Rating: 
Summary: Sean Dorsey needs some culture awakening
Review: ...There is a certain transcendence of culture needed to understand the nuances of Filipino cinema and all its cultural context. The script does need a little work--its explosive and needs to be tempered. Subtlety wasnt really their working force. The silliness of the lines masked the painful underpinnings of Filipinos trying to make do in a culture far from their own. The actors were trying so hard to act with a foreign audience in mind. That was the mistake. They should have just forgotten about the foreign viewers and conveyed it in a way a Filipino should. I couldnt bear to hear wooden dictions but somehow TERE, Cherry Pie Picache pulled it off. Christopher and Dina were a tad over acting--relating to the days of Lino Brocka's emotional works. The plot is a little thin (of course keeping in mind, the limitations of the movie such as budget, recognizable actors, etc.). All in all, american adobo may prove to be a little bland for the american taste but just perfect for the tastebuds of filipinos like me who yearn for a little connection between America and the land we love but couldnt bear to live in.
Rating: 
Summary: I love it!!!
Review: American Adobo is so funny, I love it. As a filipina-american, I can relate to this movie, in so many different ways. It has some tagolog, with sub-titles, but all in all, it is a great filipino experience!
Rating: 
Summary: * out ***** and that a 1 out of 5.
Review: Aristottle Marson from San Francisco, I don't understand why Mr. Dorsey had anything to do with your movie review. Frankly, the movie is bland and like most reviews, melodramatic like soap. I am half Filipino but I still didn't like the movie because the acting was superficial, the story-less than mediocre, the ending-however convenient was also inept. I could go on and on. I should keep my mouth shut as I would probably get under attack by other Filipinos and their wrong sense of (film) patriotism. It's in our culture. HAHA!
Rating: 
Summary: AMERICAN ADOBO IS TASTELESS
Review: bad acting, especially Dina
plain dialogues
i won't say don't waste your money on this. try it for yourself, and tell me what you think. :-)
Rating:
Summary: Full of the Flavors of Life
Review: Centering around the lives of five close Filipino-American friends, each dealing with their own personal struggles, the film covers a wide variety of controversial topics while remaining tasteful and compassionate. Many films while trying to introduce the audience to the characters tend to be a little slow and awkward, not this one. I found myself understanding and relating to the characters almost immediately. With an exuberance at times almost frightening the viewer is transported on an emotional roller-coaster through the turbulent trials of each character's situations. From laughing hysterically at the absolutely ridiculous twists that take place to pondering deeply the most powerful of human emotions this film lifts and drops, twists and turns. Do not worry about understanding or relating to Filipino culture...this film provides insight into the culture without being too alien for the non-Filipino viewer. Yes, subtitles are used at times, but the majority of the film is in English and when subtitles were used I found it very easy to continue to follow the dialogue without loosing any of the visual impact of the film. If you do go to see this film, and I strongly suggest you do so, there are a few things you should be prepared for... Be prepared to laugh...There are several absolutely hilarious scenes that still have me laughing just thinking about them. Be prepared to cry...This film is very powerful at times and the struggles that the characters face will touch you. Be prepared to think...you will be presented with some very deep topics to ponder over on your way home and for days to follow.
Rating:
Summary: Not overcooked
Review: Habitus, according to Pierre Bourdieu, is the system of "durable, transposable dispositions, structured structures predisposed to function as structuring structures, that is, as principles which generate and organize practices and representations that can be objectively adapted to their outcomes without presupposing a conscious aiming at ends or an express mastery of the operations necessary in order to attain them. Objectively 'regulated' and 'regular' without being in any way the product of the organizing action of a conductor." (Bourdieu, 1993) In other words, we are not in control of our own cultural production, but I would like to add, we can be self reflective and articulate our productions. Food, by it very nature forms an integral part of the creation of a Habitus - in a way, despite its controlling characteristics, a Habitus also provides one with a sense of being "home." Sounds, sights and smells are all linked together to give one a sense of identity. American Adobo does nothing less than articulate it to us, the Filipinos and to others for their cultural consumption and hopefully illumination. True to its name, American Adobo tries to pack too many ingredients into one small pan. As a Filipino, I find the film to be a warm, good-natured ethnic comedy and like many others it is deeper than then what you would expect after the initial salvo. What is really nice about American Adobo is that it does not exoticize the Filipino culture, which a film like The Debut can at time be seen to do. The film is very entertaining, but it begins to lose itself as the melodrama takes over from its original comedic track. Inundated with clichés and stilted dialogue, American Adobo does offer a formulaic collection of cinematic issues surround movies of this genre at it explores issued surrounding marital status, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. The real highlight of the film is the insight into a cultural milieu heretofore ignored in mainstream cinema - even mainstream Filipino cinema. If there is a clear cut reason to buy, watch and keep this movie that would be one of them. For those in the cross cultural arena and area of interest, I recommend this movie highly. It is a keeper in every collection. Miguel Llora
Rating:
Summary: American Adobo - A Laugh and Cry Marvel
Review: Here's a wonderful movie that deserves to be seen by the masses. It's a wonderful story that takes you on journey of emotions. As my wife put it, "any movie that can make you laugh your head off and cry like a baby is a great movie." American Adobo introduces you to the Philipine culture in a very "American" story that everyone can relate to. This movie should've played Sundance and other film festivals, because it would've run away with the best picture award. I was also especially impressed with the tight, well written screenplay and character developments. I was fortunate enough to catch it in it's NYC limited run, and I'm thrilled to now own it on DVD. Big thumbs up.
