Reviews

This is basically a movie of opposites attracting, and what's nice is the light easy way the character come together on the screen. It's just easy and natural.

On an aside, Jennifer Anniston does not even seem like she is acting. She is that natural (to me). I love her on-screen.

Ben Stiller plays, well, himself really. It's his usual role in romantic comedies. A sort of frustrated, angst-ridden, whiny, but lovable guy.

The actors' chemistry is great, thanks more to Anniston's charisma on-screen, than anything.

Polly Prince (Anniston's character) is a free-spirited, hippie living in NYC.She makes a living waitressing. She's going nowhere in particular in her life. While Stiller, he is living a different sort of life in the Big Apple; he's a yuppie moving up in the world, in fact, he just got married! His life spirals down fast when his new wife (played by Debra Messing) cheats on him on his honeymoon with a insanely attractive scuba instructor! Debra Messing's character is EVERYTHING Polly Prince isn't. Messing plays a elite, prim, classy, girl. Stiller's character no doubt thought he hit the jackpot with her but we find out quickly, that life had other plans for him....

Stiller's character looks back and analyzes the relationship, in hindsight, with the help of Stiller's best friend. They realize together that Messing's character was just sort of "faking" it - all the way up until the wedding!

We wonder, how deep the Stiller-Messing relationship was given what's happened. The movie briefly shows Ben Stiller's character left in this limbo-land, and then, well, "Along comes polly!" Stiller and Anniston's character bump into each other in life and what follows is a sweet, somewhat comedic journey of the two beginning a new relationship together.

The development of their chemistry has a natural and sweet quality to it on-screen. I attribute this to the presence of a sweet, good-natured Anniston leading the screen.

By the end of the movie, the two characters have developed into gaining the qualities of the other person. The audience sees the potential of the two as a couple, because of the bond they've formed on-screen. It all happens quite naturally.

By the end, "Polly" is no longer the commitment phobe she was at the beginning of the film, while Stiller's character has learned that life is not about achieving "milestones" and to take things slowly.

We feel good about their prospects...definitely a Happy, Feel-Good Movie.

One leaves the theater feeling satisfied. Not divine satisfaction, but good light (romantic comedy) satisfaction.

I hope what I write does not turn people off from seeing this movie, as there were visually and emotionally powerful positive scenes....

But I am still in awe of such a decent movie, heartfelt story, of a beautiful little boy, placed by life into a shameful ignorant hard cold family, filling his life with shame and abusive towards him, because they are ignorant of his disability, impatient with him, eventually abandoning him emotionally and physically by sending him far away. The story on screen was heartbreaking (at times) and I cried many times. Perhaps most hard for me was watching this little boy fall into, sinking depression. Awful seeing that in this young, young soul. Amir Khan's character said it so well - "He is in danger." Many times I thought in this film, this little boy will commit suicide unless someone reaches him. I only wish I could have a teacher like Amir Khan's character in my own life and childhood. The way he gently entered into this young man's world, to lift him from his despair was done with gentleness and mastery.

May India learn from this film. From what I can tell, having been born into an Indian family, emotional abusive is common in parenting. Neglect as well. Not in all cases, but it was there in this film. The first half was emotionally difficult because of this, but necessary to display the problem, and alienation the child suffered....I couldn't wait for the HOPE to arrive and though it was endlessly long in comiing, and difficult to endure the suffering in the first half....I was yearning for HOPE, it slowly built and finally arrives in the second half and one breathes a little easier....and is uplifted.

Finally, we see this little boy gets what everyone deserves - a little love, compassion, compassion, and more compassion. Somebody who can get inside of him, reach within him and pull him out. There was hope finally. I cried throughout because I too like most people am dying for that, and have not often received much of it in my youth, nor adulthood.

Thanks to Amir Khan for making such a powerful, telling, uplifting film. May it educate Indians- parents, teachers alike.

the story got lost...Rani and Abishek are not convincing as 20 somethings in the opening scenes in which the characters struggle against their parents. These two are too old to be playing 20 somethings!

I wonder about Amitabh Bacchan these days - we seem to be watching him going through mid-life crises more and more in films these days. This was no exception, and we get to watch an aging 60+ year old man behaving 20 years younger on screen, flirting with women who in real-life are soon to be his daughter-in-law (ick!) It was sad to see him sort of beneath himself but if he doesn't mind...why should we? (p.s sorry to all his fans). He plays a "cool" tough cop in this film. He doesn't really act, as much as the dramatic music, cool shades and clothes, plus cheesy dialogue, sort of do the acting for him. His acting was terrible in this film, overacted scenes.

