Monsoon Wedding

I mean, yeah, sure. The structure was a bit all over the show, there was a lot of detail crammed in and I couldn't quite settle in and fully commit. Maybe I wasn't strapped into my "get ready for a jam packed chaotic monsoon wedding in India" seat, so I just did not quite have sufficient vinegar to keep my spirits up- as magnetic as the viewing experience may have been.

Colorful drama and comedy. Stand out performance by Vijay Raaj as decorator.

This film seemed a little dull at the start but I enjoyed the end and some of the dance scenes. Its more understated than most typical Bollywood films, with some nice characters. I can't say I fully followed all the plots but I enjoyed it enough to say its an ok film. I wouldn't expressly recommend it as such, no.

I was pretty underwhelmed by this one, solely because I took the title too literally. I kept hoping and expecting their house to be blown away by a gigantic storm at any moment and for them to have the wedding in like a storm shelter or on a boat or something. Instead nothing really went wrong the entire movie, they prepared for the weather (which ended up just being some rain, perhaps the most disappointing monsoon in the history of cinema) and the actions that could've derailed the plot laid out at the start of the movie ultimately didn't at all. They did a good job of capturing chaos in a way that didn't feel messy or breathless and the performances were good, but I thought the plot itself was a little mundane with the tired trope of cold feet before a wedding coupled with excisable family drama. Mira is clearly a competent director and I look forward to seeing a movie of hers where the plot is more compelling!

A mixed bag. Somewhat enjoyable but unoriginal in many ways and definitely not a comedy. It provides a good representation of the differences between India and the US through things like the costumes, singing/dancing, and colours. However, the plot was riddled with silly subplots for drama, from an affair to sexual abuse from a paedophile, the boy perhaps being gay, a romance between the maid and wedding decorator, and a romance between the Australian idiot and the woman with the tattoo. The affair was never properly explained, the wedding decorator didn't even come across as a good guy to the maid, so it makes little sense how they got together, the sexual abuse and concerns about it repeating were kept quiet as long as possible, and there was minimal focus on the actual wedding. Whilst there was a good mix of characters, some side characters got more attention than the 'main' character. This, the subplots, and all the singing/dancing meant the pacing was a bit rough. However, the acting was decent, the sets/props/costumes were well done and believable, the cinematography and visual effects were fine, and the soundtrack fit.

First 75% of Monsoon Wedding: Ha ha, the conservative father is quarreling with his son because he has a love for baking and dance! Last 25% of Monsoon Wedding: Okay, so the pedophile joke was not just a bit of dark humor... The best way to describe this film is that it somehow combines an Indian take on a family wedding melodrama (in all its silliness, exasperation, and fun) with Thomas Vinterberg's The Celebration. There are multiple serious subplots that are contrasted against the backdrop of a brightly colored celebration, but they come, they go, and the next scene is a father fretting over expenses; it's very Bollywood in that manner, the neatly tied up conclusions. The more somber moments are crafted with the intent to shine a light on the changing nature of Indian society, but they are essentially just that, moments; one second the bride is engaging in an affair with an ex that immediately disappears, then has an immediate crisis of consciousness before coming clean, sparking a row over honesty, fidelity, and tradition ... before it is resolved a few minutes later. The film's darkest territory, where (spoiler) it turns out that the family head is not only attempting to sexually assault his niece but has a historical pattern of sexual abuse that has been glossed over, is rectified by the father figure bravely ... asking him to leave. This all happens in about 15 minutes. It's a surprisingly sombre twist and has commentary about the dangerous level of control in India's historically patriarchal society, but the subplot comes and goes shockingly fast compared to the weight of the boom it lowers. Indian films are notorious for tone shifts and stories that feel like pastiches, and while many seem to navigate these balancing acts between exuberant comedy and poignant drama surprisingly well, this doesn't seem to be one of them. (2.5/5)

1001 movies to see before you die. This was much better than what I had expected from Bollywood. This was a complicated plot about an Indian wedding and the complications that come with expectations and family. It was well made and compelling. It was on youtube.

Color, music, even a dance in this serious comedy. Breathtaking street scenes of Delhi, great cast too. Mira Nair is one of the best at turning social values inside out. And, it hasn't aged a bit.

There wasn't enough here to keep me engaged.

Lovely, colorful, melodious love stories, and for me they all have the same weight in the movie, and that is why is such a nice work: the balance of things. Far enough from a Bollywood movie, which I do not like, the style and this big family will easily win over your heart.