VividSimon Simply Perfect

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

krocheav Smile isn't a film that's likely to please many action movie watchers. Some may not have the patience needed to understand its fine intentions. It's actually a film with much to say - being essentially an introduction to the World Wide Doctors Gift fund. The beginning of the movie sets the scene perfectly - a kindly shanghai worker, perfectly played by Luoyong Wang ('Bruce Lee Story'93) finds an abandoned new born baby girl and takes her home to selflessly give the child a better chance for a decent life. This causes friction between his wife an son.On the same day in California USA another baby girl is born into the family of a Doctor and his wife. The parallel story that unfolds in the US tends to wander into story details that detract from the main theme - slowing the movie unnecessarily. Katie, the California girl who's very well played by Mika Boorem, has all she could want materialistically but she's not generally given to care for anyone other than herself. Enter one of her school teachers Mr Matthews, played by the interesting Sean Astin ('Lord Of The Rings' 1-2-3.). During the last school year Mr Mathews was involved in taking students to China to voluntarily participate in the medical charity group 'Operation Smile'. He's now attempting to recruit a new group to return this year. This eventually brings the two same-day-born girls together. Unfortunately, first time feature writer/director Jeffrey Krammer tends to gloss over some of the more important details - while other padded situations seem to receive a little more attention than they deserve. The movie would have played better being at least 20min shorter.A recipient of the prestigious American Cinematographers Award: Director of photography, Edward Pei (Panther '95) gives the film a truly striking visual treatment. For one reason or another the movie tends to offer far more believable performances during the Chinese sequences than the states. An interesting sequence has the Chinese 'dad' and adopted daughter out watching a Roy Rogers film projected at an outdoor mall! complete with loving shots of the 35mm (no less) projectors. What makes this unusual is that a scene like this takes a good deal of setting up, especially in the days of video projection. Seems Dale and Roy Rogers set up a grant/fund to keep family entertainment alive - hats off to them both! The wives don't shape-up all that well in this story, with Katie's mum the lovely Linda Hamilton (Dante's Peak '97) seeming to fly off the handle too easily and Danial's wife played by Jia Song showing no feelings for the little deformed orphan. While 'Smile' may have flaws, the only story to seriously consider is the 'Operation Smile' program's ability to bring people of other lands together in care, also offering the all important potential for personal growth. An understanding of one of life's most vital aspects--the ability to care for others as you would have them care for you-- Those looking for an examination of life-changing situations could enjoy this most.

ltlacey One, I am not some employee of any production company related to this movie. Second, I have no ulterior motives in raving about the movie. I just found the story very interesting and moving, even if at times the script was a bit contrived. What we have is well-to-do teenager with her own set of problems (arguing parents, boyfriend pushing her to have sex), and then we get a glimpse of the life of a teenager who has not only cultural issues that make her life totally different, but a physical deformity that causes her a lot of hardships. Sometimes those of us who lead a more privileged life forget that for the majority of those on this planet life is not about what TV program to watch, Facebook, and what to wear on a date. This movie was more than just promoting what is a great program (Doctors Without Borders, etc.), but what it is like to be a teenager, and then realizing that one needs to grow up, then doing so.

heatherfife I love this film!!! This is a beautiful story, well-written - a film worth watching! From the moment it began I was drawn in to the beautiful photography and story set in China. All of the storyline that was filmed there was pertinent, realistic and touching. The message of the film is sacrifice, love, and compassion. Luoyong Wang, Yi Ding, and Mika Boorem were all fantastic. Both Erik von Detten and Sean Astin's acting was natural and believable.The majority of the film set in Malibu in an attempt at character building, is substandard. Part of this has to do, I believe, with the editing. For example Linda Hamilton's character appears loving and caring one minute, then manic depressive and "out of control" the next and them back to a loving caring mother/wife the next with no apparent reason for the extreme transitions. We don't need to see "Katie" dressing immodestly, see her parents freaking out on each other, or see her internal conflict about having sex with her boyfriend, or the way she uses sex to manipulate and frustrate two teenage boys to know she is not a touchy-feely, caring "good girl." It could have been shown simply with the way she is derogatory about her classmates and unbelieving that people in the world could be less physically beautiful than she. Sorry, this part was over-done. I would love to see a re-make of this some day...in the meantime, see this one and enjoy the beauty of the film spiritually and physically!

raincityslicka This film is noteworthy: beautiful cinematography, super performance by many of the Chinese actors, and a great message. Some of the scenes seem a little unrealistic, but the movie compels me to charitable action -- that and great cinematography make for a worthwhile film.The film creates an interesting comparison between a 17-year-old girl, Katie, from affluent L.A., and her counterpart, Lin, a girl of exactly the same age, from rural China. Their friendship will hopefully lead other young people to travel, to give of themselves and to form their own cross-cultural relationships. I enjoyed listening to Director Jeffrey Kramer's notes, which give a whole new set of insights into several aspects of the film. First, being filmed in rural China, the film captures innumerable authentic elements of the culture, which Kramer points out. Second, Kramer talks about the many intercultural, interpersonal relationships going on behind the scenes in this film. Finally, as Kramer mentions more than once, the movie touches interestingly on the one-child policy in China and how it affects families. Some of the performances, especially on the Malibu side, seem a bit of a stretch from reality. However, on the Shanghai side, the performance by the actors playing Lin and her family are superb. Despite some of the aspects of the screenplay which seem to stretch realism, overall the intercultural aspects, cinematography and charitable cause make this one worth watching -- and being changed by.