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Overall Rating
 Awesome: 15.38%
Worth A Look: 76.92%
Average: 0%
Pretty Bad: 0%
Total Crap: 7.69%
1 review, 7 user ratings
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Bollywood/Hollywood |
by Scott Weinberg
"The Idiot's Guide to the Bollywood Musical"

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I've never seen an actual Bollywood flick. Considering I'll watch just about anything (and often do) I find this a bit distressing. Fortunately Deepa Mehta's colorful and generally charming Bollywood/Hollywood seems a worthwhile introduction to those highly-adored Indian movies. Plus it's a lot like that Greek Wedding flick.I didn't really know what to make of this flick going in, but I suppose that's why we watch 'em. Canadian-Indian Director Deepa Mehta has worked on both ends: she's done both traditional Bollywood and "North America" style filmmaking and Bollywood/Hollywood joins the two together quite capably.
The plot sees a likeable young millionaire who hires a Hispanic escort to pose as his Indian girlfriend. Rahul's family, despite living in Canada, has a strong devotion to their religion and culture. And in these modern days of waning cultural traditions, Rahul doesn't want to be bound by tradition.
Since he needs a nice Indian girl as a date for his sister's wedding, Rahul strikes a rather lucrative arrangement with a seemingly Hispanic young woman. (Were this movie a total stinker, and it's not, it would still be worth seeing for the ethereally wondrous presence of Lisa Ray as Sue.) Various mild and predictable rom-com complications ensue, each of Rahul's family members are affably goofy and laden with pithy wisdom, and only a few paper-thin roadblocks stand in front of the overwhelmingly happy ending.
Oh, and there are several musical numbers. They may be a bit off-putting to those unfamiliar with the Bollywood musicals. But I fit that classification to a T - and I found them quite charming...in a painfully innocent way.
There's not a whole lot here that hasn't been covered in dozens of other romantic comedies, but the pleasantly weird amalgam of Canadian-style earnestness and Indian-style sincerity somehow manages to grow on you. I suspect the singular beauty of Lisa Ray may have shaded my opinions a bit, but hey - they cast her for a reason!Yet another example of why you should never bypass a flick just because it's not something you'd normally watch, Bollywood/Hollywood is a charming and affable film, and one that should stand as a great "gateway movie"; moviegoers who enjoy this one will hopefully search out other Bollywood titles. And if one little cross-cultural romantic comedy can do that, I'd call that an impressive accomplishment indeed.
link directly to this review at https://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=7208&reviewer=128 originally posted: 04/29/03 00:54:17
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OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2003 SXSW Film Festival. For more in the 2003 South By Southwest Film Festival series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2003 Philadelphia Film Festival. For more in the 2003 Philadelphia Film Festival series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2003 Seattle Film Festival. For more in the 2003 Seattle Film Festival series, click here.
OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2002 Vancouver Film Festival. For more in the 2002 Vancouver Film Festival series, click here.
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USA 03-Oct-2003 (PG-13) DVD: 08-Nov-2005
UK N/A
Australia N/A
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