Little Chenier (2006) User Reviews

solid drama with a nice ending

[mr-64 · 7/10 · 26 June 2008]

well done non-Hollywood movie which seem to be so rare these days.

it is a story about two brothers, one with a mental problem, the other one with a big heart and the will to do anything to protect his handicapped brother.

the scenery is really beautiful and i hope the environment can catch up after the horrible impact of hurricane Katrina.

the portray of the Cajun people and culture was very interesting to watch on screen.

the final scene is excellent and left me speechless for a minute.

i hope this movie does well on DVD, because it deserves it.

The title may be tricky to pronounce but still a great movie

[kevnbethp · 8/10 · 15 April 2007]

Actually, I would give this movie an 8.5 out of 10 if I could. It is a dramatic thriller set in the bayous of Louisiana. Two young brothers run a floating bait shop, abandoned by their mother, and neglected by their father-a drunk who is often absent. An attack on local livestock leads the sheriff and his son to question the younger brother, Pimot, who is mentally retarded. I can't go into more details about the excellent story, but will comment that this is an interesting movie for many reasons. All the dialog was done with convincing Cajun accents. I also liked the treatment of Pimot by the "good" characters. It really impressed me. They didn't talk down to him but treated him in a friendly manner and simply respected his limitations.

Way more then expected.

[EXodus25X · 8/10 · 17 August 2008]

I was very surprised by this independent film, what some would not consider great performances because the characters don't speak very eloquently, I couldn't disagree more. The point is to make them act and sound like people from the deep south who live on the bayou, how do you think they talk? For a lower budget film the cinematography was great, some of that just comes from a good location choice, but some of the shots combined with great music through out were amazing. The film does a great job of building tension for events you can feel are inevitable but at the same times gives you an unpredictable ending. I'm glad I fell upon this film, it always irritates me though thinking of how many little films like this that slip right by me and tons of others because they're not done by a bigger studio. I mean if I barely hear about it then most people will miss it completely, and that's a shame.

Best movie ever

[spamnode · 13 April 2010]

This just moved above Bicycle Thief, Once Were Warriors, Once Upon a Time in America and Godfather. Seriously, never seen anything like this. Wow. I'm in awe. Wow. This is the best. Historic. Seriously. I don't know this culture very well, but the humanism displayed here, the friendship, the stupidity and the loyalty is so realistic...at least I hope so. The acting is beyond sublime, the story so poignant. Just watch. I have no idea why I haven't heard of this story before. Swampy. Devout. Loyal. Surprising. Surprising. Surprising. Heart warming. Disturbing. Concerning. I've now used too many words to describe what is a perfect piece of art. Just watch this film.

It didn't work for me- with the real life destruction photos at the end being the most touching

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 30 July 2008]

Louisiana set tale of people living in Little Chenier.Centering on two brothers, one of which is mentally handicapped. The small town feelings boils over when murder occurs and long standing feelings are ripped raw. Okay film with a dynamite sense of place is hampered, for me anyway, by the handicapped brother who annoyed the hell out of me. He's a sweet kid but I found him more abrasive then endearing. My reservations aside its not a bad film and worth a look. If nothing else is the dedication to Little Chenier, the town where it was set and filmed-a town wiped off the face of the earth by Hurrican Rita which struck weeks after Katrina. The then and now photos will break your heart.

A better subtitle would've been "A Cajun Fantasy"

[curtye · 7/10 · 13 February 2008]

Me, I don't know people dat talk like dat.

Every stereotype imaginable was used. I had a bad feeling from the beginning when T-boy dove in to wrestle the alligator that the movie wasn't going to be anything like what I'd expected.

If this movie had been set in the past instead of present day it might've been more believable. We actually have elections down here. The sheriff's son wouldn't automatically assume his job when he dies.

How anyone can claim that this is an accurate depiction of southwest Louisiana is beyond me. While the actors do a good job of caricaturizing the characters according to the script and the movie looks good, it is nothing more than a fantasy.

Excellent Movie

[henryritchey · 10/10 · 4 April 2008]

Very good movie. I just wish that it would have been shown more times, and at more theater's then what it was, so more people could have seen it. I thought that it could have been rated PG-13. I am from Louisiana and I think that the area where the film was shot was shown in a very realistic form. There were a few twists to the movie that kept your attention. The ending of the movie will surprise most people who watch it. I think there needs to be more movies like this about people from Louisiana living on the Bayou. This was the best movie of this type that I have seen about Louisiana. Again I wish that I had another opportunity to see this movie again. I can't wait until the DVD come out so I can go and buy it.