About the other actors in the film, both Rani M. and Abishek respectfully ought to tame it down a little. Over-acting tends to be the style of Bollywood, but it would be nice if they tried something more subtle.

Rani is probably the most natural, graceful Indian actress there is, in comparison to her peers like Aishwarya Rai, who hasn't mastered the emotional range and groundedness of her parts. But, Rani's acting style has mostly one dimension in this film - she seems to perceive everything as a joke, and is laughing in every scene, which is infectious and fun to see.

The chemistry was unfortunately just not there in the pairing of the main actors. Abishek and Rani M. seemed more like brother and sister to me, than a passionate couple. Perhaps it's because Abishek and Aishwarya Rai are married now...knowing this works against the chemistry with them. I'm not sure I really want to see the chemistry between actors who are married to other people (!)

The saving grace included the costumes - of which Rani goes through probably 100 literally; plus, the dance scenes in Bollywood films are always mesmerizing and spectacular in choreography and costumes - like wonderful mini-musicals.

I was questioning at times why Rani M. and Aishwarya Rai are both willing to be half-naked, publicly exposing themselves, in their films, but I'm not sure they have a choice (?), and certainly male viewers aren't complaining.

There was a little depth in the film too. I related to the struggle between the dual sides of Abishek's character - Bunti vs, Rakesh. Rakesh is his given name, and represents the life of his family, who are middle class and get up every day and work for a middle class living, and this lacked appeal to the young Rakesh. He used the name "Bunti" to describe the part of him that desired much, much more - things every human being wants at some point - lust and thirst for power, riches, glory, fame, and good looks. Isn't that battle within everyone?

Abishek character's struggle with this identity is very real, a saving grace - I loved it.

Something grand and almost royal, surfaces in films from the 1950s and 60s. They are a refreshing look back in time. The lack of "oversexed" plots, slower shots, and relaxed pace, are some of the things that make them great IMO.

This is one of those films...like most Hindi films, there are so many characters and stories going on all at once (Note: probably needs this to fill 3 hours). We see the main character, Vijay Khanna, a wiley, fun-loving law student with idealist aims but a somewhat cowardly heart, become transformed into a man who will become a great politician someday. In Hindi films, character development happens so often through plot and a character's conduct rather than through dialogue...so different than Western films usually.

We imagine that Khanna learned the courage and bravery he needs to be a "hero" for India as he is enmeshed and then untangles himself from a dark and violent political subplot he gets caught up in unexpectedly. The green young idealist becomes a veteran-hero whose risked his life for love, and justice, albeit not necessarily because he wanted to but circumstances made it so.

We also see a bit of this development in the heroine, Sunita, a young and innocent princess living a fairytale life, who alongside Vijay becomes involved in the violence and corruption.

The two undergo trials both as a couple in their commitment towards each other, and in saving their own lifes from the political-criminals who are after them. By the end, their love is forged into something much stronger than superficial beauty and physical attraction, as we hope is Vijay's respect for the work of past leaders of the country, and his commitment to continue their fight against injustice, or in the present times, against corruption.

The picture we see of the masses in India was complicated. Their vote seems so important to politicians, but we see how uninformed and easily swayed the masses are, and how corrupt politicians are there. It was an uneasy picture. The film also exposes concepts of mob justice or mentality in India, of community justice or vigilantism occurring in India as well.

Lastly, we see a dedicated father and mother in Vijay's family who on the one hand, curse their son's immaturity early on, but will go to any lengths to save him from the trouble he becomes involved in. Family loyalty has a hand in saving our hero...

These are things I saw when digging deeper into the film, but the seriousness is balanced against comedic moments, and songs and dance scenes found in Bollywood films. It embraces multiple genres: a political thriller, a romance comedy, and an action film.

You can expect to see great sets like a grand ballroom (and other beautifully recreated rooms inside and outside a palace), a torture scene in a medieval dungeon, and scenes filmed on-site at memorable locations in India the best one for me being the Taj Mahal love scene. The sets are very creative and wide-ranging, and entertaining.

So if you're a Westerner like me, be prepared to put aside any expectation of realism in this film, don't hope to watch anything similar to a Western film, let go of any aversion you have to melo-drama, any desire for plausibility, and finally, remember the film is about 50 years old. If you can do that, the film should be entertaining.

(Be prepared for those tinny sound tracks from old movies as well ;-)