John & Jane

For me John and Jane was very realistic and relatable .The movie has nicely picturised Indian American values in a very convincing way.The actors succeeded in making a mark on the viewers mind .Must watch if you enjoy watching true to life movies

Foolish, poorly thought-out review this... seems as though you are close to answering your own questions, but somehow you don't exert yourself enough.

Paterfam001 asks "Why would you put the sequence featuring the most rebellious, anarchic, foul-mouthed characters first?" ANSWER: for the simple reason that it is the OBVIOUS point of view to have...to HATE this crappy job. But the film doesn't fall into obvious traps - it starts with the guys who hate the job (a POV that, as audiences, we relate to) ... and slowly brings us to understand those who obsessively LOVE that very same job. There is nothing random or unclear about this decision - in fact, it is a strategy central to the way this film operates. The film twists our expectations... it doesn't preach to the preached, but flips things "the wrong way round", unlike a typical documentary that feeds us what we already know. We are rarely used to being attacked as so-called "liberal" viewers and that is precisely what this film does... to know this is to understand what lies at the heart of "John & Jane" and perhaps why it makes spoon-fed audiences uneasy. Films like Von Trier's Dogville and Manderlay could also be seen to operate in this way.

I may suggest, Paterfam001, that you stick to the comfort of TV - more specifically, Animal Planet, where whales continue to swim the virgin waters in a simple, happy world.

Unfortunately, the world I occupy in is not that simple, linear, idiotic. It is a mysterious, unfair, strange & complex place, and a film that lives up to the challenge of these difficult times is rare indeed.

This is a unbelievble documentary about the hopes and dreams of Indian employees at an international call centre in Bombay. And oh wait, there is much more than that. Everyone should watch it!

I got to grab the last two tickets to a sold-out show of "John & Jane" at the Toronto Film Festival. This film is absolutely brilliant! At first, you aren't sure what the film IS really about...yes, of course, we are told it is a documentary about Indians who work at night answering American 1-800 calls, but beyond that you keep asking yourself "what is the point? where is this heading?" - some people I spoke to just didn't get it at all and felt "let down" by the lack of a conventional structure or storyline…which is EXACTLY what I'm getting to… About 30 minutes into the film, after you have spent time with two call centre workers who (understandably) hate their jobs, you get a character who goes by the telephone alias "Osmond" - he tells you that, in fact, he quite likes the job and is on his way to becoming a billionaire! Osmond is followed by a mysterious girl called "Niki Cooper" who loves the job even more than he does, explaining that the call centre is like her family and that she loves all her callers! This film f**ks with your head… Slowly, a picture of transformation emerges. No, there is no straight story line here, but each character builds on the character that precedes it…until you arrive at the near-cyborg "Naomi" – who looks American but is clearly Indian. Her face is bleached white and hair is synthetic blond. Yes, then the "story" is clear as day – the Indian has "become" a sort of virtual American, physically, mentally and emotionally! Mind you, this is not science fiction or fantasy. It is a "documentary" although the film subtly destroys many documentary conventions. It is actually a piece of experimental film-making in the guise of a pop-doc, which is why viewers looking for a film on outsourcing may be disappointed. "John & Jane" uses outsourcing issue as a way to bring viewers in – but the film is clearly about the idea of "America" as a utopia for so many people in the world.

If you are looking for a straight-up BBC film on call centres, STAY AWAY. On the other hand, if you have an open mind and are adventurous about new kinds of film-making, "John & