May 05, 2007
"Americanizing Shelley"Film
“When circumstances throw an American country boy and a Himalayan village belle together, the ‘apple pie’ gets a smattering of ‘masala,’ only to prove that ‘You Can’t Curry Love!’”
That’s from the official synopsis of a film called Americanizing Shelley that’s being released this weekend. It’s a production of something called American Pride Films, and stars Namrata Singh Gujral. It had its premiere at the Nashville Film Festival (wonderfully known as NAFF) a couple of weeks ago. Here’s the trailer:
In the video post here, Michelle Malkin endorses the film, describing a scene that is “highly unpopular in HollyWeird” and says that “for once, it will be worth shelling out the big bucks… to support a movie that supports America.” According to this website, the film is “riling the hate-America brigade.” It interviews Singh Gujral, who says she’s “not a political person,” although as Vinod noted here two years ago, she’s certainly been, er, honored in a political setting. As for the early reviews, the LA Weekly calls the film “minor but sweet,” while the Washington Post dismisses it for “embarrassingly low-rent production values.” Finally, although the film appears made for the mainstream U.S. commercial market, Variety opines that “screenwriter and star Namrata Singh Gujral will probably find her most appreciative aud among young Indian moviegoers who want something outside the arthouse.” Your thoughts?
siddhartha on May 5, 2007 12:36 PM in Film · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
Oh, I saw an ad for this on HotAir a while back. Looks pretty amateurish, from the clips I've seen. The comments were sort of interesting at the HotAir site......
Amusingly cringe-worthy. But this ladki is hot.
I can't explain why, but I hate everything about this movie as it's advertised in the trailer, the piss taking of Sikhs, the depiction of Indian guys, the exaggerated camp, Bollywood East-West fusion, flogged more time than a carpet cleaner flogs a rug, Indians as abunch of witless banana boat refugees waiting to be schooled and seduced by white people. Sorry, it's not something I can rationalise, it's just a gut level response thing.
I think what you are trying to say, Red Snapper, is that it seems like a bad movie. Wouldn't disagree with that characterization.
OH WOW!!! It looks so great! The clashing of culture! the silly bollywood dance numbers! The funny accents. As an Amercan Born Con.......snoooooooooooooooooooore........snoooooooooooore.............snoooooooooooore......
Sorry!I fell asleep for second.
THATS HOW EXCITED I AM FOR THIS MOVIE
YAY!
Did anyone catch the racist/homophobic reference? The young Sikh boy whose sexuality seemed ambiguous said he was going outside to play with the goat. This movie looks like garbage. An endorsement by the Washington Times and Malkin? Please. I'd rather watch Fox News.
Well MD, it's the whole Bollywood in a western setting scenes of dancing, that I've seen in so many films, TV productions, film student shorts that I've seen, that kind of thing, garish broad ethnic comedy and gungadin head wagging narratives that annoy me in diaspora cinema.
Just... saw... trailer... gall bladder... and stomach... fighting over... who vents... first...
A girl from a punjabi family comes to America and try to asslimate into new country. The all I need to know that I will like this movie.
Like I've said many times in the past asslimation and intergration rule.
Yeah, you'll like it clueless.
Heh, heh. Looks funny. We need more movies and less films.
This "teach the how to be American!" motif is played out. And, from the trailer, I saw no new angle displayed. At all.
Yeah, you know, because goat-fucker jokes about rag heads always make for fun times.
I wonder what michelle would think of Gujral's Sikh faith? Wouldn't Gujral's father (if he wore the turban) be a legitimate target for profiling, according to the ole firecracker? Are they going to throw that in the movie? Right before Gujral's character and her white suitor produce a totally assimilated child who votes Republican from the crib?
this looks like a crappy movie my little brother and his drunk goon friends would make.
Well, Manju, I enjoy low, middle and high brow movies! I mean, I like Adam Sandler movies, so I'm not a movie snob. This just didn't peak my interest as a movied, but maybe that's because the girl is disgustingly pretty (why should I care, says petty jealous old MD?) and the guy just seems to young. Actually, Red Snapper is right: it seems a bit like a self-conscious student film. If you want to celebrate American assimilation, that's fine. There are funnier and more clever ways to do it.
