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.
Comment
09/21/07
Introducing The Dwights (2007)
53
%
Tomatometer
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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:21-09-2007
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
Reviews for Introducing The Dwights
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
Top CriticYou can’t help but mourn for the hint of an intriguing film that could have been.
09/21/07
Top CriticPromising 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
Top CriticIt’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
Top CriticA story slighter than the froth on top of a tube of Fosters.
09/21/07
Feels like a Sunday night TV drama - and not a very good one at that.
09/21/07
Top CriticEnjoyable, emotionally engaging Australian drama with superb performances from Blethyn and an up-and-coming young cast.
09/20/07
Jean Dwight (Brenda Blethyn) is perhaps the most overbearing, self-obsessed and irritating matriarchal big screen figure since Norman Bates’ mum in ‘Psycho’.
07/12/07
Top CriticClick to read the article
10/18/08
A movie that works beautifully when it's on point and feels sort of hollow when it's not.
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
Introducing the Dwights is funny and poignant, with a tour-de-force performance by British actress Brenda Blethyn.
09/01/07
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
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