It doesn't matter that it wasn't an "American" behind the camera; this _is_ the kind of tale that profoundly resonates with the American mythos; the fact it takes place in a globalized context is, frankly, barely relevant to changing the fact that it is peddling what is essentially the quintessential Americanized fantasy, now exported globally. Have a Coke and a smile.

I thought this movie sucked, for all the reasons already enumerated. I have no idea why people found it captivating. None.