The trailer was a pain to watch. I really wonder what audience they are trying to target. Desis are definitely not going to be keen to watch aspects of their culture come under the magnifying glass by non-desis ... and it feels like the implication here is that the transition from a 'worm to a butterfly' happens when an indian gets 'americanized'. That's definitely not going to appeal to me and many other desis as well.
The same audience that believes in the White Man's Burden.
Celebrating assimilation = making gungadin jokes about 'goofy' dudes in turbans?
Don't apologize; seems to be an apt characterization (strangely, one of my acquaintances was talking about this movie the other day. She used far stronger words....and expletives)
Red Snapper, why so prickly? I am agreeing with you. I meant the theme, as a general theme for a film, any old film and not this one in particular, is fine. Ideas are fine to explore. The execution is here, is skin-crawling.
So will someone actually dare to go see this film in the theater and bring back a full report?
Here is a good background on how and why this film was made. It is just propoganda.
I thought I was being cutting, not prickly MD! I'll try and do cuddly next time.
I would love to see the movie. But I don't know if the movie is coming to Canada.
Surely a film this classy has to have the involvement of at least one Wayan brother?
Hmm. Looks like my gall bladder won out.
Hmmmmm, it's the American versus British English, er, blogging, problem. By the way, I never get Brit irony. I always, stupidly, take the joke seriously.
Thanks for the link incog,
My favorite -
So they marketed this film as PRO-American, and no one in Hollywood would pick up the screenplay cuz they saw how bad it sucked. So Gujral went out and made it herself citing that the reason why is that the movie is "pro-american." Looking at that trailer shows NOTHING pro-American about it!!!
I actually am curious to watch the movie now and see how I too can become a better American. That supports American by assimilation.
Sigh, for every Namesake there's like 15,000 fools like these here in my lovely town of Hollywood.
Yeah, I don't like this movie..
someone said the motif of assimilation is played out yet wasn't the namesake about assimilation ???
I don't think ABCD's will like this movie, FOB's might, little kids might like it too..
Why might "FOBs" like this? It portrays them as goat fuckers waiting to be saved by the white man.
Looks like I won't be able to watch it. The only place this film is showing in the Southern California area is in the Pro-Republican County in the city of Orange. Suspect, no, that in a lovely city like mine there isn't a premiere in HOLLYWOOD but in the City of Orange?
" I don't think ABCD's will like this movie, FOB's might, little kids might too "
@Sadaiyappan - Yes, because we FOBs absolutely love not only how we are presented in these movies , but also the concept of how the Americans are going to transform us 'ugly FOBby Betty's into 'pretty American booty's ...
.. in fact I am waiting for an American to 'show me the light' right now... and oh, by the way, 'FOBs might, little kids might like it too'. I like the way you grouped us with little kids there. That was simply classic. Hurray for you !
I think the whole 'School of cooking and cleaning' bit is amateurish and, like Red Snapper characterizes it, very student-project-y. Anyone with even an iota of intelligence will know not to paint with such broad strokes. And yes, I hate Adam Sandler movies too.
Finally, idiot trolls should find a life. This post is about a silly movie. Not some kind of ABCD/FOB match mudslinging fest.
Clueless, if there was a drug that did the opposite of oxsoralen, would you take it?
I think I just lost my lunch there. It's not just that the execution of the movie is bad, it's that I can't imagine them making a movie with this agenda that could be good. A good movie shows some respect for its subjects, or if it's going to make them all two dimensional cardboard characters, at least has something funny to say about them (which again requires knowing them). This is a movie all about immigration cliches, and since it takes them seriously rather than exploding them, it will necessarily also be cliched.
this movie looks good.
after about six pints of beer, followed by a few jack n cokes. it would be interesting to find some meaning in it after that.
it does have the bus driver from bhaji on the beach (which is very good).
I will not even watch this movie if they pay me to watch it. Clueless Please Enlighten me on why you want to watch it?
uh...
it looks terrible. like an immigrant version of she's all that.
