Shades of Ray

Shades of Ray was fabulous, i saw it last night in New York City for the South Asian Int'l Film Festival. Great balance of comedy and drama, i am not a particularly indie film savvy person, but i would buy this movie on DVD in a heartbeat. This movie, especially the casting, had the right amount of earthiness as well as a little flair in the roles of Zachary Levi and Brian George. i cant explain how much i love it, i think that the movie truly achieved its purpose, it showed that sadly some prejudices still exist in a subtle yet ingrained ways, and yet people know about it, and just aren't willing to wholeheartedly give them up.

This is an excellent "feel good" movie filled with great humor. The cast includes many up and coming actors such as Zachary Levi from Chuck and Sarah Shahi from Life. Zachary Levi puts forth an excellent comedic and heartfelt performance. All of the leads in the film have a rare connection that is hard to find in most romantic comedies.

The director Jaffar Mahmood was able to intertwine South Asian culture with western culture and made it easy for each viewer to relate to. This film is truly a breath of fresh air during a time period where most South Asian/Middle Eastern films are about war and suffering.

I highly recommend this film for viewers looking for a good romantic comedy!

I saw the world premiere of this movie at the Austin Film Festival. It was a great movie. The balance of comedy and drama was perfect. It was also cool that the cast and director were at the screening, they were a lot of fun. The star, Zach Levi, did a great job and had a flawless performance. The fact that he's "Chuck" and that he knew that my wolverines shirt was from Red Dawn didn't hurt either. The whole cast had great chemistry and seemed to have a great time making it. Ray's dad, played by Brian George, was one of my favorites. Jaffar, the director, made sure to let us know that this character was pretty much a carbon copy of his father, which made me a little jealous. Fran Kranz was the constant source of comedy, and never disappointed. He told me how surprised he was by how he seemed to lose and gain weight every other scene, which was funny and amazing since it only took 19 days to film. Sarah Shahi was the perfect choice for Ray's surprise love interest. Not sure how anyone couldn't fall in love with her. The movie needs to get picked up and out in theaters soon. Go see it if you get the chance.

Of all the films I saw at the Austin Film Festival, Shades of Ray impressed me the most. The film is a superb blend of comedy and drama that is both endearing and hilarious. Zachary Levi, known largely for playing the lead in the recent T.V. hit Chuck, stars as Ray Rehman, an aspiring actor who works as a bartender in the evenings to support himself. After Ray's girlfriend remains indecisive towards a recent proposal, Ray's dad shows up at his front door and suddenly Ray has to deal with a rift between his mother and father. To further complicate things, a new girl appears in Ray's life who he feels a deep connection to. The girl shares his ethnicity (1/2 Caucasian, 1/2 Pakistani) and causes him to question his relationship with his current girlfriend. Ultimately, the movie is a great exploration into love and identity. Levi does an excellent job with the character. He is both moving and convincing (interesting since Levi is not of any Pakastani or South Asian decent). Fran Kranz also plays a memorable role as Ray's spastic roommate Sal. It seemed like every time he appeared on screen the audience was laughing. But perhaps most impressive is that Shades of Ray is writer/director Jaffar Mahmood's first full length film to direct. With the incredible pacing and overall flow of the movie it seemed like it had been done by a long-time veteran director. I really look forward to what Mahmood puts out next. I would highly recommend Shades of Ray to anybody.

I saw "Shades of Ray" in NYC this past weekend at the South Asian International Film Festival. The plot of the movie deals with Ray coming to terms with his biracial background. Although this movie focuses on a half Pakistani half Caucasion man it could be any biracial story; it has a universal appeal. All the characters are endearing and after 90 quick minutes, I didn't want the movie to end! Zachary Levi is fantastic playing the lead role of Ray, his comedic timing is incredible. The supporting cast are all amazing; whoever did the casting was very successful. I hope this movie is picked up for distribution. I think it would be a shame if this fantastic romantic comedy was not made available for everyone to enjoy!!