A nice little movie

[mudhendude · 6/10 · 14 February 2008]

I got the chance to see Little Chenier when it came to Honolulu and I was impressed with the scope of the film. The cinematography did justice to the strikingly beautiful bayou. The performances were solid except for the role of the handicapped brother Pemon. I found that to be too much, but many audience members loved it, so what do I know? ;) The ending is a bit abrupt (I wonder if they ran out of money) but the pictures of the shooting locations pre and post Katrina really resonated with the audience even though they had nothing to do with the film itself. I think that this film shows promise from a talented up and coming cast and crew. I would be interested to see what Miss Ashton does next.

Authentic and Captivating

[ceid-lcla · 10/10 · 7 November 2006]

There is rarely a movie that accurately portrays Louisiana, a feat that "Little Chenier" achieved with charm and respect. The story is one of great love, responsibility, patience, and loyalty with songs that are sure to stir you. And if the music doesn't conjure up any emotions in you, the story certainly will with an ending that has viewers leaving the theater in awe.

I think this was a beautiful story and that the characters were very believable in their roles. The dialect was authentic in conjunction with the captivating scenery. It was able to truly represent many of the areas treasured by southern Louisiana locals. It is great to have these landmarks that were destroyed by Hurricane Rita preserved on film.

Bad story structure, otherwise descent little movie about fantasy Southwest LA

[LeatherCajun · 6/10 · 14 July 2020]

The good: The characters were believable and the tensions between them grew in believable ways, if you ignore the overall failed story structure. Acting and directing were good. Cinematography was quite good. For a movie made by a writer/director with a short resume, all surprisingly good. I found myself invested in the characters and the relationships far more than I was expecting.

The bad: If care about details, there's a lot of bad. The accents and use of Cajun expressions are mostly atrocious. If you are going to do a lot of bad Cajun accents, don't draw attention to it by throwing in some rather obscure Cajun expressions and putting in huge distracting English subtitles. Whoever did the set dressing, everything is just too too clean and new. No dust, no mud, no fish guts. It all looks like a Macy's Cajun houseboat display. The giant old alligator is a maybe 6 ft, 3 year old, yet they show it repeatedly. If you don't have the budget to fake a big old alligator, don't constantly show a rather small one. Colin Clifton Jr. looks great shirtless, but he is always shirtless, like it is a sitcom gag. Nice to see him in some pre-West World work. Unfortunately, somehow, Johnathon Schaech is never shirtless. Ditto Jeremy Davidson.

The worse: This movie is all set up to be an interesting erotic thriller/mystery, but there is no eros, and, no thrills, and almost no mystery. There is a huge Checkov's gun problem in that the missing Momma is constantly addressed, but never resolved. All the elements are there for some gut wrenching emotions or life-changing revelations...but we get NOTHING. It's sad and kinda shocking, because the story takes us 90% towards interesting interesting and impactful and just totally drops the ball.

Disappointed :(

[cajunmiss · 3/10 · 25 January 2009]

I think this would have been a much better film if the Cajuns had been portrayed in a more believable light. My family is from the southeast region of Louisiana and I live in southeast Texas (about 20 miles from Lake Charles). I have never heard the people I grew up around talk like these folks did. The Cajuns were portrayed as backwards rednecks. Most of the Cajuns I know are well educated, proud people and don't sound uneducated at all when they talk the way these people did. All in all it was an OK movie, with great scenery and music. I understand that the writers were from Lake Charles, and have knowledge of the area, but for the love of all things Cajun, please have the actors study the language, live amongst the people you are portraying and get an all around understanding of how they are before you go trying to act like them. In my opinion, when the actors make you believe they are that person, it's a much more enjoyable movie!

Little Chenier's big in my heart

[breanne_kwfllaw · 9/10 · 27 October 2007]

I was born and raised in Lafayette Louisiana and still am here and I was lucky enough to have viewed this amazing film at the Films on the Bayou Film Festival this past spring. The movie was very touching and funny and moving at times, and although, yes, some of the acting and accents were questionable, you could tell that Bethany put her heart and soul into this movie. It's one of the few movies out there that doesn't make fun of Cajuns, and it's very refreshing to see one, so props for that. The film pushed and pulled people in there seats. The crowd was very responsive, even after waiting the hour or more to view it since they had one role of film for the 5 packed theaters that were showing it simultaneously. If you get a chance to see it, please take the time, it's worth it.

Horrible

[cormstu · 4/10 · 7 July 2010]

Born in Jennings,la and raised in Lafayette, la i know what a cajun accent is and the actors/actresses did a poor job portraying the cajun accent. The only accents that were truly cajun came from the three guys on the boat buying shrimp from Beaux, probably because they were true cajuns and if you listen to the main character's accent not even similar. And why must every movie about south Louisiana or cajun/creole people that almost all the characters have the thickest COONASS accent possible, not all cajuns sound that bad. I realize i am staying on the accent subject but coming from a true cajun it was annoying through the whole movie. Now on the other hand the wardrobe or lack the of (T-boy never had a shirt) was pretty accurate. The boathouses, boats and vehicles were also accurate minus the wall clock taped to the dash of Beaux's truck.(look like something out of the movie water-boy)

True to Life

[cmigues-2 · 9/10 · 20 January 2008]

Finally! A movie that portrays Cajuns realistically without fake accents and over-the-top stupidity. This movie shows the soul of the Cajun people and the beauty of the land in which they live.Although the story takes place in the bayous of Louisiana the theme of jealousy is universal and everyone can relate to it no matter where this movie is shown. The music is not your typical "Jolie Blond" french music heard in every Louisiana film. It's french, but beautiful and haunting and helps to unify the film bringing the characters, bayou setting, and music together into one of the best films I've enjoyed in the past months. Bravo!

