Common Sense Media Review
By S. Jhoanna Robledo
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Oddly touching Christmas tale about ex-con, jilted love.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
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All Is Bright
What's the Story?
Newly paroled from prison in Quebec, Dennis (Paul Giamatti) has no money, no job, and no place to live, since his wife (Amy Landecker) has taken up with his former partner-in-crime, Rene (Paul Rudd). Dennis is determined to go straight, even if it means taking the only job available: joining Rene to haul a load of Christmas trees to New York. Spending the holidays living together in a camper on the city streets makes the unlikely duo much more aware of each other's faults and doesn't do much to rekindle their friendship. Neither does a long-held grudge about a job gone awry. But together and separately -- as Dennis strikes up a surprising friendship with an aloof, gruff Russian immigrant (Sally Hawkins) -- they both explore who they actually are and who they want to be.
Is It Any Good?
ALL IS BRIGHT is a movie about transformation and forgiveness that's masquerading as a buddy comedy, with two main characters who are as unlikely to be friends as pals can be. Dennis is a drifter and a malcontent, embittered by the hand that life -- and a life of crime -- has dealt him. Rene is oblivious and jolly, unencumbered by too many failures. No wonder their friendship combusts.
But the beauty of All Is Bright is that its metamorphosis into a movie with, yes, a message is subversive. And redemption doesn't come in the form that the audience might expect. The happenstance way that people who run into one another's orbit changes their lives is captured here, though the movie's charms are tempered somewhat by its circuitous script, and the pacing is frustratingly dogged at times, too. All Is Bright isn't a Christmas story in the classic sense, but it tugs at the heart nonetheless.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about All Is Bright's messages. Is the movie about friendship? Forgiveness? Who do you think it's most intended to appeal to? How can you tell?
What ties Dennis and Rene together? Are they friends?
What do you think about Dennis' relationship with his wife and daughter? Why did his wife start seeing another guy?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 4, 2013
- On DVD or streaming : November 19, 2013
- Cast : Paul Giamatti , Paul Rudd , Sally Hawkins
- Director : Phil Morrison
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Anchor Bay Entertainment
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Friendship , Holidays
- Run time : 107 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language and brief nudity
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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