Rating:
Summary: "Made for the masses" Philippine-style movie set in America
Review: I had high hopes for American Adobo. With a well-known cast & director, I thought that we Filipinos had something that can rival Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (one of my favorite foreign films). Sad to say, American Adobo was undercooked. First, the food theme was not as effective as EDMW: I did not feel like rushing to my nearby Barrio Fiesta restaurant to order adobo (my husband & I went to a Chinese restaurant the night after we watched EDMW). Plus it never seemed like a unifying theme at all --- we are just told that by the characters saying, "no one can make adobo like Tere". Secondly, the movie branches off into too many subplots, so I didn't feel that each individual story was developed enough. The comic scenes were too contrived, and only one made me laugh (when Gerry triumphantly snatches the misdirected mail from his mother's postman while she was too busy hugging him). As for the dramatic parts of the movie, Mike's daughter summed it up succinctly (I'm paraphrasing because I can't remember it verbatim): "Don't make a scene like one of those bad Filipino movies you & mom love to watch". Unfortunately, I don't think the director & some of the actors were listening. (What's up with Dina Bonnevie's acting when she found out that her boyfriend cheated on her? She looked like a 3-year old having a tantrum instead of an emotionally devastated mature woman. Oh...was that supposed to be funny?). A better movie about the Filipino-American life in the US is "The Debut". While "The Debut" may not be a perfect movie in itself, at least the experiences are more believable, the acting more realistic, and the direction is better. ...And it didn't make me cringe in embarrassment. In summary, I thought I was going to see a refreshing Filipino movie that departs from the mired ways of movie-making in the Philippines. It turned out to be the same thing, only the location was different.
Rating:
Summary: "Made for the masses" Philippine-style movie set in America
Review: I had high hopes for American Adobo. With a well-known cast & director, I thought that we Filipinos had something that can rival Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (one of my favorite foreign films). Sad to say, American Adobo was undercooked. First, the food theme was not as effective as EDMW: I did not feel like rushing to my nearby Barrio Fiesta restaurant to order adobo (my husband & I went to a Chinese restaurant the night after we watched EDMW). Plus it never seemed like a unifying theme at all --- we are just told that by the characters saying, "no one can make adobo like Tere". Secondly, the movie branches off into too many subplots, so I didn't feel that each individual story was developed enough. The comic scenes were too contrived, and only one made me laugh (when Gerry triumphantly snatches the misdirected mail from his mother's postman while she was too busy hugging him). As for the dramatic parts of the movie, Mike's daughter summed it up succinctly (I'm paraphrasing because I can't remember it verbatim): "Don't make a scene like one of those bad Filipino movies you & mom love to watch". Unfortunately, I don't think the director & some of the actors were listening. (What's up with Dina Bonnevie's acting when she found out that her boyfriend cheated on her? She looked like a 3-year old having a tantrum instead of an emotionally devastated mature woman. Oh...was that supposed to be funny?). A better movie about the Filipino-American life in the US is "The Debut". While "The Debut" may not be a perfect movie in itself, at least the experiences are more believable, the acting more realistic, and the direction is better. ...And it didn't make me cringe in embarrassment. In summary, I thought I was going to see a refreshing Filipino movie that departs from the mired ways of movie-making in the Philippines. It turned out to be the same thing, only the location was different.
Rating:
Summary: Just like SOAP - DO NOT WASTE YOU TIME!
Review: Just like soap - it bubbles and then it's gone!!!! This movie reminds me of TV soaps in the afternoon, bad acting and too much melodrama and bad, bad, bad, bad, dialogue. Bonnevie, in all of her scenes, are over acting, very superficial, it made me dizzy just watching her foul up her scenes. The only saving grace in this film is Picache who played Tere and Montalban, the playboy. Deleon and Davao were half baked in the sense that the audience won't be sympathetic for their roles as an unhappily married guy (Deleon) and a closet gay guy who hid his sexuality from his mother (Davao). Haven't they heard of actor's workshops before? We wonder! I've heard that they are very good actors back in their native country but if these two are called great actors in their country, I wonder how they gauge good acting there!? The story starts out right up to about 20 minutes and then it gets too boring, too melodramatic, too much but too shallow dialogues, and then ends up with nothing. DOn't see.
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