Solid performances, but a lacklustre script see this meander its way from start to finish without really doing much

I don’t understand the low ratings from critics and audience. This movie was done very well with great character development and a touching mission for two lost men.

All is Bright is a wonderful little movie. It is also not a comedy like Deck the Halls or Bad Santa, as some have mentioned and as it seems to have been advertised. Its more like "Christmas a la John Sayles." With this misconception out of the way, people can enjoy it for what it is : a well done story with very good writing and acting. The gritty atmosphere (a shady corner in New York) and tone are stark contrast to what one expects from a Christmas movie, and it makes it hard to guess how the two will handle their misfortunes as they come. The soundtrack's jazz piano interpretations of carols was perfect and the ending a satisfying surprise. This is one to put on when you've exhausted your supply of required seasonal viewing and want something fresh.

I am a French Canadian, but I prefer to call myself 'Quebecois.' Honestly, that movie is quite off and boring. The Quebec accent is absent, and people with a French accent are speaking in the French from France style.

Paul Rudd was in this movie

All is bright is a quirky little dark comedy. The performances from Paul Rudd and Paul Giamatti are good and the movie has some good dialogue and laughs. It’s not the heist film that you think it is except more of a character study. It can be a little slow moving at times but overall it’s a fun little quirky watch.

It was okay. It was a little too long. I lost interest before it was over, but I thought the two Paul's were good.

Ok. I watched this movie on Christmas night, not having my children with me because of a separation and a Covid year, thinking it would be fun to hear the two Pauls speaking french but, the french speaking québecois was so bad. I am pretty sure they took real russians to play russians but they did not bother taking québécois people to play french canadians, My advice? Watch real Quebec movies.

slow but excellent . could have trimmed 30-45 minutes off easily.

Like an amazing gift that you yearn to have a use for, All Is Bright - in pieces - offers some great ideas that drive simple, yet effective humor and sympathy for the characters. It's just not that great at tying these pieces together. It's slow, there's not a lot of dynamic movement in the story, but it's an interesting premise with great actors that amplifies a traditional indie vibe. That being said... This won't be for everyone, of course, as a small budget movie based on French Canadian ex-cons selling Christmas trees in unrecognizable New York City. But I found a great, heartfelt, though sad little Christmas movie that will always be a part of my annual holiday marathon. Giamatti and Rudd work well together, and the addition of Sally Hawkins as a Russian housekeeper keeps the acting in check where it could have gone completely off the rails. Honestly. If you watch this little film, imagine a lesser-known talent trying to hold your attention through her scenes. This may have been a fun little C project for these actors, but that didn't stop them from taking their roles seriously enough to make you care when they could have just phoned it in. I recommend this for a quiet, possibly hungover holiday weekend morning, or as a new story if you're into watching anything other than Elf or A Christmas Story during your holidays.

Why oh why does it ALWAYS have to be that they lose the money in the end ??!! I HATE THAT ! How about he gets the Russian girl, she gives him the piano for his daughter and they get the money too ? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT ?! GDDAMNIT !

This film was almost good.

Movie titled “All Is Bright” is not a well scripted movie despite decent acting.

2.5 Stars Good acting from Paul Giamatti and Paul Rudd but that's about it Could have probably had a better ending

It's good movie to watch

I have to wonder what the Giammatti's saw in this film that it inspired them to produce it. It may been something deeply personal perhaps. I enjoy the work of both leads, so I could watch it, but all in all it was unremarkable.

12/27/2015: Not as good as I hoped considering the great cast, but it was ok. It should be considered a drama rather than a comedy.

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

In "All Is Bright," Dennis(Paul Giamatti) is glad to be out of prison. And then not so much when he finds out that his ex-wife told their daughter that he is dead. In the meantime, he needs to eat which means a job which is not easy in the currently difficult economy. His friend Rene(Paul Rudd) has a business selling Christmas trees but already has somebody to help him. That changes when Dennis persuades him to let him go. "All Is Bright" starts off great and ends with a beautiful scene. It also explains where all those ubiquitous Christmas tree salesmen in New York City come from every year. Sadly, in between, it is pretty much a slow moving trainwreck that even Paul Giamatti and a Russian accented Sally Hawkins(don't ask) can do little with.

A little slow for the two Pauls but a nice affable flick nonetheless.