Lonely in America

This is an excellent movie. This movie has a witty dialogue and the cast is excellent. It's about a young Indian immigrant who comes to New York City to look for success, love, and money. However, when he gets to NYC, all he gets is a crappy job at his uncles magazine stand. Throughout the course of the movie, we follow Arun as he struggles with trying to balance his traditional Indian values with the ways of American pop culture. In the end he learns valuable lessons in life and in love.

I looked in the TV guide one saturday night and this film started at about 11.30pm. I had to wait up anyway, because I had to wait for a friend to leave for night-shift, so I decided to watch this film which I had never heard about. It came on, and it looked like it was going to be a comedy... I kept watching it, and I did not laugh once! But the thing is... it never really looked like that it was trying to be funny (even though it says the genre is comedy in this database). It is just a bunch of uninteresting stuff that happens to an indian in america, getting a job, moving in with someone... tell me, what is the point of this film? Nobody has heard of it, in the TV guide there is usually a review of all the films on during the week, but there was no information about this one... I look it up on this database, and there was not much info at all, no user comments, and there is just no info on this pointless film anywhere else in the world. It has no big name actors, it is very uninteresting, and it doesent even try to be funny or entertaining. Why did the network choose this film out of the thousands of others avaliable? What was the point of it? Nobody has seen or heard of it before, and I doubt if anyone would see it again in a thousand years. I just dont get it!

It's hard to find small films made with genuine heart. This one has it in spades. It's not some goofy laugh-out-loud film, although there is a bizarre dream sequence that's a take-off on an Indian musical that is acid-trip funny! The acting is generally very good, and the guy who plays "Jim", the cheating executive, is "genuinely funny and entertaining" according to Kevin Thomas of the L.A. Times. This actor is named Robert Kessler, and if he's still around, somebody should get him back on screen! Very Sexy! The movie was apparently directed by Barry Brown, who I believe was Spike Lee's editor on "Do The Right Thing". He does a pretty good job, but he's admittedly working with a small budget.

This is a beautiful movie I frequently watch. Out of the many movies I own, choosing this genuine, soulful film brought much-needed comfort and peacefulness. There is not one wrong step in this brilliant story of finding place and self amidst tradition, family, and the unfamiliar. It is about taking a risk to live a larger life. All that said, there is fine humor, great scenery, and, topping all that with fine acting - not to be missed.

Ranjit Chowdhury is a comedy genius, pure and simple. Why don't we see more of this guy? "Lonely in America" is a warm and funny film. One of the reasons it works so successfully is the authentic nature of the characters and story. Ranjit gives us what we were looking for from Woody Allen (but didn't get!) during those dreadful Mia years.