Namrata used to go by the last name "Cooper" and not "Singh Gujral." A bit of investigation reveals that the founder and CEO of "American Pride Films" is a former Naval Pilot named "Joe Cooper." And now it all makes sense. Americanizing Shelly is really Americanizing Namrata. The Times of India connects the final dot...
.This is really the story about how a real life girl from a Himalayan village, Namrata, was "Americanized" by a U.S. Military man. What could be more patriotic than starring in a film about her own life (even if you have to throw in some goat fucker jokes)? This is a real GOP power couple.
I am so sick of the "white men are great for you" theme of all movies. It is always the same old shit. Asian guys are the ugly ones that play with goats, who cant sexually satisfy you so come put some cream in your coffee.
Bend it like beckham had an Indian girl who was to athletic to like unathletic Indian guys
The whole "white people are so great" theme is in ever aspect of movies and tv.
"My Name is Earl" has a interracial case of a white woman and black guy, but I have never even seen the 2 hug each other let alone kiss.
"The Pelican Brief" movie had no physical contact between Denzell and Julia, even though in the book the characters bang the hell out of each other.
So it is okay to show white men dominate the hell out of colored women, but when a white woman is shown to be with a man of color, there can only be "implied" romance between them.
If you can, please give a name of a leading actress in hollywood that was shown to be with a man of color and displayed physical contact on screen.
Also name a actress of color that hasnt been with a white man on screen.
"School of cooking and cleaning" ??
Very cute. You couldnt pay me enough to watch this piece of shit.
"Also name a actress of color that hasnt been with a white man on screen".
the latino girl from scrubs
"If you can, please give a name of a leading actress in hollywood that was shown to be with a man of color and displayed physical contact on screen".
Heather Graham- the Guru. ;)
incredible movie!! the juxtaposition of despair and determination, mingled with emotional philosophy will driving any every one with heart choking tears and sobbing and also laughing like death.i strongly recommend this movie for the glorious benefit of humanity and everythingy from himalaya to tora bora tora.
Mira (#45) what can I say, these desis are venomous. But you'll note that of the three reviews I linked to in the post, two are positive, including the very LA/OC Weekly one that you excerpted.
Heather Graham is with a guy that is half white in the Guru
and that girl from "scrubs" doesnt count because you dont know if she has never been with a white guy on film just because she is currently with a black guy on a TV show. Plus alot of Dominican's have African in their family.
Also Mira, if you are happy with this little bone "B" list hollywood threw at Indian's then God help us all.
Okay, okay. I can't help but come out of the closet on this one. A couple of people have been pegging me for a proper review of the film but I'm too
lazybusy to write one. I--my non-desi, black American self--liked the film. As I explained to another desi friend, I filed it under cotton candy. I've seen it *gasp* TWICE. I got to meet Namrata (and Joe) and spent the better part of two days driving her assistant around Nashville.I think anyone who regularly reads SM, if they chose to write this story, would have written it differently. However, this is Namrata's point of view and yes, the film was specifically written for the average moviegoer and particularly, young ones (13-30) in mind. Also, this was her first screenplay. If there's any other film folks reading, you know that about says it all. For international audiences, she wanted to present America as the multicultural society it is (which she did subtlely) and that the Sikh religion has nothing in common with radical Islam (which she did less subtly) through scripted moments. [As for the goat thing, I'm not sure what that was all about. The actor playing her brother is gay in real life so maybe the "ambiguity" somebody mentioned was an afterthought?]
Because I'm interested in working in film, I see the situation a bit differently. I see a woman my age who just wrote, produced, and starred in an independent film that scored national and international distribution! As for the writing, and choice of topics and coverage, that is only bound to mature with time. I look forward to seeing the direction her new projects will go as they take a more nuanced approach but still maintain a fun, "average movie goer" appeal.
I mean, I agree that white men are overrated (lol!) but they do make up a large percentage of the movie going audience. ;)
Man, it's Cinco de Mayo. I'm tryna get my margarita on. Y'all need to do the same. Peace.
I thought it was given a political slant by the producers and reviewers like Michelle Malkin?
Shocked? Ah don't be shocked, have keyboard, will type.
t-hype: but we're a tough* crowd around here! And, yes, I have a life despite my non-stop posting around here. I'm procrastination, as usual.
