Dad, I'm Sorry (2021) User Reviews

I know: Cheese, but it still got me.

[Movi3DO · 8/10 · 6 June 2021]

Thanos: Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.... Wait, Wait, why am I hearing the Avengers' theme?

Even though being a Vietnamese, I don't think highly of Vietnamese movies, mostly because of the acting and cheesy stories. However, I'll partly take that back on this one.

The acting and dialogue, although were cringe at times, were pretty good. Tran Thành, who was mostly a comedian, delivered strong emotion and portrayed the old father very well. I enjoyed his performance the most.

The story had some problems. It was still very cheesy and predictable. There was one involving an ex-girlfriend that just got dropped half way. Then, some of the editing and tone changes were bafflingly awkward and felt flat, especially near the end.

Even though I said that, this movie really got me involved in the plots. I was boiling up at the arguments in the first half, and then tearing up near the end. The dynamic between father and son was very touching, and I felt for both sides as each had valid reasons behind their actions.

The themes of parental love and family were not anything new, but they were heartfelt and effective because of the story and acting. It's also in part because I easily get emotional when it's about family. However, as emotional as it was, the movie had to become preachy, as if the plot didn't shout out the themes enough.

Overall, despite still having problems of a typical Vietnamese movie, Old Dad (the correct translation) was still able to touch me. 7.5/10.

Recommended

[sandynguyen-80402 · 7/10 · 2 May 2021]

A movie is neither too bland nor too special.

Recommend, should go watch and feel the love of family, especially father and son.

There was a bit of comedy, and a bit of emotion.

Ultimately, it's an entertaining movie.

Better than most Vietnamese movies these days, yet ain't enough for a global scale

[unknownrpg · 7/10 · 11 April 2021]

Well.. the first think I have to point out is: the credits did their job well. They used those "foreign-influenced" techniques pretty swift, like with the camera corners, plot setting and pretty much the whole film itself. While this might appear like an overwhelming advantage, it also reveals the movie's weakest spot, which is the fact that it isn't special. What possibly went wrong exactly? Can't you see those great reviewers from all around the country are prasing it? Is there anything wrong with ya? A Vietnamese who deny the speciality of his country's products? Well, in fact.. yeah. The reason I, a n Vietnamese can see through all of this is pretty simple actually. It's because I love movies, TV shows, -you name it. My interest in films is just so great I gained knowledge and wisdom in defining their values. So when I watch Bo Gia, I did it with the viewpoint of an actual criticizer, not some normal audience. And for me, it's pretty much obvious to say the movie ISN'T SPECIAL. Yep, nothing bad about it, the acting is fine, the scenes are all executed nicely, the plot either rushed or gone too far. Everything was done just fine, good even, especially considering the fact all the studios are from the famous rice field. Yet, cause everything was done alright, nothing is greater than expected. It's like if from the very first 30 minutes of the movie, you already knew how they did the rest. There are some plot-twists, yes, and some artistic camera plays aswell, but in the end, nothing stand out from it. The messege is weak and forgetable, cliché even. The acting is good.. enough. No great stuff, no great scene, some drops did run out of my eyes, yet nothing more. In the end, I shall call it an "Audience Pleaser", cause Bo Gia is very well displayed on the big screen, but when you're done watching, you may just forget the whole thing right away.

I really liked it!!

[jnnj26 · 9/10 · 22 June 2021]

Compelling story about father and son and the family dynamic. It has both comedy and drama and moments that will hug your heart.

A touching movie

[shannon9918 · 10/10 · 18 June 2021]

Abt traditional family in poor quarter.. the main actor try to reappear exactly aged dad always think abt his children, his family and ignoring himself.. Initially i feel a little uncomfortable with a dad but right after that i realized that is exactly what i feel when my dad always try to be a hero .

Tbh this film is absolutely touching me cuz its real .. for me.

Best

[iwuvhanekawa3000 · 7/10 · 26 September 2021]

A true Vietmanese story about dad and the way it shows the differences between young and old gen was too good. The words that characters spoke were heartbroken.

You know it's a comedy, because everyone is shouting.

