Such a frustrating disappointment

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

I remember seeing this at a 3rd I Film Festival, and I was shocked at how bad it was. The whole genre of "Indian-American films"- from American Desi onward- is usually amateurishly written, and keeps focusing on the same themes over and over again- not "fitting in" to American society, having difficulty with parents, dating, stereotypes of Indian culture, etc. The only reason 2nd generation South Asians like them so much is that between Bollywood and Hollywood, there was no genre that represented their experience. On top of that, I found the FOB caricature offensive (and I am an "ABCD" myself)- having parents, friends and relatives who are "FOBs" from metro areas and don't fit the stereotype of socially awkward, bad-smelling people that can't speak proper English. It's almost like ABCDs take pleasure in pointing out the differences because they are ashamed that many Anglos think of US that way. There is a wide diversity in the people who immigrate here, and I know that my cousins in Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore actually grew up in far more liberal and progressive environments than we did here- their parents had no problems with them dating in high school or becoming artists or whatever. And that's not to say that a person who grows up in a small village in Gujarat or Andhra Pradesh is going to smelly, socially-awkward and not worth knowing, just because their values are traditional or they dress differently. Indian-Americans who have been the target of racism here and therefore ashamed of their origins shouldn't take it out on their "FOB" brothers and sisters.

This movie portrays the difficulties faced by the FOBs to assimilate into the American culture. The reason I changed my title summary to "abcd culture" is because the movie actually shows how the ABCD's treat the fresh of the boat.Hari, who is caring and considerate is looked down upon by his "American" cousin, Mohan aka MO (I would rather call him mofo). Although I personally like Kal Penn, its his character that I hated. Though Hari's character is a little exaggerated, the prejudice suffered by him, closely relate that to mine (or to many other fobs). The moment an ABCD discovers that his peer or classmate is a fob, he would try to avoid him. And this is exactly what is displayed throughout the movie... from the experiences of Hari, Shyam and his friends! I loved all the comedy scenes, although it was hurting inside.

If you liked Harold & Kumar, then you may find this movie funny. However, it is not a movie centered around drugs like the afore-mentioned was. There is a weed scene in Where's the Party, but nothing on the scale of Harold & Kumar.Basically there are 2 general groups of people that will find this particularly funny: 1) Kal Penn fans.2) Anyone who finds racial stereotypes funny.As a whole, this movie had some pretty funny moments in it. However, it big time paled in comparison to Harold & Kumar go to Whitecastle.If you fall into one of the two categories above, check this movie out. If not, you'll probably want to skip this movie and pick something else instead.

This is an excellent film (or "fil-im," as Hari might say) that everyone can relate to in some aspect. If you've ever been felt like you don't fit in, as many of the fresh-off-the-boat (FOB) characters in this movie do, or grew up with the influence of two or more cultures (as I did), or generally feel different, this is a movie for you to see. This movie is sort of "Revenge of the Nerds" style mixed with an "Office Space" sense of humor. I found many of the circumstances of this movie to be hilarious, and dead-on when it comes to Indian customs and behaviors (such as the preference for "baldis" (buckets) in the shower by FOBs).One of the main characters, Hari, is a sweet, somewhat naive FOB who's wide-eyed enthusiasm at living in America is very refreshing and instantly appealing. His cousin, Mohan is a cynical, spoiled guy who disdains responsibility but eventually shows that he has a good heart deep down. The two learn from each other during the course of the film. Sunil Thakkar, a co-writer and co-producer of the movie, steals the movie frequently with his blatantly clueless and incredibly tacky character, Shyam Sunder Balabhadrapatramukhi (his long-winded name still makes me giggle). The female characters in the movie, including Janvi Valia and Priya Varghese, are charming and women can identify with them for their creative talents, especially when it comes to skillfully fending off desperate guys.I highly recommend this film - it was brilliantly done, I still have tummy ache from laughing so much.