Movie Review: The Brass Teapot
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Zachary Mandell
Apr 29, 2013, 1:20:30 PM4/29/13
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Zachary Mandell
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Article Title: Movie Review: The Brass Teapot
Author: Zachary Mandell
Word Count: 796
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1834792&ca=Entertainment
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1834792
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1834792
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Rating: R (violence, some sexual content, strong language, and drug use)
Length: 101 minutes
Release Date: April 5, 2013
Directed by: Ramaa Mosley
Genre: Comedy/Fantasy/Thriller
Stars: 3 out of 5
In Ramaa Mosley's "The Brass Teapot," a couple discovers that their brass teapot magically brings them money whenever they are injured. However, the couple must deal with the question of how much they are willing to hurt themselves in their quest for wealth.
In "The Brass Teapot," John Macy (Michael Angarano) and Alice (Juno Temple) are a young couple with serious financial problems. Macy is a telemarketer who is so pathetic that he is unable to close any of his deals. Alice is a recent college graduate who is still searching for that elusive job. Together, they barely have enough money to sustain themselves. They even have to struggle to pay rent for their shabby house, which is managed by their former classmate Arnie (Billy Magnussen). To make matters worse, they have to deal with belittlement from their acquaintances, former classmates, in-laws, and even employers.
Fortunately for the duo, things do not remain this dismal for long. Alice finds an old teapot, which has the Star of David as an adornment, with magical properties. Whenever the couple hurt one another, the teapot produces cash. They begin to hurt each other in earnest with the hope of making enough money to live their American dream. Unfortunately, the magical properties of the teapot do not stay hidden for long; it soon attracts the attention of a Chinese scholar who claims knowledge of its evil properties. Arnie, their bullying ex-landlord also discovers the root of his former tenants' sudden wealth. Into this confusion, two Hasidic men with violent tendencies emerge claiming that the ancient teapot is their family heirloom. John soon starts to be cautious about their magical teapot, but Alice is determined to milk as much cash as she can from the pot.
"The Brass Teapot" is by no means the first wish-fulfillment comedy. "The Brass Bottle" movie and its subsequent TV show are also fine examples. Very few comedies, however, have started with such an outlandish a premise as that of "The Brass Teapot." In fact, in the hands of less-talented directors, the movie would not have turned out half as good as it did. Director Mosley, on the other hand, knows her trade well. Sure, she gets a little help from the stunning performances of the lead characters, but in the end, she is the one that makes this movie as good as it is.
As hinted above, the lead characters play a big role in making the movie successful. For instance, Michael Angarano is naturally charming but still finds it very easy to play Alice's stooge. Temple excellently handles Alice's transformation from a mousy woman overwhelmed by financial struggles to a flamboyant and wild girl once they start enjoying the cash from the teapot. Interestingly, it is not only the human characters in the movie that exhibit some funny traits, even the magical teapot has some of its own. For example, its responses to skateboard injuries, dentistry scans, or even bikini waxing are extremely funny.
Clearly, this movie is a cautionary tale about those who are lucky enough to have all their wishes come true, only to realize that they are not exactly happy. It also shows how suffering and wealth can change people's characters. For example, although Alice's classmates voted her the person most likely to succeed in high school, she now feels that it is her partner John who is holding her back. Macy, who has always been a kindhearted person, has no qualms about hurting other people when he realizes that doing so will make him rich. Of course, this in itself is nothing new, because even in real life, this situation is pretty much the same. Scriptwriter Tim Macy, however, knows how to bring the old story to new heights by incorporating a few twists here and there, especially the ancient teapot's need for pain.
The only serious complaint some critics have with "The Brass Teapot" is that it just gets too dark sometimes. Although the movie, for the most part, is comical and lighthearted, it is also contains several scenes of serious suffering. This contributes to the decreased likeability most viewers extend to the characters while watching the film. The contrast and transition between goofy scenes and disquieting scenes also could have been handled better. In the end though, the movie's absurd humor and near perfect performances from the lead characters carry the day. For those who enjoy surreal fables with tinges of dark comedy, this is the movie to watch.
About The Author: As a long time fan of Hollywood I was able to carve out the perfect career in the entertainment industry by writing initially for celebrity news sites and am now the owner of http://MovieRoomReviews.com
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1834792
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
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Message delivered directly to members of the group:
publish-the...@googlegroups.com
*****************************************************************
Please consider this free-reprint article written by:
Zachary Mandell
*****************************
IMPORTANT - Publication/Reprint Terms
- You have permission to publish this article electronically in free-only publications such as a website or an ezine as long as the bylines are included.
- You are not allowed to use this article for commercial purposes. The article should only be reprinted in a publicly accessible website and not in a members-only commercial site.
- You are not allowed to post/reprint this article in any sites/publications that contains or supports hate, violence, porn and warez or any indecent and illegal sites/publications.
- You are not allowed to use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email) or SPAM. This article MUST be distributed in an opt-in email list only.
