Cosmopolitan

"Cosmopolitan" is a charming film about starting over, when life throws you some serious curve balls. Our hero, Gopal, whose wife has left him for a life of solitude and meditation in the ashram, back home in India, and whose daughter is traveling to Mongolia with her boyfriend, must look within (and without) to start life anew. For starters, he decides to tune into what women want, through reading Cosmopolitan magazine (a magazine he formerly shunned and discouraged his daughter from reading). He also seeks refuge in Bollywood films. The flashy dance numbers bring his spirits up, as he embarks on a new relationship with the cute American neighbor next door (the irrepressible Mrs. Shaw).

This film was written by the beloved writer and director, Mira Nair, whose previous works (Monsoon Wedding, Mississippi Masala, Salaam Bombay!) covered very compelling and thought-provoking topics. This film is no different. It examines how we reinvent ourselves, after life has been anything but kind. The protagonist grows, as he comes to terms with his own shadows, and must rise above his own selfishness and learns to love again. This film has it all...romance, drama, great dance numbers (done in the Bollywood style). You will love it.....

I love this movie. Its a must see!!! I have been waiting for a great movie to come out in 03.

Finally, I am thrilled!

Adam

To quote another reviewer, this film is a charming must-see.

OK:

* Unique indie film

* Cross-racial and inter-cultural romance

* Romance after all seems lost

* Top-rated stars (Roshan Seth and Carol Kane) at the top of their form

* Funny, charming, sad, bittersweet, meaningful, tongue-in-cheek all at once

What's not to like?

If you love hidden gems, then definitely watch this!

I guarantee you will not be disappointed. This is an intelligent, witty, heartfelt film that is unlike any other I've ever come across.

This movie combines bollywood and the overheated romantic advice found in Cosmopolitan Magazine.

Take those ingredients and stir in the questions an immigrant might have after being thrust into the dating scene in a new culture after many years of marriage and a grown daughter.

The result is the most delightful movie I saw at the South by Southwest Film Festival.

We were told scenes are being added to lengthen the one hour narrative and bring this charmer to the big screen.

The writer of Monsoon Wedding offers another romantic story and you don't want to miss it.

Unfortunately this film doesn't quite come together. Mostly because of the casting. Roshan Seth is a fine actor, but he is nothing like the ordinary middle class Indian man he is supposed to play, not with that posh Doon School accent! and the same goes for Madhur Jaffrey, with her clipped Convent school speech. It looked like the producers/director just went for known names, without bothering to figure out what they were trying to depict. Fortunately the screenwriter knew what she was doing, and the film isn't that horrible, I suppose you can't mess a good story too much.

The direction was competent, but rather uninspired. it just feels like a project that was put together without too much passion. Or somebody didn't do their homework right.