The Brass Teapot

The Brass Teapot
File:The Brass Teapot Official Poster.jpeg
Directed by	Ramaa Mosley
Written by	Tim Macy
Starring	Juno Temple Michael Angarano Alexis Bledel Alia Shawkat Bobby Moynihan
Music by	Andrew Hewitt
Distributed by	Magnolia Pictures
Release dates	8 September 2012 (2012-09-08) (Toronto International Film Festival) 5 April 2013 (2013-04-05) (United States)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$6,997

The Brass Teapot is a 2013 American film directed by Ramaa Mosley. The movie's script was written by Tim Macy, who also wrote the short story on which the movie is based. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2012, and was released into theaters and video on demand on April 5, 2013.

Critical reception for the film was mixed. Film.com review said "Despite the sometimes patchy moments The Brass Teapot by and large squeaks by as an enjoyable entertainment." The Playlist commented that "With the help of a talented cast, The Brass Teapot is able to coast on charm."

Hitflix writes "It is apparent that Ramaa Mosley has a voice, and that The Brass Teapot is a focused, controlled piece of storytelling that displays real control". Wall Street Journal reviews says "Alice and John are good company — especially Alice, thanks to Ms. Temple's buoyant humor and lovely poignancy. The problem comes when the couple gets greedy, the gods grow angry and the tone turns dark. It doesn't stay dark, but getting back to the brightness is a painful process." The Brass Teapot holds 5 stars on Netflix and was nominated for International Critics' Award (2013) for The Brass Teapot and nominated, Discovery Award for The Brass Teapot (2013).

Synopsis

The movie follows John (Michael Angarano) and Alice (Juno Temple), a down on their luck couple that comes across a magical brass teapot capable of providing them with money. The only catch is that they must harm themselves in order for the teapot to provide. They must then decide what they are willing to do in order to gain financial security.

Cast

• Juno Temple as Alice
• Michael Angarano as John
• Alexis Bledel as Payton
• Alia Shawkat as Louise
• Bobby Moynihan as Chuck
• Ben Rappaport as Ricky
• Billy Magnussen as Arnie
• Steve Park as Dr. Li Ling
• Lucy Walters as Mary
• Claudia Mason as Donna
• Debra Monk as Trudy

Reception

Critical reception for the film was poor, with The Brass Teapot holding a rating of 33% "rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes based on 30 reviews. The New York Times criticized the film, saying that while the two lead characters were interesting, the "movie’s best bits lose out to the requisite moral turnaround". The Film School Rejects commented that the darker points of the film's story line were "ill fitting" in contrast with the predominantly "comically light and slapsticky" tone of the overall movie. In contrast, Variety gave a more positive review for the film, saying that Mosely "makes her low-budget enterprise look as slick as most midrange studio comedies, demonstrating herself a director with both imagination and technical ingenuity".

Honors

Nominated, International Critics' Award (2013) for The Brass Teapot http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935902/awards?ref_=tt_awd

Nominated, Discovery Award for The Brass Teapot (2013). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935902/awards?ref_=tt_awd

External links

• Official website
• The Brass Teapot at IMDb
• Official comic book and mythology website