The Art of Woo (2001)

Wonderful character development!

Fantastic!

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Okay, so I was a big fan of Sook-Yin Lee when she was a veejay on Canada's MuchMusic station (our nation's equivalent of MTV)... so I had to check out this movie... a romance between her and hot young Aboriginal/Canadian actor Adam Beach... it HAD to have SOME good qualities, right??? Well, sorry to say it but... the movie blows. I really *want* to support Canadian movies, ya know... but why do 99% of them have to suck so baaaaaaaaaaad? They don't even feel like real movies... they feel like some kind of fake simulation of what a movie really is. They try to copy the stale "formula" of popular genres but they are totally bled dry of any kind of atmosphere, originality or any sort of qualities that make movies WATCHABLE. Sook-Yin is a struggling art gallery dealer who wants to be successful... Adam is a struggling artist who wants to be successful... they begin a romance (though they have absolutely nothing in common and no chemistry between them whatsoever)... they encounter obstacles... they clash... gad, this movie is awful. Even the usually brilliant Don McKellar has an awful bit part (he probably owed the producer a favor) as a Sook-Yin suitor who won't take no for an answer. One more nail in the coffin of Canadian Cinema.

When I like an actor or actress in a certain project, I tend to make my way through their filmography list to see some of their other performances.I was interested in seeing Adam Beach in a romantic role as everything else I had seen so far has had a mostly male bonding focus to it.I wasn't disappointed with what I saw. As Ben Crowchild, he portrayed a really charismatic and reticent kind of guy. "Tall, dark, and brooding" if you will. However, his co-star had an inconsistent performance in regards to her character's quirky-ness, and it made his performance look less consistent than it actually was. (Watching the movie the second time around brought that to light. All the scenes without her were fluid.) I also thought the direction could have been stronger. As in, I wish one scene, a scene where they argue, had been re-shot.(*Spoilerish*) Another disappointment was the 'artsy' take to the romance scene. I spend those moments trying to figure out what I was actually seeing. (Is that an arm or a leg? And whose?) My last criticism is of the inane beginning. I would have rathered watched her walking down the street and taken the time to read the credits than the singing dancing thing.Ok, enough synopsis. The bottom line is that there are some really endearing moments in this film. Definately worth plowing through if you are a fan of Adam Beach's.

This review is a tad of a spoiler, but very little.I had never heard of this movie before I stumbled upon the (two) copies of it at my video store... probably because it's Canadian(!)Anyway, I enjoyed it, sweet and funny... It's only two days later that I understood it's most important characteristic, when I finally saw "Breakfast at Tiffany's" for the first time (it was on CBC). This movie is a pastiche of the Audrey Hepburn classic! It's very obvious, especially at the beginning, practically each scene mirrors the original film. Let's revisit our oldies shall we!

I saw the film as well and was not blown away by. I did like the film visually, but felt that the actors were too set and too mechanical. Thought the choices were boring as well. The director shows promise, but will need to have much more vision on her future casting choices.