What do you get when you mix a group of men with incredibly narrow perspectives about male/female relationships and women from a country filled with poverty and hardship? Mostly disenchantment, depression and bruised egos - but still a very interesting television snack.
Marriages happened but how can real bonding grow from such toxic seed? The most important factor to the men in this search was aesthetic, sexual appeal and that proved to be detrimental to most all of them. The men who felt scammed only found themselves in that position because they allowed superficiality to be their guide. For some reason, for most of these men, they believe that if the woman is attractive that everything else can be overcome. Sexual attraction does not an entire relationship make.
This is just the tip of the ice berg though. Each one of these guys had his own "issues" that made it impossible for them to even select someone compatible for a real marriage. Eric was obviously doing everything he could to prove himself "manly" but he just came across as ignorant and insecure instead. Michael was just a pouty, delusional man-child who refused to take hints or even hear the truth if it didn't fit what he wanted to believe. Ron was in complete denial about aging and was looking for someone to live with him in that impossibility. Bobby kept trying to win a woman who fit the media's beauty ideal (Angelina Jolie) probably because he thought she would be the prize that would be evidence of his elusive self-worth. Poor Travis seemed ready but was just looking for love in all the wrong places - places that would probably require him to literally relocate, reinvent and reestablish himself in order to find a relationship of any kind.
The only man in this group who seemed serious and mature enough for a real relationship was Robert.
In the end, this documentary was less of a window into the Russian Bride phenomena and more a testament to sexism, outdated gender roles and delusional approaches to relationships.
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