Saw this at the press screenings for the SF International Asian American Film Festival, and I can't say enough good things about it. Everything about this movie rocks:
-- Anyone who's been an immigrant or can identify in any way with that "stranger in a strange land" feeling can appreciate the simple stories going on here (Foretold he'll find love in America, Hari arrives here to study engineering, lives with his uncle and aunt and their kids, and creates tension when the college age son is ordered to assimilate the "fresh off the boat" newcomer into his hip social circle).
-- It captures the tensions between the assimilated and the newly arrived very well (as well as between the hip and the uncool, young and old, and men and women).
-- The acting is perfect for a comedy; the main roles are not stereotypes but real characters beset by doubt, limitations and desire.
-- It has great homages to the incredible palette of colors used in Indian films, as well as little Bollywood numbers that are perfectly timed in regard to the plot. They're pulled off very well.
-- And I swear, they must have put out a casting call for every hot Indian woman in the greater Houston area, where this was filmed. What beautiful women, and they act very well.
By all means, see this movie if it's playing near you. With the indie success of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," it's possible this could get an extended release; it deserves it. This is an outstanding comedy.
-- Anyone who's been an immigrant or can identify in any way with that "stranger in a strange land" feeling can appreciate the simple stories going on here (Foretold he'll find love in America, Hari arrives here to study engineering, lives with his uncle and aunt and their kids, and creates tension when the college age son is ordered to assimilate the "fresh off the boat" newcomer into his hip social circle).
-- It captures the tensions between the assimilated and the newly arrived very well (as well as between the hip and the uncool, young and old, and men and women).
-- The acting is perfect for a comedy; the main roles are not stereotypes but real characters beset by doubt, limitations and desire.
-- It has great homages to the incredible palette of colors used in Indian films, as well as little Bollywood numbers that are perfectly timed in regard to the plot. They're pulled off very well.
-- And I swear, they must have put out a casting call for every hot Indian woman in the greater Houston area, where this was filmed. What beautiful women, and they act very well.
By all means, see this movie if it's playing near you. With the indie success of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," it's possible this could get an extended release; it deserves it. This is an outstanding comedy.