A Picture of You

2013

1 hr. 23 min.

Drama

List

100%

9 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

Jen and Kyle, estranged siblings, reunite to disassemble their late mother's house and make a shocking discovery about her past.

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Audience Member

This movie is a hidden gem. While seemingly contradictory, this is a funny film about a death. However, there is nothing morbid or depressing about this story. It has intelligent conversation and even an action scene done in a very believable way. The actors were expert in portraying quirky, interesting characters that I would actually want to meet in reality. The 4 main characters (Jo Mai as Jen, Andrew Pang as Kyle, Teyonah Parris as Mika and Lucas Dixon as Doug) made me forget they were acting, The standout was Andrew Pang who portrayed anger, bemusement and even being in an altered state, all equally well. As Andrew Pang's ancestry is Korean and Jo Mai is of Chinese descent, I was taken out of the film (mother was of Chinese descent). It was only for the first few minutes and that is on me. We never were introduced to the identity of the father, so who knows? The movie starts slowly, as the 2 main characters estranged siblings Jen and Kyle, come to learn an interesting aspect of their late mother's life. I laughed many times. The cinematography was beautiful with many non-CGI'd outdoor scenes. A few of the scene transitions were a bit abrupt, as though there was some cut lines of dialogue. However every individual scene of this film was so good, that those editorial decisions never bothered me for long. The soundtrack was at times subtle and at times on the nose, but was never out of place. This movie has character arcs, humor, adventure and a satisfying conclusion. Plus due to this film, I have learned to appreciate a very old, previous very ordinary children's song in an entirely new light.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

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Audience Member

Not worth the watch. Poor performances and boring story line.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

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Audience Member

An unusually funny and moving story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Audience Member

One of the most boring movies I've ever seen - the kind that makes you mad that you spent the time required to watch it. It's boring until the "shocking secret" is finally revealed; the "shocking secret" itself is boring; and the rest of the movie after the discovery of the "shocking secret" is equally boring. The main female character behaving like an immature prude when it comes to sex and marijuana doesn't help, either. Two and a half out of three stars, Brian? Surely you jest! More like two and a half out of ten stars.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/11/16

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Audience Member

Great mix of sorrow and laughter. What one would expect from a film about family reunion at the time of loss of loved ones.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

J.P. Chan's film features a strong cast, solid production values and some realistically funny moments. It's an entertaining film. I wish he could have trusted himself to go a little bit deeper. He has the skill and talent to do that.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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J.P. Chan

Director

Jo Mei

Jen

Andrew Pang

Kyle

Teyonah Parris

Mika

Lucas Dixon

Doug

Jodi Long

Mother

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Sheri Linden

Los Angeles Times

Nimbly avoiding the excesses of melodrama and the recessiveness of mumblecore, Chan and his likably low-key cast navigate hairpin turns from drama to comedy to outright farce with an impressive sense of proportion.

Sep 11, 2014

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Ronnie Scheib

Variety

A curiously likable, entertainingly laid-back Asian-American take on all-too-familiar dysfunctional family tropes, this Kickstarter-enabled effort boldly mines farce along with sentiment.

Jun 30, 2014

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Katherine Vu

Village Voice

Sensitive and understated, J.P. Chan's A Picture of You balances humor and sentiment with an instinctive hand, skillfully unearthing honest, unexpected laughs amid intense grief.

Jun 20, 2014

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David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

[A] rambunctious family drama...

Jun 8, 2020

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Bernard Boo

Way Too Indie

While the film's title screams warm nostalgia, Chan avoids channeling the familiar sentimentality that makes indies with similar themes too cloying, telling a more understated, refined story of a tense sibling rivalry and shared regret and reflection.

Rated: 8.5/10

Mar 28, 2019

Full Review

MaryAnn Johanson

Flick Filosopher

There's nothing forced or sentimental here, and more than a modicum of bleak humor, but as laid-back indies go, this one may be a tad too laid-back.

Oct 22, 2014

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Synopsis

Jen and Kyle, estranged siblings, reunite to disassemble their late mother's house and make a shocking discovery about her past.

Director: J.P. Chan
Executive Producer: Duane Andersen
Screenwriter: J.P. Chan
Production Co: Medium 10-12
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 17, 2017

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