Rating: 
Summary: My vote for movie of the year
Review: Perhaps even movie of the decade. This movie is acted beautifully, written skillfully, and directed miraculously. This movie has an almost hyper-realistic feel at times, the cinematography, choreography, acting, lighting, pace, plot, and drama are all perfectly balanced. This movie has almost the feel of a wedding video, realistic, sometimes heartwrenching sometimes heartwarming, it soars above the rank and file of the hollywood miltibillion dollar machine. This movie is brilliant despite (or perhaps because) wasting no time or money on special effects, explosions, gunfights, or general cheesy movie tricks. what one finds instead is a genuinenesss of spirit that involves the veiwer in the lives of the people. This is the story of a man living in the new "dotcom" India who is set to give his only daughter the wedding of her dreams. With side plots, humour, and fun, this movie is guaranteed to please. If all this doesn't prove that Mira Nair is one of the greatest directors of our age, then perhaps the fact that the whole thing was filmed in thirty days will convince you. This film is a masterwork, many directors will work for a lifetime without achieving half this level of excellence.
Rating: 
Summary: A tale of loss and hope
Review: This charming film is a wonderful glimpse into the boisterous and ebullient Punjabi culture. We get to see preparations for a wedding, with all the politics and family-wrangling that must go on, but we also get to peer behind the scenes to the loss and the grief and the little joys encountered along the way. Unlike "Greek Wedding" which often seemed to be succumbing to ethnic caricatures, the characters here are very real, both vulnerable and resilient. The acting is superb, but so many charming people in the cast doesn't hurt either. The film is like a snapshot of a week in the life of these two families coming together. The ending is upbeat but it leaves many questions unanswered. The direction is great with only a few uneven spots where the film drags a bit. But overall it is very watchable and even re-watchable. I would recommend watching the DVD with the English subtitles turned on. This helps with some of the thicker accents among the cast. A very likeable and memborable film.
Rating:
Summary: A successful attempt at Indian life
Review: I will admit, that at first, I was very suspicious about this movie. Is it possible to capture all the emotions of an indian wedding in one movie?
Mira came very close in her attempt.
There are many stories here. The story of the girl who gives up hope on her lover to try an arranged marriage. The story of the wedding planner who falls for the maid of the house. The story of the college boy who learns to appreciate his culture.
And then, the most shocking story of all, of the girl who thinks she lives as a stranger in the household and as the suspense builds you realize her shocking tale and how the house copes.
Monsoon Wedding is a movie for everyone to enjoy at every level. It is definitely worth it to stick it out to the end for all the surprises and twists.
You'll want to share it with others after you're done.
Rating:
Summary: Three movies in one; such a deal! A blizzard of colors
Review: Mira Nair's 'Monsoon Wedding' is a blizzard of vibrant colors: yellows, reds and oceans of orange dominate the screen. What a joy to see this film on the big screen. As the title indicates, you get a wedding in monsoon here. But you also get two other tales expertly woven into the fabric of the movie by director Nair. First, there's a tale of incest and taboo that breaks out into the open at a very inopportune time. Then, there's a 'meet cute and marry quick' tale between the wedding planner and a family servant. That might be the best part of the movie. At the very least, Vijay Raaz's wedding planner "P.K. Dubey" is the film's most compelling character. With his gawky physical presence and staccato delivery, he stands out in every scene he's in.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo Mira!
Review: Monsoon Wedding is a masterpiece. Rarely I watch a film and come out with a sense of well being, totally satisfied, but with Monsoon Wedding, the joy of watching films, and enjoying cinema as an art form of the most sophisticated kind was rekindled.
If watching movies is compared to eating out, then I do enjoy my pizzas and pastas and burgers, but once in a while when I decide to have a gourmet meal, the difference is immediately felt:
Moonsoon Wedding is similar to a gourmet meal which you know will not happen too often, but when it does you will totally savour it.
This film is multi-layered, deep, funny and poignant, all blended together finely in a rich Indian canvas full of colour and life.
The wedding preparations of the arranged marriage of an upper class Indian beauty (Actress Vashundara Das, who does more playback singing for Bollywood movies and little acting) to an Americanized Indian, becomes a social backdrop that reflects on one hand the Indian culture it comes from, and the complex family relationships that can be common in many cultures on the other.
Most surprising is the issue of child abuse that was totally an unexpected element/sub plot of the film, but handled powerfully and with care,with top acting from Shefali Shetty(the once abused child who rightly suspects that the same relative is doing it again to another child) and Naseeruddin Shah (her decent devoted uncle who raised her and the father of the bride).
Another subplot which was handled very smartly and which added a lot of humour, was the class issue, as we get to see a sample of the Indian working class through the love story of the servant girl 'Alice' and the wedding arranger (an excellent Vijay Raaz).The visible transformation of Raaz as he realizes his feelings for Alice is at times bittersweet and heartwarming, and their developing relationship provide us with unforgettable scenes.
The genuis of Nair, is the fact that Monsson Wedding is not sentimental: the emotional scenes are not long enough to fall into that trap, yet their impact and message is all the same to the point.
Moreover, I loved the hand held shots of Delhi, which as brief as they were,not only succeeded in capturing the colour of the city but somewhat its soul as well.
Monsoon Wedding is first and foremost a director's film, from one of the most talented filmmakers these days,a film that should certainly be in your collection, to go back to it once in a while and savour it like the finest gourmet it is . Bravo Mira!
Rating:
Summary: Husband and I saw it twice
Review: We compare all Indian movie to this one.......
All my coworkers have seen it based on our reviews
Rating:
Summary: Sweet, charming, cultural, human
Review: This is not an impressive movie in any particular way, but for all people who realize the world is not revolving around the western cultures and customs, this movie will touch you and entertain you. There is nothing unrealistic or overdramatized. There is good ethnic music, good acting and directing and lots of local color. A no-frills, low budget, quality movie that will endure in the years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Humble Beauty
Review: The importance of family, warmth, bravery, daring to trust and to open ones hearth, being vunerable - and the mighty feeling of belonging. Monsoon Wedding has such depth, such goodness and beauty that one crawes to become a better person after seeing it!
Rating:
Summary: Charming
Review: A girl is about to meet her fiancee fo an arranged marriage, while having her own affair with a married TV personality. The "wedding planner" is setting up the decoration with large quantities of marigolds that he also eats in large quantities, while being entharlled by a serving girl.
With some humor, family dynamics, and some unexpected twists and turns, this Indian movie goes a long way to explaining why the Indian film industry is at long last beginning to be taken seriously by the world at large.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding movie, fabulous realism
Review: This movie is funny, captivating and very memorable. It also has a unique element of realism, which brings the viewer as close to visiting New Deli as one could experience while sitting on a couch. The first viewing is a little confusing, with all the characters and shifting plot lines, but things fall in place the second time around. The director's audio commentary on the DVD is among the best such commentaries I've sat through and is an absolute treat, so don't skip over that bonus feature!
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