Shirin in Love

I totally disagree with the Dr and the other reviewer who gave very scathing reviews of this wonderful film. Coming from someone who knows absolutely nothing about the Iranian culture, I enjoyed learning a few things about the culture. I thought the acting was actually great because it wasn't over the top or overstated. It was very natural, and I thought the performance by Amy Madigan was fantastic. The two leads were also fantastic, especially Riley Smith. It was a film that made me laugh, made me cry, and ticked all the boxes of a rom com/chick flick and this coming from a guy. Congrats to the producers and director of this film for bringing out the best in the actors and the settings. Also congrats to the cinematographer Garrett Shannon who shot some fantastic scenes, especially those beautiful shots in Northern California. If anyone knows where exactly this is in north California I'd love to know. Cheers to all cast and crew for a FANTASTIC movie. You should be proud!

Apparently the person who wrote the original review of this movie was Persian. He did not like this movie, but probably because the beautiful Persian woman falls in love with the WHITE GUY not the middle eastern guy. Silly doctor! This IS a chick flick, and I've got more news for you. WOMEN OUTNUMBER MEN in this world. FURTHERMORE we are SMARTER than men. We don't all go out to be doctors or lawyers or Indian chiefs (american indians, of course), but that is easily explained. WOMEN MADE society, NOT MEN. Men are like male lions, only needed to to breed to make more more of their species, and occasionally come in and help kill the bigger game animals. Otherwise the female lions do NOT NEED the male lion. Same thing with WOMEN. We don't need men, MEN need US. I loved this movie, it has a happy ending, even though it is built off a silly premise... that an Iranian-American woman would just fall in love with a guy she doesn't know diddlysquat about, but hey, as a woman I'm here to tell y'all that is 'the' definition of a chick-flick after all. They are always built on baloney scenarios. The worst part of this movie was the mother of the female lead, because she had obviously had a terrible face lift. I haven't seen eyebrows that high up on a forehead since I last had tea with the late Mary Kay.

Shirin in Love is one of those adorable rom coms that will completely melt the heart. It will make you laugh. It will give you that tickle in your stomach and looking at Riley Smith doesn't hurt either. ;-) What sets Shirin in Love apart from all the other numerous rom coms is the fact that this one actually has something to say. It's about culture and family and following your own desires. And these desires aren't just romantic. They're career-oriented as well which is very appealing. And there are genuinely sad moments in this film that make one think. It's not all just silly romance and humorous events. There is depth to this film which makes it all the more easy to fall in love with the characters.

Despite my lack of love for chick flicks, and that is coming from a woman, I really enjoyed this film. Yes it is a chick flick but it shows life learning experiences and it's not your normal cliché COMPLETE happy ending. Putting two completely different cultures together is what made it interesting as well. There's so much to learn from Persian culture and seeing an American in a Persian setting can be comical. The actors were amazing. From Nazanin Boniadi to Riley Smith and Maz Jobrani who brings even more humor to the table along side Max Amini. They both did a good job of making their characters shine and make you laugh in almost every scene they are in. You can tell that they all worked together to bring the script to life. Overall, I found the storyline intriguing and the settings from northern California breath taking as well. I think that the film did a good job of keeping me drawn in like a good film should.

With a cast that includes Maz Jobrani, Max Amini, Marshall Manesh and Anita Khalatbari, I was expecting a Persian comedy, but the film "Shirin in Love" is, in fact, a romantic movie - a "chick flick" even. While the film's location, costumes and props were fine, its writing, directing and editing were terrible. The porno-style filming, soap opera-style acting, nonsensical still shots, disconnected scenes, stereotypical characters, weak plot and cheap humor are just a few of the film's shortcomings. The film's one bright spot is Nazanin Boniadi, who portrays Shirin. Even in a bad film you can spot a shining star. She certainly has a bright future. I don't understand why she decided to appear in this film, given her well-established career with feature roles in "Homeland," "Grey's Anatomy," and "How I Met Your Mother." The film did little to enhance the reputations of Maz Jobrani and Max Amini, and may even have hurt them.