*I mean, you should see the Namesake critiques around here; plenty of lefty Booker/NYT type pablum gets panned here, as well as this green effort.
Still, your point about this movie being rough because she's a newbie are well taken. The country song with hindi lyrics you posted on your blog, however, I liked. Now, that is fresh. So, if she goes in this direction with her new stuff, I promise I'll give it a second chance :)
Kinda surprised that the ABCD masses do not like this film. It is in the same genre as Namesake, Mississippi Masala, Monsoon Wedding, and the Gurinder Chaddhi crap that they have been peddling since the dawn of the new era. Hypocrites, anyone?
Okay, I listened to that hindi-ish country song again. Pretty typical radio-friendly 'pop' country song, but livened up with the hindi lyrics. First Bollywood Nascar and now this :) Hmmm, this may be the way to beat back the Brit Bhangra hegemony of the diaspora! I like this kind of creativity.
You know t-hype, I think it's just that broad Peter Sellers comedy and narratives of this kind have been done before so many times, list the movies, it's done so much, what's wrong with wanting something original and different, apart from gimpy characterisations and all the rest of it. Plus we're jaded and bored fuktards, cut us some slack.
WS, who else is a Sikh?
OK, here's a list of movies made in Britain and America in the last five years which feature the same kind of narrative, scenarios, garish and clumsy 'Bollywood meets contemporary England / America' trash aesthetic, featuring stock characters to various degrees of success and gungadin head wagging cliche and stereotype. These are the prevailing stock foundations of commercial diaspora cinema on both sides of the Atlantic. For all of the originality of some of the work, there is lame pandering and laziness of depiction, thought and execution in the others. These are just off the top of my head, and are the syrup that makes you feel sick.
++++
Bend it Like Beckham
Chicken Tikka Masala
Nina’s Heavenly Delights
Bollywood Hollywood
Bollywood Queen
Mistress of Spices
The Guru
Bride and Prejudice
++++
I may have forgotten some. There are things to say for some of them, but in totality, enough to make you groan.
Okay, Red Snapper, I have to disagree a bit with Bend It Like Beckam. When I first saw it, I felt it did a great job of portraying youth! That was the part I liked about it: the feeling of energy and yearning that is so typical of that age. That was the part that really resonated with me, not so much the 'stock' characters. It just overflowed with the boundless energy of youth. And, yes, that too is cliched. Still.
Also, the whites are stereotyped in these things, too, but that seems not to touch the nerve of the folks here as much....understandably so.
"I will call you 'Pinky' -- only"
--- that one line makes the film authentic.
Looks like a great, light, funny film.
That's the one film I think had some originality and freshness MD, as I mentioned. It's become a kind iof template now.
[quote]For international audiences, she wanted to present America as the multicultural society it is (which she did subtlely)[/quote]
How deceptive? Even the borg consists of millions of assimilated races and species.
By the way, there is hardly a person who doesnt already know that America is a multicultural and multiracial society --- and Hollywood cinema depicts that brilliantly. It's one of the things that fascinates people living abroad about America the most, and they get the sense of this from American movies.
Oh, all right, all right. You people. I give in! I'll see the movie, although, it ain't comin' to Boston, is it?
And, by the way, I am one of the conservatives on this board, so my initial dislike based on the seeing the clips cannot be blamed on ideology! I mean, even the commenters at HotAir weren't all on board :)
So, the Steve Azar/Americanizing Shelley country song is on CMT.com
Is this the first song with such lyrics on CMT? Hmmm....
Punjab is a "himalayan village", LMAO. Yeah, I would not be Surprised if Michelle Malkin is also going gaga over Mira Nair. The american looney right is close indeed to desi jholawalas who like to dump their milkshakes over evil auntie before cavorting off with Phileas Fogg. what energy!!
Hey, you've made a good case for your film, but that's such a lame question, if something's not funny, that's all it is, not that people don't have a sense of humour.
off-topic, but, here is Bobby Cash. Desi Cowboy. Lives in Dehra Dun, loves Nashville, plays Australia. Did you know there was such a thing as a CMA global award?