[iboso64 · 1/10 · 8 June 2021]

And overacting. And trying their best to be silly. But mostly, just shouting. It's exhausting. Characters are all one-dimensional, the "plot" is almost completely missing, the camera work and edits are jarring, women are slapped with zero repercussions, children are thrown to the ground with zero repercussions, and everyone shouts. Or emotes loudly. But mostly shouts.

Have I mentioned the shouting...?

The best Vietnamese movie I've ever seen

[B1LL · 10/10 · 24 July 2022]

Gentle and warm are the feelings that The Godfather gives viewers throughout the film. Besides, the poor neighborhood is flooded all year round and the ribs rice dish is also a feature of miniature Saigon, the old doors and neighbors who always sit in front of the door are an unforgettable highlight when entering a certain alley.

I AM DONE WITH THIS KIND OF MOVIE.

[nguyenducbachthu · 1/10 · 10 June 2021]

HOW POOR ,UNREALISTIC AND ILLOGICAL THE PLOT IS. AND I MYSELF CAN'T STAND THE ACTING OF THE THAT. SUPER - ARTIFICIAL - MUSTACHE ACTOR AT ALL.

a heartwarming story

[baekyeols · 10/10 · 1 June 2021]

This movie is true to its Vietnamese roots but it showed the generational difference between parent and child. Ultimately, it was a movie about love. Some scenes were artfully shot and done, some scenes were more dramatic and comical. All in all, it was a heartfelt story about family and love.

Sooooo Overrated!

[duynguyen-90607 · 1/10 · 4 June 2021]

This movie has some of the worst and most annoying characters ever.

Good Movie

[kathirvj · 10/10 · 23 June 2021]

Excellent Cinema that shows Bond between Father - Son.

Must watch with your family .

Feel Good Movie

[ffckathir · 10/10 · 23 June 2021]

Just watch the movie to experience The feel.. All characters done their best..

Predictable plot

[xiaohei-80112 · 1/10 · 12 May 2021]

Most of the actors over exaggerate expression.most of the line were rush and shout all the times. Actor not likeable. Most of the scene and plot we can see in our Daily drama and better than this movie in every aspect.

My thoughts on the godfather movie

[hahavjppromax · 9/10 · 24 July 2022]

Tran Thanh is an artist who knows how to please the audience. He knows how to build great emotional charts for viewers. The plot is coherent enough to touch the audience's heart. The stories, though trifling and seemingly disjointed, are subtly planted with humane messages in family and social life. Thanks to that, the message of the film is fully expressed to the audience.

Watching The Godfather, you will come across very "lifelike" images. The audience can see familiar images of Saigon's life in the film. To compare with the movie Rom, The Godfather is more appreciated for the quality of everyday life. The film has unexpected but still very subtle turns that make a strong impression on the audience. The plot twists of The Godfather are quite similar to The Old Lady V - the strongest competitor of the film at the moment.

Overhyped and no substance ...

[tbh-21907 · 1/10 · 3 June 2021]

Acting is average, the conversation is not authentic ...Nothing special about the plot ..typical Asian style movie. Surprised to have it rated this high.

This movie is emotional, and its got some comedy.

[tintin-20990 · 10/10 · 20 November 2021]

This movie is the most successful movie in Vietnam.

I know its not success in the worldwide, but this movie is the massive success in Vietnam.

Its very emotional, and a lot of comedy.

Many people say is this movie is terrible because of the view, but the movie was based on the poor places in the richest city of Vietnam. So the view could be bad...

If you're finding a movie about family, you should watch this movie.

So bad

[daidung-57291 · 1/10 · 10 June 2021]

Omg, i never think that i can watch a movie so bad like this.

Not great but not bad

[nthang-76993 · 8/10 · 11 August 2021]

The story is somewhat predictable, but a heartwarming one about father/son relationship which can be difficult at times. The movie is a little bit cheese. You need to understand the Asian/Vietnamese culture to connect with this movie.

I don't think it is great, but sure does not deserve 1 star rating. Must be the haters.

It surprised me.

[chis-21817 · 9/10 · 24 July 2022]

I didn't plan to watch this movie, but I wanted to see it when my friend recommended it. When I finished watching it, I had to say that my friend was correct, it thrilled me.

