It's hard to imagine a romantic drama that is more unromantic than "Americanese." This film is a real snoozefest. It is so excruciatingly boring, that would does imagine the old proverbial "Chinese water torture" would be easier to endure than a screening of this film.

The center of the film is Raymond, perhaps the most boring and reserved man in the history of the universe (the perfect guy to be the protagonist of a film, right?). Perhaps Raymond works better on the page. This film is based on the novel "American Knees" by Shawn Wong (apparently the producers were afraid that this title would make film-goers think it was a documentary about chiropractors in the United States and they would stay away) and Raymond might be a quite interesting character in a book where thoughts and memories can be explored in the written word which a reader can absorb. But in film, Raymond is not only boring, he seems a little stupid too.

Enter Joan Chen in a part so ridiculous and badly drawn that even an actress of her caliber, who has mad bad and ridiculous work in the past, cannot begin to flesh out the mess of memories, grief, and sexual lust her character is made out of. Raymond as played by Chris Tashima is so staid and emotionless that she is apparently supposed to supply a stunning juxtaposition to him. Instead she comes across like a mental case. Imagine the Isabella Rossellini character from "Blue Velvet" played by one of the member of Pink Lady and you've got a pretty good idea of just how bad all of this is.

In the end, "Americanese" is much like the scattered pictures that Barbara Streisand sings about in "The Way We Were." But here we get pointless and stupid scattered pictures. This film wants so desperately to be epic and sweeping, to be important and poignant, that it forgets all about being realistic and compelling. I was up on my American feet and exiting the theater as quickly as I could.

Notes:

Also with Ben Shenkman and Kelly Hu.

Written for the screen and directed by Eric Byler.

Viewed at SXSW in March of 2006 where it won the Narrative Film competition. (One of 8 Competition film of which I saw 4. It was my least favorite of them). Comments on the screening and the Q&A of the filmmakers, cast and crew are on the Day 4 page of Filethirteen's SXSW coverage

Report Card

Script: F

Acting: D-

Cinematography\Lighting: C-

Special Effects\Make Up: D

Music: C

Final Grade: F