I love this kind of stuff.
Americanizing Shelley seems awful. I hated that the statement by the publicity guy. he says "bring me someone who can be an American celebrity. someone like her" points to her down there. the other guy says "but she isn't American". great. just great. b/c she is not white therefore she is not American.
my friend asked, " what makes this movie different from American Desi"?
I wondered what you guys thought.
Michelle Malkin likes this movie!! Pass the barf bag please!
Is Beau Bridges finshed in H'wood?
Bipasha Basu? Most Bolywood actresses. Why so American-centric?
Red Snapper, you simply MUST write your own screenplay...and novel, too! Show these idiots how it SHOULD be done, hai na?
need to check out the new desi brit flick "Cash and Curry" now that looks funny, in a good way.
How so? how exactly are whites being coagulated into misrepresentation?
Friends, this film promotes the friendship values of everyman America. Have you not seen the porno flicks on the walls of Khajuraho? Any sane joe would rather watch this film than what you yindoos regularly dish out. Even our Hollywood trash is better than the art on your temples.
ROFLMAO!!! I didn't understand what a "troll" was until I read #85. Book me, thanks so much, I needed a good belly laugh!!!
Preston and Stanley were sitting on the back deck of Preston's 40 footer one night off the coast of L.A. one late evening.
Stanley cleared his throat. "I read in Variety the other day that these " he made quotes in the air "'Bollywood' movies are becoming more popular in the US."
Preston took his cigar out of his mouth and spit over the railing. "Yeah, I bet. I can't even go to Neiman Marcus any more without bumping into a gaggle of chattering brown people from who-gives-a-fuck-is-stan."
"That's not what I mean. It's not just them. Even some white audiences are getting interested in...those movies."
Preston grunted and scratched his crotch.
"Some people are saying that these movies are going to consistently gross millions of dollars in the US."
"Millions you say?"
"Yup."
A silence hung between them for a minute, and then Preston sat forward. "We should make one. But we've got to jazz it up. A real Bollywood movie real Americans can love." Preston started jabbing the air with his cigar. "A backwards Indian girl coming to the US to get right."
"Like Pretty Woman! Becoming respectable! The ugly duckling turning beautiful."
"Yeahhhhhh, I can see it already. We should see if we can get some big-named endorsements from some...pundits. You know, real Americans so the down-home-on-the-farm-Piggly-Wiggly-shopping Joe Sixpack can relate! The pundits will endorse it, and everyone will go see it."
Stanley smiled. "Hot damn Preston! I'll talk to Suzy tomorrow, try to get Rupert's people on the phone. I'm smelling success already!"
see that's the reason, I love Bollywood/Indian movies. People from Africa to Far East, from Middle east to Russia like Bollywood movies because they are fed up with watching "The Great American Heroes" saving the world. Bollywood is getting better in technical aspects of film making, with better scripts it can compete with Hollywood. With in a decade or so, I expect Bollywood to give tough competition to Hollywood.
There's an interesting story behind it, producers were willing to pay denzel to leave the picture, but Julia threatened to leave it if Denzel did. The white woman/black male relationship is so "sacred" in US culture, not even an actor like Denzel could cross it.
It has to lose the song and dance to do so. And it's not just a "musical style" of filmmaking, the old ginger rogers and fred aistaire films made song and dance story element, they didn't just plop music videos in the middle of the film that add little to no narrative component. If Bollywood wants to move on Hollywood, they have to return to the Syd Field storytelling model.
Bombay Cinaema already kicks Hollywood's ass I'd say, in terms of sheer quantity and distribution.
Hmmmm...is that really the theme of all the movies? I never could figure out all that theme and symbolism stuff in English class (when in doubt, just guess the poem's about death, that's how I winged it). So here I thought the theme was: "Male Chauvinist Pigs who underestimate your intelligence, overestimate the size/appeal of their dicks, and can't satisfy you emotionally..." That isn't restricted to Asian guys... And hey, everyone knows women don't give a crap about a guy's looks...that's why the chick's usually the better looking of the couple.
"It has to lose the song and dance to do so"
then its not bollywood.
