This was not a very good film, and, after seeing it and thinking about it, my opinion of it sank even further--to awful. It's supposed to be a comedy, but I didn't get one laugh.
The plot is well detailed by gradyharp, another commentator here. The whole plot is utter hogwash. But I was put off by the film's making fun of the Indian traditions and rituals of engagement and marriage. (No, I am not Indian.) In playing them for laughs, it degraded them, and this wasn't funny.
The gay story is ignored--yes, ignored--for most of the film. I didn't for a moment believe that Jimi and Jack were in love and a devoted couple because the film didn't have enough scenes to make that clear. Chris Bisson is miscast as Jimi Chopra. He looks much older than Peter Ash, who plays Jack. Sushil Chudasama, who plays Ravi, Jimi's brother, would have been better cast as Jimi. There is no chemistry between Bisson and Ash. Jack is ignored for most of the film, and this is insulting to his character. Jack emerges as a chump, willing to take whatever humiliation Jimi hands out. And Jack's willingness to meet Jimi's parents and extended family and to take a role in Jimi's marriage seemed unrealistic.
But Jimi himself isn't very nice; he's cowardly, spineless, unwilling to confront the issues of coming out to his parents. I suppose one could say that if Jimi did so we'd have no movie, or we'd certainly have no comedy. But as presented here, I disliked Jimi for his spinelessness, even though he used the rationale of doing what he did to please his parents. But what Jimi was about to do in marrying Vanessa would have been harmful to many people in short order, even though Vanessa, Jack, and Hanah were all in on the deceptive marriage plot. That they were says nothing positive about their characters.
Actually, the gay plot is so back-grounded, that the film might well work as a heterosexual story. Jimi could just as well have an English girlfriend, say, whom he wanted to marry but whom he knew his parents would disapprove of and will hatch a plot to deceive his parents but allow him to still live with his English girlfriend.
In addition, I was put off by Vanessa, an overweight alcoholic woman who works tending bar in a pub and passes out most nights when she comes home from work. She also has a potty mouth. None of this makes for a humorous effect. Her precocious young daughter, Hanah, not only takes care of herself but also attends to her mother. Unfortunately, most of Hanah's dialogue is implausible, very adult, and proves only that Kazy Clayton can memorize sophisticated dialogue at a young age.
A strip club scene here is unnecessary. Harish Patel, who plays Simran's father, is outrageously over the top in a Zero Mostel manner that I found both embarrassing and irritating. Definitely not recommended.
2 out of 4 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
