 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com