Plot
Alice and John are a young, financially struggling married couple living in a small town. Despite their college degrees, they find themselves unemployed and overwhelmed by mounting bills. John works at a telemarketing firm, while Alice spends her days trying to maintain the image of a successful life, though the couple can barely afford groceries.
One day, after Alice impulsively steals a vintage brass teapot from an antique store following a minor car accident, she discovers that the teapot has magical properties—it dispenses money whenever she or someone nearby experiences physical pain. At first skeptical, John becomes convinced when he witnesses the teapot in action. The couple begins to exploit the object, inflicting small injuries on themselves to earn quick cash.
As their financial situation improves, Alice and John escalate their efforts, using increasingly violent methods to maximize their earnings. They go so far as to visit a dominatrix, suffer dental procedures without anesthesia, and even attempt emotional and psychological pain, which the teapot also seems to reward. Their behavior becomes erratic, and their relationship starts to suffer as moral lines blur.
Along the way, the couple learns that they are not the first to possess the teapot. A group of Hasidic scholars, who have been tracking the object, warn them of its dangerous history and the suffering it has caused previous owners throughout centuries. The scholars explain that the teapot feeds off human pain and ultimately destroys those who use it too long.
As the couple’s wealth grows, so does the cost to their well-being. Paranoia sets in when the police begin investigating their sudden fortune, and when the teapot is stolen, their desperation reveals the full extent of their dependence on it. After a harrowing journey to recover the object and a final act of violence, John and Alice are forced to confront the truth about their choices.
In the end, the couple chooses to rid themselves of the teapot, throwing it into a lake in a symbolic gesture of letting go. Though they return to a modest lifestyle, they rediscover the strength of their relationship and the value of living without shortcuts or supernatural interference. The film closes with a hint that the teapot may one day resurface, continuing its cycle of temptation and consequence.
Reception
The Brass Teapot garnered negative reviews from critics. It holds a 29% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 4.7/10. [7] The Film.com review said: "Despite the sometimes patchy moments The Brass Teapot by and large squeaks by as an enjoyable entertainment." The Playlist commented that: "With the help of a talented cast, The Brass Teapot is able to coast on charm."
HitFix writes: "It is apparent that Ramaa Mosley has a voice, and that The Brass Teapot is a focused, controlled piece of storytelling that displays real control". The Wall Street Journal said: "Alice and John are good company — especially Alice, thanks to Ms. Temple's buoyant humor and lovely poignancy. The problem comes when the couple gets greedy, the gods grow angry and the tone turns dark. It doesn't stay dark, but getting back to the brightness is a painful process."
Nicolas Rapold of The New York Times criticized the film, saying that while the two lead characters were interesting, the "movie's best bits lose out to the requisite moral turnaround". [8] Rob Hunter of Film School Rejects commented that the darker points of the film's story line were "ill fitting" in contrast with the predominantly "comically light and slapsticky" tone of the overall movie. [9] In contrast, Peter Debruge of Variety gave a more positive review for the film, saying that Mosely "makes her low-budget enterprise look as slick as most midrange studio comedies, demonstrating herself a director with both imagination and technical ingenuity." [10]
Musical Adaptation
In 2019, the dramatic stage rights for the film were optioned by Brass Teapot Development LLC / producer Erik Kaiko, who had seen the film years prior. [11] Mosley and Macy wrote a first draft of the script adaptation, and the first draft of the score was completed by Cardigan in 2021.
Following an informal 2021 Zoom reading and a writing retreat in 2022, major structural changes were implemented, and further improvements were made. The piece was named a semi-finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center’s 2023 National Music Theater Conference, as well as the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University. The third complete draft was accepted into the 2024 Chicago Musical Theatre Festival, produced by Kokandy Productions at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, [12] and NAMT’s 36th Annual Festival of New Musicals in 2024. [13]
A developmental production was staged by Los Angeles theatre company Firefly Theatre Group in May 2025. [14]
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