Just perfect...

good film but with many flaws

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Brian (Kip Pardue) is quite the lucky man. He is a successful coffee executive, with a sharp palate for great java. Also, he has a lovely fiancé and a bright future. One day, however, his not-by-the-books boss, Calvert (James Brolin) sends him to Thailand to possibly contract with some local coffee farmers. At this, Brian is skeptical for he prefers beans that are grown elsewhere. Nevertheless, he makes the trip. His contact is beautiful Ticha (Napakpapha Nakprasitte) who meets him reluctantly. This is because, even though her parents are java farmers, she left their rural area long ago to become a successful businesswoman in Bangkok. Only when her parents plead with her to help convince Brian to seal a deal with their community does she get involved. Wouldn't you guess, Brian and Ticha dislike each other instantly. However, the two travel to the southern countryside, where the scenery is breathtakingly lovely. The ice starts to thaw between these two very different people, thrown together by espresso. To his great surprise, Brian does sample the coffee and wants to do business. But, Calvert himself shows up at the wrong moment and almost ruins the venture, then Brian's fiancé comes calling, too. This, just as Brian and Ticha may be casting loving glances toward each other. With the farmers of the region desperately needing a semi-permanent cash flow, will it happen? This is one of those unusual films which wanders far from any Hollywood formula and succeeds well. The cast is wonderful, with Nakprasitte especially lovely and touching. Then, wow, the setting is filled with beauty and oriental sights that few in the Western Hemisphere will ever see. In itself, it is worth seeking the movie out. Finally, the story is an attention getter, revealing a clash of cultures and the unique world of coffee husbandry. The results are very sweet indeed.

Wow, I wasn't sure what to expect but my wife wanted to see a rom-com one night so we saw Bitter/Sweet at a festival and were very pleased.Everything from the actors to the setting were beautiful, the directing and acting were spot on - we believed what everyone was saying, feeling and they all looked to part as well. Kip Pardue was good and Borlin too, we did not expect the film to end the way it did. And we felt the connection between the two main characters and the movie made us want to not only go to Thailand but drink the coffee.So if you like coffee, Thailand or just rom-coms - see this film as you will no regret it.

I couldn't work out if this a poor made for TV film or a Thai production. I think its the latter. On the plus side it shows how stunning Asian ladies look. On the down side, the lead character Ticha cannot act. The other girls around her could.Spencer Garrett as Werner stole every scene he was in - which tells you a lot about the acting standards of the rest of the cast.If only they had dropped the pointless James Brolin (a big name added for the film backers?), spiced up the love scenes then this could've been a really good film. A cynic would say this is simply one big advert for Thai coffee - certainly had me going for the instant stuff!!A missed opportunity. Catch it on a movie channel

Charming performances, lushly exotic Thai locations and a feel-good spirit accent this award-winning, thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy-drama crafted by writer-director Jeff Hare.An engaging Kip Pardue stars as work-consumed Brian Chandler, who's drafted by coffee king Calvert Jenkins (James Brolin) to journey to Thailand to explore coffee-field pockets for a potential crop purchase. While there, he encounters the quirky locals, but most importantly he meets Ticha, the percolating female scion of a coffee family. Worldviews soon conflict, commerce clashes with the earnest art of coffee production, and the two immediately lock horns. Yet what is originally bitter can indeed turn sweet, and both Brian and Ticha take a journey of self-discovery amid this paradise spread."Bitter/Sweet" may appear to be a date movie--but it emerges as much more than that (though couples will certainly enjoy it together). Rather, it's a character-driven play complete with a jolting twist, a rich brew that nudges memories of three other quality films. In the vein of "Slumdog Millionaire," it delivers a sweet-and-low relationship stacked against the odds in a mesmerizing land. And just as "Sideways" is a fine-vintage voyage that toasts to wine and vineyard aficionados, so too does "Bitter/Sweet" intrinsically treat is arching theme--coffee and coffee connoisseurs--with care and respect. The film additionally shares the spirit of Bill Forsyth's 1983 winner, "Local Hero," in which an outsider arrives in an insular community, stirring up the local denizens and the regional status quo.Director Jeff Hare continues to display his vibrant cinematic talent while adeptly tackling yet another genre. His 1999 short, "A Perfect Little Man," starring Neal McDonough, was a searing, intensely dark psychological drama about a man's ill-destined spiral into madness and violence. His 2005 dramedy, "Checking Out," was an appealing ensemble piece that featured snap-crackle-pop dialog and, in this viewer's humble opinion, one of Peter Falk's best-ever performances.Now, with this film, Hare sets his keen eye on colliding cultures and the whims of romance--and ultimately he executes a sheer delight that brims with a whole latte love.