Americanese

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Americanese

2006

1h 48m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

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.

Kevin Crust

Los Angeles Times

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.

Rated: 3.5/5

May 30, 2006

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Sura Wood

The Hollywood Reporter

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.

Apr 26, 2006

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

[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.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 30, 2006

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Walter Chaw

Film Freak Central

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

Rated: 2/4

Nov 30, 2006

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Kim Voynar

Cinematical

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

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 24, 2006

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

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

May 30, 2006

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Audience Member

Seen during SXSW a few years back and had a generally good Festival reception. Good acting on the part of the leads and generally good cinematography, but the plot is definitely slow. Not much happens, either.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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Audience Member

Tho' more violent and crude than my usual taste in music -- i kinda like the sound of this viet rapper from sanjo/portland. [url="http://www.thaistreets.com/"]http://www.thaistreets.com/[/url] (and click on "multimedia" for music clips).

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

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Eric Byler

Director

Chris Tashima

Raymond Ding

Allison Sie

Aurora

Kelly Hu

Brenda

Ben Shenkman

Steve

Joan Chen

Betty

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SXSW: "Americanese," "Jam" Reviews

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Synopsis

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.

Director: Eric Byler
Producer: Lisa Onodera
Screenwriter: Eric Byler
Production Co: American Knees
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Aug 10, 2007
Runtime: 1h 48m