Chances Are

This film is a giant step forward for films about Vietnam and the Vietnamese people. Prior to "Chances Are", recent popular films dealing with Vietnam and the Vietnamese focused on the visual aspects of Vietnam and the Vietnamese condition. Granted, they presented a beautiful country in romantic settings. However, as a result of the focus on the visual, character development and story were not emphasized enough, which made the films rather one-dimensional. In "Chances Are", the story and character development are emphisized to reasonable postmodern levels. The film takes place in Vietnam and the particular environments are recognized; but, visual imagery is not overwhelming the story. "Chances Are" is a romantic-comedy in the tradition of postmodern film. It mixes genres quite nicely and has enough sub-plots and humor to keep the audience attention. The characters are rather kitch, but, it is a giant step forward from films prior. This film brings enough postmodern film-making techniques to reach the mass audience rather than just film festival connoisseurs and Vietnamese enthusiasts.