Jayaram's last film I liked was Ginger, a lowbrow comedy. His other recent movies suck to the core because they all have this specific scent of foolishness in them. Onnum Mindathe is such film.
The movie is very slow and long. What could've been told in about 90 minutes is dragged and loosened to 145 minutes, numbing its niche audience to death. And not that it tells a different story. We last saw in Vedivazhipadu, how married men try to find sex outside their four- walled homes. This film uses a similar plot where Jose (Jayan), a womanizer cajoles family man Sachithanandan (Jayaram) in committing adultery. The highly irritating drama unfolds when wife Shyama (Jasmine) learns about his little escapade. Now, this happens only in the second half; the first half is terrible, showcasing the family life in a native setup.
Editing, as I have said, is bad. Direction and cinematography is fine. Performances are cringe-worthy. Jayaram acts like a fool, though his characterization is genuine. Jasmine is fine, Jayan acts like a 16-year old teenager. Few songs are thrown here and there, as the screenplay jumps from characters' homes to offices and offices to homes.
There is a valid continuity in the whole drama, yet the sequences reveal little as the plot moves ahead. After sitting through more than 2 hours, what we receive as climax is a predictable cliché.
BOTTOM LINE: An unappealing family drama. If you get hold of a DVD, skip through the film for it does has its moments. 4/10.
