RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Kinley This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

leonblackwood Review: I was wondering why this film took so long to get released but now that I've seen it, I can understand why. Watching 2 down and outs, selling Christmas trees for nearly 2 hours, became pretty boring after a while and the other added elements to the storyline wasn't that great. Its about 2 small time thieves who are separated when a job goes wrong and one of them end up in jail for 4 years. While Dennis (Paul Giamatti) is in jail, his partner in crime, Rene (Paul Rudd), falls in love with Dennis's girlfriend and they plan to marry behind his back. When Dennis is finally released from jail, he hopes to get back with his girlfriend and promises to be a better father to there little daughter but she is fed up with his antics and she comes clean about her relationship with his friend. He then confronts Rene and they end up in a little punch up but he still needs a job because he has become homeless so he joins Rene in the Christmas tree selling business. Although he is unhappy about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Dennis is determined to get enough money to buy a piano for his daughter, so they sell as much trees that they can while Rene is waiting for his divorce to come through, so he can marry Therese (Amy Landecker). After a slow start, there Christmas tree business goes down a storm but there earnings are stolen from them so there plans for the money goes totally out of the window. They then join forces to steal a piano from one of there wealthy customers. I really struggled to stay awake through this film because the tone was quite glum and it took ages to get going. There are a couple of amusing moments, like when Dennis confronted Rene about his relationship with his girlfriend but it started to drag after a while. I'm usually a fan of Paul Giamatti's work but this film has to go down as a bad day at the office, which might explain why it took nearly 3 years to get released. Anyway, I'm sure that this film will pop up around the Christmas period because of its theme but I personally didn't think it was that great. Disappointing!Round-Up: After loads of comedic roles, Paul Rudd, 46, has finally made a name for himself with the movie Ant-Man. He's played many cameo roles in movies like the Anchorman I & II, the 40 Year Old Virgin, This Is The End, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked Up and he's played major roles in films like Prince Avalanche, Wanderlust, This Is 40, Our Idiot Brother and Dinner For Schmucks but I still think that he was a weird choice for Ant-Man. I'll have to see the movie before I comment on his performance! Anyway, the chemistry between Rudd and Giamatti was OK but they just kept on bickering with each other, which became a bit tedious after a while. The movie was directed by Phil Morrison who brought you Junebug in 2005. Apart from that, he hasn't got that much experience behind the camera so I wasn't that surprised with the outcome. As this movie didn't get a major release, I doubt that it will damage Giamatti or Rudd's careers and I can't see myself watching again, anytime soon.I recommend this movie to people who are into their drama/comedies starring Paul Giamatti, Paul Rudd, Sally Hawkins and Amy Landecker. 3/10

SnoopyStyle In Quebec, thief Dennis (Paul Giamatti) gets out on probation after 4 years in prison. He returns home to unreceptive wife Therese who wishes to marry Rene (Paul Rudd) when he finally divorces his wife. He has no prospects and no place to live. He wants to buy his daughter a piano but has no money. He pushes Dennis to take him to NYC to sell Christmas trees. Olga (Sally Hawkins) buys a tree and Dennis delivers it. He makes more money stealing.Rudd and Giamatti are good comedic actors when the material is there for them. This is a rambling unfunny story. The duo don't develop good chemistry. Sally Hawkins has a weird Russian accent. With such talented actors, this is a failure of the writing.

Rogue-32 Caught this last night on cable, expecting at the very least a decent film, considering the two Pauls. Giamatti is one of my favorite actors, I even created a yahoo group called talkpaul after he was overlooked for an Oscar nod for Sideways a few years back. Paul Rudd ain't no schlub either; he's always good no matter what he plays as well. The problem here, as it usually is, begins with the script. A lot of critics have mentioned how implausible most of the goings-on are in this mess, which they are. I was willing to overlook a lot because I found myself invested in Giamatti's character. But by the time -=- SPOILER ALERT -=- the money box from the Christmas tree sales gets lifted in the most unbelievably contrived manner and the two Pauls resort to their old thievery habits, stealing, of all things, a grand piano, out of an apartment window, so that Giamatti's young daughter (who's been told by her mother who's now engaged to Rudd's character that her daddy died of some unnameable cancer) can have a piano for Christmas (he promised one to her in his head, see) I was shaking my head in disappointed disbelief. -=- END OF SPOILER -=-Something else that bugged me: If you are aware of karma, you will know that what you do to others will be done to you in one form or another eventually. Here we have the two Pauls resorting back to thievery after they've just been stolen from, with no awareness whatsoever, of course, of the karma law. This is understandable considering these two ain't the most enlightened characters on the planet, but it bugged me because they hadn't learned anything, especially Giamatti's sad sack, who'd spent four years in the slammer for a theft crime. Just sayin'.The movie ended up this way -=- SPOILER ALERT -=- (the stealing of the piano, with his daughter running outside her house to play it in the snow, still never knowing about her father, who skulks off into the sad, lonely night) -=-END OF SPOILER -=- to keep the heavy-handed contrivedness going. This is a shame, because with more care given to the details of the story - letting it unfold in a far more organic, believable fashion - this could have been very decent, poignant, even moving. Everything was heavy-handed, including the title: All Is Bright, which of course is supposed to be ironic considering the anything-but-bright situation these guys are in, and the tagline is even more heavy-handed. The original title, Almost Christmas, is almost better, but obviously it doesn't matter since the film was so disappointing in so many ways.

cB391 All is Bright (2013) doesn't really appear to stand out as a great movie in any sense. It has a simple storyline, that is more obscure, but, still has a lot of randomness and boring conclusions.The acting, especially the main characters (Rudd and Giamatti) were decent. They play ex-thieves who go to New York to sell Christmas trees. The supporting cast (Hawkins and Landecker) were good, and their characters play symbolic roles, and this can be seen in the different ways they behave toward Dennis (Giamatti).The audio was rather apt, with a variety of piano solo's to indicate the mood, with overlaying images to reinforce said mood. The overall imagery was a bit lacking, but did it's part in trying to arouse sympathy for the main characters.So far, these were the enjoyable parts of the film. The downside for me was... the plot, the weak connections drawn, the lack of explanation for certain tasks throughout the film, and the simple conclusion at the end. The symbolism of the various characters and of the objects (piano, ringtone) show an attempt at trying to build a deeper film, but sadly did not achieve what I was hoping it would. I wouldn't say the film is disappointing, but it doesn't have anything to make it stand out, very similar to Prince Avalanche (starring Rudd). 6/10, as it could've been something much better, had there been a deeper storyline developed, as well as adequate attention paid to detail.