Wonderful

[picker61 · 10/10 · 2 May 2010]

I found this film by accident, I loved it, I referred several of my friends to this and they love it. This film has become my wife's favorite film and she watches it at least once a week. I found this to be pretty realistic. We go down to the bayou country frequently. I'm a song writer and performer, and am always trying to bring more Cajun to my music. We just came back from 2 weeks in Lafayette. We went all through the bayou down there. Yes some of the accents are a little cheesy, but it's a movie. We loved the music. I would like to spend more time down there, but time doesn't always allow us to do everything we want to. I believe the writers director and cast did a wonderful job. The nay sayers on here, make me wonder what exactly they are looking for. It does have ethos of "Mice and Men", but jeez what is entirely original anymore. I don't think there is ANY indication of any overt attempt to copy that. It's just a heartfelt human story.

Good story, terrible depiction of the area and the people.

[explodoboy · 3/10 · 20 July 2017]

My family actually has a camp in Little Chenier. They were approached by the producers to possibly use our camp for a scene, but it fell through. I've spent plenty of time out there. First off, Little Chenier sits in the marsh, not the swamp. Them Mermentau is a river, not a bayou. There is not one single "bait shop on the water" in Cameron parish. The portrayal of people from Little Chenier ridge (not a town as it is described in the synopsis) as backwards rednecks who have to take a boat if they want to go anywhere is disgusting. I had hope for the movie when I heard the producer/director was from Lake Charles, but apparently they didn't do their research. They have functioning roads and bridges and vehicles. The Sheriff is elected just like every other Sheriff; it's not a result of back-woods nepotism. Hell, the only thing they got right about the whole thing is that there are usually only one or two police units patrolling that part of the parish at any time. Although, they drive Impalas, not Crown Victorias. The depiction of the area was atrocious.

That said, the story was good. It's basically just a modern re- telling of "Of Mice and Men".

P.S. NOBODY in Little Chenier, Chenier Perdeu, or Grand Chenier, actually NO CAJUN EVER has a damn New Orleans style Jazz funeral procession when someone dies. They do like every other Catholic. They have a mass then they drive to the graveyard for the burial.

Rant over.

Wonderful to see a movie about Louisiana

[Ted_martin · 9/10 · 21 January 2008]

The story has a few twist and turns that I didn't expect and overall it was great to see a film made in Louisiana about something besides New Orleans. That said, I worry that anyone outside of Louisiana seeing this film may think we all run around in flat bottom boats and wrestle alligators for fun. Yes, there are a few people like these left near where my family and I live, but they are disappearing as fast as the marshland on the Louisiana coast! The setting for the film is in Cameron Parish along the banks of the Mermentau River. The film doesn't cast the Cameron Parish Sheriff's office in a very good light, but it is a good story and it was told well in the film. There was a scene in the film of a pig roast and crawfish's boil to celebrate a wedding. The food, drink, music and dancing looked and sounded like many a Saturday night in South Louisiana. Little Chenier is a remote place where everyone knows everyone and is a true community in every sense of the word. It was great to see that sense of community come through in the film.

Puuuulease!

[lorinaz · 1/10 · 2 September 2009]

OK, anyone who could honestly say that this movie was Great or even Good is either delusional or knows the Director, Writer and Producers and is trying to boost the buzz on this film. I watched the movie because a friend of mine worked on it and it was Horrible. I'm an actress and have worked in the industry for a while now on big films and even independents and this movie bored me to tears. The reason I'm being so harsh is because this film was clearly a different take on "Of Mice and Men" and they should sue because it is such a horrible rip-off of the story. In an industry where Hollywood seems to be creatively bankrupt...for someone to take a classic book and film "Of Mice and Men" and destroy it with a new spin bugs me so much. The actors, the accents, the dialog and the direction were amateurish and the writing was dismal. I mean if your going to take a new spin on an existing story make sure its just as good or better than the original to make the new spin justified. Did not like this movie at all.

Refreshingly "Un Hollywood"

[davidmiannotti · 8/10 · 1 September 2008]

I enjoyed this film a great deal. In short it did what a film should do, (1) absorb you into its place (2) entertain (3) make you think. How did this film accomplish this? (1)Relatively genuine setting, characters, scenery. (2) Plot moved along swiftly and kept you engaged. Characters were believable. (3)Characters and setting made you think about life in their world.