In my opinion, Bo Gia is meticulously detailed from the way it captures backstreet Saigon to the portrayal of the complexities of busy family life. The first is the image of the poor, flooded houses. It is a feature of Vietnam. The neighborhood is always busy. The family often quarrels and has many stories, both fun, and thrilling. It feels extremely honest and close to me. The second thing I enjoyed is the plot. It's talking about Mr. Sang who is an old father (Bo Gia). Living just above the bread line, he always sacrifices himself for his family, because he wants them to have a stable future life.

For me, the main message of the film is a reminder to spend more time with our parents and to love them. Anyways, it's a rare movie that succeeds on almost every level, where each character, shot and each line of the script all come together to make a movie well worth watching.

If you are a person who loves family stories and wants to find out how Vietnamese families work, this movie is for you.

Boring

[trungtin-60851 · 1/10 · 10 June 2021]

It was such a boring movie that i had ever seen.

The main character talks so much for nothing.

Meaningless and a missed opportunity.

[deandee-48508 · 2/10 · 31 May 2021]

SPOILERS AHEAD

Bo Gia has so much potential to be a culturally impactful movie but just ends up being a missed opportunity. This movie is no where near the caliber of other movies with a US release such as the Debut or Better Luck Tomorrow. It's a movie that loses itself with overpacked plots, too many characters, and crash writing that leaves no real impact for the viewer.

Pros first: the one shot scene. In this movie, there are several one-shot scenes that are just a conversation between the son and the father. What works is that the scenes are shot from the outside of their home, as if we are in the neighborhood eavesdropping on their conversation from the window. It provides an intimate look at the family and supports the the idea that everybody knows your business.

Despite that, this movie has way more problems than it should have.

The most notable problem is that there are way too many plot threads for a 2 hour movie. Try to take everything into account and you will find this movie trying to pack so many different story lines into one movie.

Let's take a look at the subplots

• a deadbeat brother
• Moving from a poorer area to a richer luxury apartment
• a illegitimate child storyline,
• success and scandal from the son
• a random love story reveal
• and the essential family member sick and dying plot.

The problem with having this many plot threads is that the movie doesn't leave any room for the emotion to sit in. It's just scene, reveal, onto the next plot. It doesn't give the audience a chance to care about what just happened. For example, the son discovering he was the father to the little girl his father adopted. That's a huge reveal that was barely touched after.

At the same time, the movie likes its exposition. The movie likes to reveal important character moments by just long winded conversations. For example, it was revealed that the father was once rich but as soon as he lost everything, the family became more and more distant to him. Another example is one of the neighbors confronting her husband about how he made her childless. A really intriguing example is how the son use to cut himself but covered it up with a tattoo. It just felt like the movie needed to find a way to support their subplots so here's some additional dialogue.

Finally, I see a missed opportunity for a lot of the characterization of the movie. Of course we can go round for round talking about different characters but I found it interesting that the neighborhood itself didn't have its own identity. It's such an essential setting for the movie yet it just feels like this random road with no sense of who or what occupies that road.

In the end, the movie just doesn't work as a whole. Maybe an anthology but with so many things thrown in. It just felt very lifeless with no emotion in the end.

(As a sidenote: this movie contains an out of place domestic violence scene where a husband slaps his wife. They were trying to portray the husband as this timid guy who was finally standing up to his wife but there wasn't a real subplot in regards to the wife berating her husband. It felt out of place, made the husband look less sympathetic, and didn't serve any purpose)

A bad one.

[vuhoanganhnguyen · 3/10 · 22 May 2021]

The movie has got its moment. Some shots are very beautiful. Especially the beginning, very well-shot. But ultimately, the movie itself is very cringey because of the cheap comedy aspects that they added to the film.

Acting is terrible.

Plot is terrible.

Sound and music is beyond terrible.

And that mimicking Avengers scene. Oh my god that was hard to watch. It was like watching a scene filmed by some teenagers.

Only thing getting a praise here is the camerawork.

Should not watch

[luzcikai · 1/10 · 10 June 2021]

A film is noisy. Actor just arguing, yelling and not solving the problem. Not worth watching.

Terrible and boring film

[kun_kidx · 1/10 · 10 June 2021]

Very predictable and nothing new. The main actor is lame and insult everyone in real life.