Having read that this is based on a play after seeing it, I understand why in some moments it felt like bad theater at its worst. The whole production was cringe-worthy. Starting with bad lighting, bad cinematography and bad sound and ending with Bai Ling. When she's one of the top heads in your floating heads poster, you've got a problem. One can't really blame the actors because they had almost nothing to work with. Every main character is a cliché and speaks with the innocence of someone who has never watched TV or been online. That's fine for a play but when you watch a movie you expect actual human beings, not archetypal sketches. Bai Ling plays the stripper with the heart of gold, while the other main leads dabble in such riveting characters as "abused teen" and "illegal immigrant". The movie feels rushed and there's no place for character development when every other line is a platitude. The movie features two short scenes featuring a couple of big stars from Romania. Had the movie been better, they would have had a chance to either shine or sink. As it is, they give just a couple of more underdeveloped scenes which will make the viewers either smile or roll their eyes. The concept of the movie "love conquers all" has been done to death, many times with great results, so this feels unnecessary at best. The only good moment in the film is delivered by Dana Delaney, who should stick to Desperate Housewives or get a better agent.
Review of A Beautiful Life
