Dorfman (2011) Reviews

• You'll feel good after watching this film

  nubeowolf2011-11-11

  There's always an uplifting feeling when we see someone (even a fictional a character) find the courage to be true to themselves. It's something we all aspire to do. Dorfman will not disappoint in this regard. Sara Rue (Deb) becomes a whole person and we get to take part. Sara really delivers here and should find more star vehicles. Deb leaves the safety of the San Fernando Valley to explore the unknown of a revitalized downtown Los Angeles-not an easy transition for her. In five short days she begins to understand she's more than an enabling sister and daughter but a real person entitled to her own space and feelings. You'll never be able to look at Elliot Gould the same way again. He's great as a truly loving father who still has the potential to grow and enjoy life. Haz Sleiman is great, simply great. His character Cookie comes off as almost too good to be true and still authentic. I enjoyed the film and would recommend it to everyone.

• Great romantic comedy for men and women!

  lmgordon-703-9940412013-06-04

  Such a fun movie!!! Fantastic cast and lots of laughs. An inspiring story told beautifully, with an insider's peek at the coolest places in downtown LA. If you live in LA or ever intend to visit and haven't seen this movie, you are seriously missing out. I've lived in LA my whole life and was so excited to learn about hidden gems I never knew about before. And the chemistry between Elliot Gould and Sara Rue is terrific. Gould is hysterical, as always, and Rue comes out of her shell like never before. Highly recommend. Good times for all.

• A simple feel-good one

  audrulyte2013-11-15

  I'd say I wasn't expecting much from this movie, and somewhat conflicting reviews of the movie did not help on the matter either. But eventually I am happy I did watch Dorfman since I enjoyed it tons. The story in the movie is simple and maybe even somewhat of a cliché, but since I do not need my romance and feel-good movie fixes to be overly complicated, this easy to stomach story did work for me quite well. A simple setting of a young gray mouse type of a woman getting her chance to prove to a guy she is secretly in love with for many years that she's the one for him, turns out to be more of a journey to her own self discovery and for once love and being loved in return. Looking for a nice romantic movie for the evening, why not try Dorfman, you might find a little gem here

• It's a really nice movie!

  szefu32014-01-26

  I'm sorry for my grammar - English is not my mother language :) Well I really liked the movie. I decided to watch it because there was my favourite actress - Sara Rue. She did a really amazing job! She was so charming in that movie. I love her acting. The move is really nice, a good movie for a winter evening. It's not a "stupid American romantic comedy". It's a nice movie, I enjoyed it so much. It was really cool to see how Debb changed from little, shy girl to a brave woman with higher self esteem. I recommend this movie to everyone :) It's great! Btw: I'm from Poland. The joke about Poland and polish people in the movie may offend someone but I'm not really offended by it. It's just because there's a stereotypical thinking in the USA about Poland (I've heard similar jokes in many American TV series..). Sara Rue is the best actress ever! :)

• Disappointing, as it could have been so much more

  SalsaBoy20102012-07-23

  I recently viewed Dorfman at a film festival in San Francisco, in which the writer, director, producer, and Elliot Gould were present. Sadly, that was the best part. The movie, itself, was cliché and superficial, the script was threadbare. There was no nuance, and most everything represented was painted in black and white (how I hate that!). The brother is always a jerk. The father always favors the brother over the protagonist, martyr daughter (Deb), until -after a two minute heart-to-heart - he sees the error of his ways. A 10-yr romantic interest of Deb - who is sensitive and understanding and appreciative throughout the entire movie - becomes a sex-crazed, self-absorbed narcissist when she is forced to make a critical decision between two men near the movie's end. I found little honesty in this movie, and I imagine the actors had to work hard to create back-story and dimensionality to their characters, as little was provided by the script itself. For a young kid producing this movie on his/her Super 8, I'd be impressed. For a film worthy of contemplation and discussion in a film festival? Don't waste your time. It's not a terrible movie, but it's far from a good movie. The writing reminds me of the admonitions we give children about drugs, alcohol, and sex: "Don't do them; they're bad". Yet, those same children see their own parents and elders drinking and having sex. The truth is that the issue is more complex and nuanced than what we can explain to young children, so we make it black-and-white. This movie is like that, and as a result, it misses the mark completely. It's a caricature of itself, and ultimately, an embarrassment. This movie would best we watched between 3:30-5a, when you can't sleep, and you have nothing better to do. It's like junk food, except that it doesn't taste as good.