Michael Medved, Michelle Malkin, and the Washington Times? Pretty much says it all right there. God they are pathetic.
michelle malkin gives the worst endorsement since:
john wayne gacy says, "it's so discordantly reactionary i laughed til i dressed up like a clown!"
country music - bollywood fusion? yuckhy yuckhy.
Ok.. Indians are not stupid ! The art on the temples is the tradition..
And the reason hollywood movies are so much better is because hollywood directors have so much more money.. Most bollywood films cost 1 - 2 million dollars; compare that too a Hollywood film that costs $100 million..
"...Namrata was also recently declared "Babe-Of-The-Week", a title she shares with Heather Locklear, Jessica Simpson and Faith Hill, among others. " though they don't say who declared her as such.
the trailer says the guy who directed also directed sopranos
according to imdb, dude only directed one episode - an episode from Sopranos first season ... lol
I haven't seen the movie, but I'd be happy to see it. It looks silly and trashy but entertaining. Does it have a conservative, right wing subtext? I'll withhold judgment until I've seen it.
Who cares if Bollywood gives Hollywood any competition? It is what it is, and I don't want to change it. Indian film is amazing in it's own right, and so is Hollywood. The two don't need to be compared. People who don't like Bollywood and want to make the films "better" just don't get it, in my opinion.
Does anyone else suspect that all these supporters of the movie are here on a astroturfing call from a brown conservative website, or am I being paranoid?
@SA
maybe, you know, they just disagree with commenters here. and, actually dug the movie. why is that so hard for you to believe? why must everyone agree with the mainstream ALL the time?
must be that paranoia thing you mentioned.
Jeez... more "sikh-face". Untidy turban? Check. Fake beard? Check. Act like a clown? Check. Classic.
It cant be that hard to find real Sikh actors can it?
told you so
Who would want to act with that kind of script? And why would they care? The faker the better since these characters are basically in turbanface anyway.
This movie = Ewwwww!
Where did you see it Seema?
I guess this is just another sign that mainstream Hollywood wants to "get its India on". I seriously thought the trend would be over by now.
Anyway, "Americanizing Shelley" looks like a rehash of basically every desi-encounters-modern-world movie ever made. The trailer is just awful. I hope the movie sinks like a rock at the box office.
Hollywood already had one 'bollywood hit' and didn't realize it -- The Titanic.
You had your secret lovers from the wrong side of the tracks, arranged marriage to an arrogant rich idiot, a controlling mother, hero was poor, but charming wheeler-dealer and looked good cleaned up..there was a dance sequence on the lower deck, everybody was wearing wet clothes sooner or later.. Oh, and you had Celine Dion's song which was on every single radio station whether you wanted to hear it or not! :-)
Only difference would've been in a bollywood movie, the old lady wouldn't have thrown the blue diamond back into the ocean, she would've ..(I dunno.. fill in the blank :-)
Okay, I just nuked over a DOZEN comments which came from six different handles/usernames, each from the same IP. Guess what they all had in common? They thought this movie was AWESOME! Mira Shah, Stanfordwhatever et al...viral marketing is great, but state your opinion ONCE-- don't spam us and "game" the discussion just because it ain't going your way.
hahaha @ SMIntern
Nice try guys!
I'm in my thirties and am saving for a deposit on a house, no time to write, I have a life to lead. I have time to criticise bad art though, it's my human rights.
I saw this film in DC on May 6 at DuPont Circle. It was NOT political really at all. She does say she thinks Americans are not as bad as she thought at the end of the movie than she thought at the start of the movie and some conservative Sikhs said they do not like the film because she is "Americanized" a little in her accent and habits after swearing early in the film she would not be. That's it for the "politics" of the film---far less political than Robbin Williams in "Moscow on the Hudson" in 1984. Yes there are some stereotypes but that is sort of what the film is about in the first place and not being from India I have no idea who might be offended if anyone.