- If you distribute this article in an ezine or newsletter, we ask that you send a copy of the newsletter or ezine that contains the article to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1834792
- If you post this article in a website/forum/blog, ALL links MUST be set to hyperlinks and we ask that you send a copy of the URL where the article is posted to http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1834792
- We request that you ask permission from the author if you want to publish this article in print.
The role of iSnare.com is only to distribute this article as part of its Article Distribution feature ( http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php ). iSnare.com does NOT own this article, please respect the author's copyright and this publication/reprint terms. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not reprint or publish this article.
*****************************
Article Title: Movie Review: The Brass Teapot
Author: Zachary Mandell
Word Count: 796
Article URL: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1834792&ca=Entertainment
Format: 64cpl
Contact The Author: http://www.isnare.com/eta.php?aid=1834792
Easy Publish Tool: http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1834792
*********************** ARTICLE START ***********************
Rating: R (violence, some sexual content, strong language, and drug use)
Length: 101 minutes
Release Date: April 5, 2013
Directed by: Ramaa Mosley
Genre: Comedy/Fantasy/Thriller
Stars: 3 out of 5
In Ramaa Mosley's "The Brass Teapot," a couple discovers that their brass teapot magically brings them money whenever they are injured. However, the couple must deal with the question of how much they are willing to hurt themselves in their quest for wealth.
In "The Brass Teapot," John Macy (Michael Angarano) and Alice (Juno Temple) are a young couple with serious financial problems. Macy is a telemarketer who is so pathetic that he is unable to close any of his deals. Alice is a recent college graduate who is still searching for that elusive job. Together, they barely have enough money to sustain themselves. They even have to struggle to pay rent for their shabby house, which is managed by their former classmate Arnie (Billy Magnussen). To make matters worse, they have to deal with belittlement from their acquaintances, former classmates, in-laws, and even employers.
Fortunately for the duo, things do not remain this dismal for long. Alice finds an old teapot, which has the Star of David as an adornment, with magical properties. Whenever the couple hurt one another, the teapot produces cash. They begin to hurt each other in earnest with the hope of making enough money to live their American dream. Unfortunately, the magical properties of the teapot do not stay hidden for long; it soon attracts the attention of a Chinese scholar who claims knowledge of its evil properties. Arnie, their bullying ex-landlord also discovers the root of his former tenants' sudden wealth. Into this confusion, two Hasidic men with violent tendencies emerge claiming that the ancient teapot is their family heirloom. John soon starts to be cautious about their magical teapot, but Alice is determined to milk as much cash as she can from the pot.
"The Brass Teapot" is by no means the first wish-fulfillment comedy. "The Brass Bottle" movie and its subsequent TV show are also fine examples. Very few comedies, however, have started with such an outlandish a premise as that of "The Brass Teapot." In fact, in the hands of less-talented directors, the movie would not have turned out half as good as it did. Director Mosley, on the other hand, knows her trade well. Sure, she gets a little help from the stunning performances of the lead characters, but in the end, she is the one that makes this movie as good as it is.
As hinted above, the lead characters play a big role in making the movie successful. For instance, Michael Angarano is naturally charming but still finds it very easy to play Alice's stooge. Temple excellently handles Alice's transformation from a mousy woman overwhelmed by financial struggles to a flamboyant and wild girl once they start enjoying the cash from the teapot. Interestingly, it is not only the human characters in the movie that exhibit some funny traits, even the magical teapot has some of its own. For example, its responses to skateboard injuries, dentistry scans, or even bikini waxing are extremely funny.
Clearly, this movie is a cautionary tale about those who are lucky enough to have all their wishes come true, only to realize that they are not exactly happy. It also shows how suffering and wealth can change people's characters. For example, although Alice's classmates voted her the person most likely to succeed in high school, she now feels that it is her partner John who is holding her back. Macy, who has always been a kindhearted person, has no qualms about hurting other people when he realizes that doing so will make him rich. Of course, this in itself is nothing new, because even in real life, this situation is pretty much the same. Scriptwriter Tim Macy, however, knows how to bring the old story to new heights by incorporating a few twists here and there, especially the ancient teapot's need for pain.
The only serious complaint some critics have with "The Brass Teapot" is that it just gets too dark sometimes. Although the movie, for the most part, is comical and lighthearted, it is also contains several scenes of serious suffering. This contributes to the decreased likeability most viewers extend to the characters while watching the film. The contrast and transition between goofy scenes and disquieting scenes also could have been handled better. In the end though, the movie's absurd humor and near perfect performances from the lead characters carry the day. For those who enjoy surreal fables with tinges of dark comedy, this is the movie to watch.
About The Author: As a long time fan of Hollywood I was able to carve out the perfect career in the entertainment industry by writing initially for celebrity news sites and am now the owner of http://MovieRoomReviews.com
Please use the HTML version of this article at:
http://www.isnare.com/html.php?aid=1834792
*********************** ARTICLE END ***********************
- To distribute your articles go to http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php
- For more free-reprint articles go to http://www.isnare.com
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