The Brass Teapot (2013)

Too much of everything

So much average

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

read a review on here about this 'losing steam'...?!?!too bad that reviewer quit paying attention, because the thing that made this stand out to me, was the fact that it kept getting better, that it kept 'pushing the envelope' with the story."The Brass Teapot" is a low-budget comedy from 2012 that I neither noticed nor watched until last week when I was fiddling through Netflix to find something to pass the time.The film, while not rocket-science nor packed with amazing performances or drama, actually backed-into my top 25 for 2012. Sitting at #18 one spot above "Jack Reacher" and one spot below that years blockbuster comedy "21 Jump Street".It really does gain steam though... that's why I brought-up that other review.. because for me it's the opening credits which seem pretty hokey, and the films' opening 20-25 minutes(in which nothing significant happens) that is my biggest gripe with the film.The moral of the story, and the extreme/building to a crescendo nature of the plot, really come together nicely at the end of the film. A really basic idea is done a great service by the writer, the director, and the cast.This reminds me a bit of last years' "Cheap Thrills", and is similarly good given it also had little to work with.. This is actually a touch better because it builds and builds, and the moral hits home a bit truer here.FANTASTIC date movie. Everything you'd look for. Light-hearted, but not too-light-hearted, well-written, entertaining, funny... Smart, under-rated, worth seeking out as a nice sleeper date- nt/spouses-nt-in treat.72/100You might like this if you liked:Seeking A Friend For the End of the World(about even), Mr. Destiny(close, maybe a touch better), Mystery Date(even), Honeymoon in Vegas(not as good), and Let it Ride(a little better). All fine company though.Solid recommendation. Instantly gets added to my "B-Movie-Marathon" lists.. and while I watch about 3-4 films a week, it seems like months between deserved additions to those lists.

"Brass Teapot" directed and cowritten by Ramaa Mosley has potential to be a good or even a great movie, but stoops and patronizes by fabricating scene after scene and conjuring pure idiots for it's main characters in order to manufacture its plot. It is at its core supposed to be a parable on the pitfalls of greed but doesn't have the brains to create something great or more original in how it tells its story. Worse, It's theming is schizophrenic wavering between comedy and drama weakening its overall tone, and I couldn't stand the dumb repetition of the characters antics. Perhaps playing the movie straight and serious may have done more and allowed for the true weight of the parable to shine. As is, can't really recommend. Give it 5/10. The writing failed this movie.

Okay, so I did not give The Brass Teapot a resounding thumbs up, but that is not to discredit the fine acting performances provided by Juno Temple and Michael Angarano, who are the two main stars of the film. The Brass Teapot is just one of those films that did not establish itself in any certain genre. This film is not a comedy, nor is it a drama, nor is it an adventure film. Then what type of film is it you ask of me? Well that is the dilemma I have with this film. It is all over the map, and the main theme being this young married couple who are trying to make it in the business world with little success to date stumble upon a magic brass teapot that spews out hordes of fresh dollar bills when the couple exerts some form of pain upon themselves.Sooooo, that sounds like an interesting plot doesn't it? Well I don't know what you want to draw out of a film, but I know what I don't want to see in a film. What I don't want to see is over an hour of the film focusing in on the various ways a young couple can subject themselves to continued self inflicted pain by burning, punching, kicking, biting and tripping each other just to see a few bucks spew out of their brass teapot.Of course there are a number of characters who are trying to figure out how this young struggling couple all of a sudden are living on millionaires row in a mansion. And so the chase is on, and the magical brass teapot exchanges hands a few times as various villains and saviors try to confiscate the teapot from the young couple.I just found that there was no magic in The Brass Teapot that kept me entertained, nor was the story line appealing. I gave it a 5 out of 10 based on the good performances of Juno Temple and Michael Angarano.

This is a great little movie.A struggling couple find a magic tea pot that rewards pain with money.The couple need to find inventive ways of hurting themselves, then of course there is a string of people following in the teapot's wake.It is adequately funny and the story bounces along quite well. The acting and production is great and it certainly doesn't hurt that Juno Temple spends a lot of the film half undressed.The film isn't hilarious or particularly touching but it is good fun, humorous and doesn't over reach. Perfect for a random night in not quite a Friday night movie.