Arranged

For a movie meant to shake viewers out of their ignorance, this clunky drama sure does indulge in a lot of stereotypes.

In Arranged two devout Brooklyn schoolteachers clutch hands across the religious divide as their respective families prepare to marry them off.

Precise lensing, a strong sense of locale and vibrant, eminently likeable perfs enliven Arranged.

Lamentable scenes include that comic relief stand-by, the Bad Date Montage, but the movie comes off better than it should by virtue of Benhamou and (especially) Lister-Jones, appealing and modest young actors who create a plausible central relationship,

At least Arranged understands that its message is directed at nave children.

Maybe real life isn't as neat as portrayed here. In that case, the drawback is with reality, not the movie.

...a slight yet thoroughly charming little effort...

Even if the cross-cultural camaraderie looks a little easy to achieve, here, aren't movies sometimes supposed to point towards the path of peace and reconciliation?

Lays out the magic and messiness of friendship between women, and an outsider becomes a privileged insider.

Schaefer and Crespo's message isn't subtle, but they give it a fresh face by focusing on women whose identities are shaped but not warped by piety and devotion to ancient cultural values.