Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Movie Critic This is one of Naipaul's first books in which he tries to capture the unsophisticated humor and simplicity of rural life in the Hindu community of Trinidad.The acting in the movie is superb and captures the essence of the book as perfectly as it is possible to do; in fact by adding the visuals it adds a lot to the story.. I did not picture Trinidad as scenically attractive as it is...I pictured a much drier flatter landscape. I also pictured the houses differently so in fact the movie opened whole new dimensions to Naipaul's story.I have read all of Naipaul's books at least once--the only one I didn't enjoy was the very last one (The Masque of Africa)--otherwise he is a genius. Criticizing Naipaul is rather like criticizing Tolstoy--and this movie does him justice: the cinematography is extremely well done all great acting all of it well done. Some reviewers say the actors do the Trinidad accent incorrectly--I wouldn't know so this possibility did not distract me.I will also make a bet that this movie as excellent as it is, made little or no money---such is the world we live in. Relatively few people alive today have living memories of the colonial world as it really was they have instead the PC negative uninformed view. Without authors like Naipaul this world would have vanished unappreciated and not understood.The movie does take artistic license a couple times...as I recall the young Naipaul did not have a good experience with the Mystic Masseur's visit to England..he was cold and haughty...Also the man who had sex with his bicycle I doubt was in the book it is too dumb. Neither of these things is major.RECOMMEND

Netflix-Flickster Make up the first hour of this movie - and it is well worth the look at to get a feeling for the culture and people of Trinidad, at that time. The last 30-40 minutes are not as enchanting, but still end up tieing the story together. There is a certain quiet, resonating truth to this movie which crosses cultures, as the old-fashioned and the new fangled clash but ultimately resolve. Not too many movies about this culture, so you will probably not see many like it ... it is not a masterpiece but it is both touching and uplifting at times, as well as beautifully filmed and acted - let me know what you think ...

AlonzoHarris Being from a similar culture as Trinidad, I couldn't resist picking this one up. Atypical of Merchant/Ivory films, this one is a period piece set in pre-independent Trinidad and follows the rise of Ganesh from a frustrated teacher in Port of Spain to an elected member of parliament. Overall, the film does tend to be slow in some parts, but the lively dialogue is very good. This film follows the Indo-Caribbean culture of the West Indies very closely. I found myself identifying closely with the people and found them to be very credible characters. The juxtaposition of Colonial Trinidad and a country on the verge of independance is hinted at throughout the film. However, the political tensions were kept to a minimum. It would have been nice to have seen how Ganesh and his cronies dealt with the coming age of independence.One of the great scenes of the film occurred when Ganesh tries to talk to the striking dock workers. The emotion is clear when he realizes his rise to power came at the cost of his charisma. Overall, a very good film.

peytonwestlake Don't believe the comments, this film is a pleasant surprise, not pretentious artistic butler garbage. The film depicts a young Indian teacher in Trinidad in the 1940s, an aspiring intellectual in a rural, isolated village. The acting in this movie is its strongest point, the dynamic between the title character and the villagers, including his wife and father-in-law are cute, homey, and very refreshing, a merriness not seen in many mainstream films in the last 10 years. Om Puri, as the protagonist's father-in-law is truly hilarious in his portrayal of a bumpkin fascinated with the ways of the educated. Aside from the abrupt ending this flick is a real charming piece of film candy. The photography in the lush, rainy, green of Trinidad is also notable.