Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Megamind To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

suite92 Ray grew up in New Jersey, but moves away to Los Angeles.Ray is engaged to Noel, and asks her to marry her. She delays giving him an answer until after she comes back from a vacation with her parents.Ray's father moves in with him, and soon talks him into having dinner with Sana and her parents. Noel calls him and says yes.Ray continues seeing Sana. Oi. Ray's mother comes out. Noel comes by when Ray is working at the bar, and the parents are both at Ray's house. Sana stops by the bar and tries to seduce Ray in the men's room. What could possibly go wrong, and could it be fixed?Cinematography: 7/10 Usually competent, but often just barely.Sound: 8/10 Occasionally badly miked.Acting: 6/10 Good except for Fran Kranz. The other actors counterbalance his badness, but he's still obnoxious.Screenplay: 7/10 Moves along logically, except for the intervals that contain Fran Kranz.

anhedonia It's truly a shame that a charming little romantic-comedy such as "Shades of Ray" does not get a distribution deal, but rubbish rom-coms - "Made of Honor" (2008), "What Happens in Vegas" (2008), "My Best Friend's Girl" (2008) and "My Life In Ruins" (2009) - do.Writer-director Jaffar Mahmood is playing well within the conventions of the genre. But what makes his film work is that he doesn't rely on stock characters. Even when he has a stock character or two - such as the protagonist's controlling father, Javaid Rehman (Brian George), or the wacky roommate, Sal Garfinkle (Fran Kranz) - Mahmood tweaks their personalities just enough that they seem fresher than they otherwise might be.I realize there are no Renée Zellwegers, Ashton Kutchers or Cameron Diazes in this film to make it sell to a wider audience. But the lack of such actors is what makes this film all the more appealing.Films about southeast Asian families and the vagaries of growing up in one are terribly rare and Mahmood should be commended for taking a whack at the subject matter.Despite tackling issues such as parental control, tradition, familial obligations and love, Mahmood makes his film work because his characters seem new and rather unconventional, even though many of them are just that.The film is helped immensely by terrific performances all around. I have not seen the TV series, "Chuck," so I was unfamiliar with Zachary Levi as an actor. He makes Ray Rehman an entirely believable person, even managing to bring a sense pathos to a rather funny audition scene.Kathy Baker and George are terrific as Ray's parents. Baker, especially, gives her role such substance that she takes a minor bit and makes it much more than that. And, finally, it's wonderful to see the lovely Sarah Shahi given a role with some meat and bones on it. I have seen two other films recently in which she was never used to her full potential - "AmericanEast" (2007), in which she has a superfluous role, and "Crossing Over" (2009), in which she was purely window-dressing. In "Shades of Ray," Shahi gets a juicy role that allows her to be alluring, lovable and provocative. She has a sensational scene in a bar where she turns into a playful vixen that is thoroughly enticing.One character who feels short-changed is Noel Wilson (Bonnie Somerville). In fairness to Mahmood, he resists the temptation to turn her into a bad person, though, given the trappings of the genre, in one scene, he gives her dialogue that seems completely out of character."Shades of Ray" does not turn the romantic-comedy genre on its head or anything of that ilk. It's a pleasant diversion and explores a side of American society rarely seen in Hollywood movies. It's most definitely a far cry better and more enjoyable than the romantic comedies Hollywood studios chuck out by the dozen.

nlj79 While the main character is biracial, you don't need to be of mixed race to enjoy this movie. It has a very "Big Fat Greek Wedding" characteristic in that the plot/characters/story speak to most (if not all) audiences, not only those that may be of the same ethnic/racial background(s) as the main character.Race plays an important role in the movie, but don't think this movie is only about race. It is also about discovering that often times what we think is true is not, for better or for worse. More importantly, however, is what the character does after recognizing the falsity of some of his assumptions/beliefs.I recommend this movie to anyone who is looking for a romantic comedy that doesn't follow the typical and banal plot lines of most Hollywood stuff. The movie is all the more impressive given it is the director's first feature-length film.

javaidmusic First and foremost, I was fortunate enough to view this film at the South Asian Film Festival in NYC. I came into this movie with the assumption that the story and plot would revolve around a half-Pakistani and half-Caucasian character who had troubles getting by in everyday American life. To my pleasant surprise, Jaffar's movie proved to put that assumption to shame, as he successfully dove deep into the inner workings of American society, family life, and love, for everyone who has ever struggled, and not just South Asians. From the very beginning of the movie, with an opening sequence that had the entire audience practically in hysterics, to a heart piercing and emotionally empathetic scene further into the film, Jaffar takes the term "Romantic Comedy" to an entirely new echelon. The character developments starting at the beginning of the movie and continually throughout, present such a connection between them and the audience. Zachary Levi couldn't have done a more stellar job at being absolutely hilarious and then sensitively heartfelt when need be. Brian George delivered every single line with a touch of laughter and love, and Sarah Shahi was not only beautiful, but made it impossible for the audience not to feel attached. Jaffar hand-picked this wonderful cast of actors to exemplify the amazing characters that he created. Overall, with the terms "independent" and "major" aside, this film was nothing short of genius. Jaffar has truly created a masterpiece, and I feel fortunate to have viewed it. I truly hope that he lands a distribution deals with the majors, so that the entire world can get a chance to experience Shades of Ray.