This film had no "stars" to get in the way of itself which is a nice change of pace. The acting was solid, the plot was good albeit reminiscent of "Of mice and men". Parts of the plot were not spelled out for the audience allowing you to draw some of your own conclusions. In terms of where the movie could have been improved I would say some of the technical cinematography. While there were many beautiful shots that helped establish mood and setting some of the fades/ transitions were a little weak.

To summarize the strengths of this film far outweighed the weaknesses. I would probably have selected 7.5 given the choice, but chose 8 instead of 7.

Love the Movie not just for the location

[cyndimille · 9/10 · 3 February 2008]

I am from Lake Charles and was expecting to see this movie just to support local talent. I was in for a pleasant surprise. I thought the plot was very good and believable. Growing up around here I have seen things like a sheriff basically running the town. I enjoyed the actors and will look for other movies that they in based on their performance in this movie. I also appreciate the fact that Ashley Ashton and Jace Johnson recognized the struggle that the people in the Little Chenier area lost their houses and their way of life thanks to Hurricane Rita just days after the shooting was finished. There were times we were able to laugh at things people not from around here wouldn't laugh at. I would definitely recommend that anyone see this movie. I will own this one as soon as it comes out!

the worst thing ever made!!!!

[reshard76 · 1/10 · 12 August 2010]

i am a cajun from lafayette louisiana. and i have to say that this movie was impossible for me to watch. my wife and i watched it in complete disgust and awe at the lack of authenticity of this movie. it was actually comical after a while. NO ONE....NO ONE talks like the people in this movie. it was sooo overboard on the accent. i have read reviews of people saying that this was the best movie ever. whoever wrote that was either in the cast or crew of this abomination. SERIOUSLY!!!!! it is a ridiculous representation of the great people of south louisiana. i couldn't get past the accent thing to even watch what the movie was about. THE ABSOLUTE WORST MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!!! EVER!!!!! the waterboy was closer than this trash!!!!!

Most underrated movie on IMDb.

[kjartansk · 10/10 · 8 September 2008]

(warning bad English commenting :D) Little Chenier is in its own quiet melancholy style one of the beautiful movies of 2007, i by accident saw the trailer on you-tube which catch-ed my attention, but i hate to waste my time with bad movies, so i checked the IMDb rating, which immediately shattered all my expectations, but i was bored and decided to give it A go anyway, so i did, and let me just say, h'm... how can i put this, before this movie i watched "No Country For Old Men" where i almost fell asleep, this movie is way better, this is A movie i really felt gave me something, its A movie that will slowly, but surely crawl under your skin and **** with Ur head... so... i would recommend that you this one time, ignored the misplaced rating (which often match the movies here on IMDb)... and watch it!

Not For Me and Not for Many Others

[Scoval71 · 3/10 · 25 April 2010]

Just found it sort of ridiculous. When was it set--what era? Can't figure that out. Seems modern, yet then seems to be happening many, many years ago. The story of two brothers, one uneducated roughneck, the other, impossibly mentally retarded, and a third friend who seems not to own a shirt. Do people like this exist in real life? Well, it is a movie, and I did not think it too well acted, the plot seems incredulous, and the ending simply ridiculous. If you want to see the middle, rent it. Judge for yourself. This movie, at least the reviewers here on this site, are divided--either you totally like it, or totally dislike it. I totally disliked it, and I found the music annoying.......

A very good movie

[betheman2002 · 8/10 · 31 May 2010]

I felt the movie was a little slow at times but it seems to be a pretty good telling of south Louisiana life. To the reviewers who said that it wasn't nothing like the "real way of life" down there I find it hard to believe there is more gator wrestlers up here in north Louisiana than in south Louisiana. I think Clifton Collins T-boy character was a good rendition of a good ole southern boy. But alas it was just a movie and I guess everything cant be right all the time huh? The ending was a little far out there but I guess with the daddy and the sheriff there was really no need to set out on a brothers running spree but it does show how in Louisiana a friend is just about as good as anything that could be ask of.

Great acting

[patrick0950 · 9/10 · 12 February 2011]

Acting made the movie for this reviewer. Impressed by the storyline as well. It is a movie that you think about for days and days after seeing it. It one you want to see again. The relationship between the 21-year old mentally-retarded son and Jo Jo was particularly moving, well-acted and well-written. Hope to see actress Fiona Dourif in more movies and roles of this type.

Story shows a part of American culture not witnessed by many Americans, or foreign audiences for that matter. Enjoyed the Cajun theme, the soundtrack and the location of the film in southwest Louisiana. Never been in that part of the country but this film is enticing. The people, the music and the Bayou food.