It was cute and funny but slow in some spots. More funny I suppose to people from India in the small audience who got some of the Bollywood references that I did not and they laughed a lot at a routine on Indian names like "sweetie" and "hottie" and they laughed about "dancing around trees" which is I was told a Bollywood trademark. I laughed when she said all white people sound the same to her and an African-American actor said, "tell me about it." None of this was knee-slapping comedy but it was cute and enjoyable for an independent little film. I cannot believe in 99 comments above almost no one had seen the film but were reviewing a trailer with such sharp opinions. This film is a threat to no one, it is just mildly entertaining. If you know people from India, it might be funny to you. If not, you just threw away nine dollars or whatever.
I think our dear T-Hype said she HAD seen it. Twice.
Michelle Malkin loves a film about how Asian women should play into the Orientalist stereotype and dump the misogynist, small-dicked Asian men for virile, masculine, cultured, sensitive white dudes?
Wow, this is incredibly hard for me to believe...
Shallow Thinker's post (#42) speak volumes. It "Shelley" really does perpetuate (or the potential to further) the stereotype of the white male dream husband. Plus, not to mention, the other stereotype of the fear of lusting for or getting physical affection from black men. In fact, I'm surprised that Ronreaco Lee (the black actor) isn't stereotyped with bling. Usually, if a black male character is in a east-meets-west movie and plays the "white guy's best friend," it's usually boils down to three situations:
a). He's pushed in the background, has no life at all except to live vicariously through his white friend, thus making him more alluring to the international hottie du jour.
b). He's pushed in the background, as a paper tiger gigolo--always giving advice about women or talking about past sexcapades with women, but yet you never see him with a woman. Like a modern-day Isaac the waiter from "The Love Boat."
Or...
c). He's portrayed as the gay black friend living vicariously through his buddy (see 'a' and 'b'), except this time he's the white guy's "queer eye" to help him understand the opposite sex and later capture his exotic love interest.
From what I heard about "The Pelican Brief", I thought Denzel voluntarily wanted the supposed "love scene" between his character and Julia Roberts' character cut out of the film, so as to not upset his huge black female fan base.
If it's playing in the Atlanta area, I might give it a chance. It's no "English Patient" but it's no "Soul Plane" either.
Looks better than bend it like beckham
"Pappa I want to play football"
The only thing that made me laugh in the movie was the gay kid. "Your indian" lol, I cracked up at that. Stupid kid didnt know about hijrahs in india I guess.
looks like another cross over movie to me...but yeah the actress is banging :D. It'll prolly be worth a donwload ;)
"Nayomi Cooper" is she the same as Namrata Singh? The web site lists both of them...the height of PR spinning.
Hey guys, I saw the movie - must say very entertaining!!
C'mon, you guys, get a life! Stop wasting your time writing s*** ! go watch the movie and get a laugh!!!
Seems like theres one person who keeps logging on to post negative comments..
Perhaps some jealous indian actress who couldnt do big brother?????
or is it some c grade horror movie director with a personal vendetta??????
Bye for now, I got stuff to do, unlike some of you ;-) (that was funny - for those who need to buy some sense of humor)
This is in response to shallowthinkers comment -"please give a name of a leading actress in hollywood that was shown to be with a man of color and displayed physical contact on screen". The movie 'Love Field' had Michelle Pfeiffer and Denzel Washington making out.
Oh, MY GOD. I just watched the first half of this movie (don't ask, friday evening plans got cancelled) and I cannot find words to express my...umm....nausea..Who is this woman who cannot pronounce the name Shalini? The College of Cooking and Cleaning in Himalayas, India? She wants an Indian curry?? And that's just the factual inaccuracies. Never mind the fact that this movie is insulting to Americans, Indians and everyone in between, that it has an assimilationist agenda that it basically wears on its sleeve, that it panders to EVERY stereotype out there, even ones that don't really exist, from the blonde cheerleader bimbette to the nerd (who apparently can land a job in LA by walking into the 'celebrity manager's' office) to the sikh boy playing with the goats (WHY are there sikhs living in what looks like a nomadic tribe and mud huts in the himalayas, y'all?) God, this movie freaked me out on so many levels. I thought making simplistic assumptions about other cultures went out with the Indiana Jones movies (although that's back from the dead as well, so maybe its a trend) Hi, Namrata Singh Gujral...this is 1932 calling, we'd like our limited world view back. Oh, and you're an idiot.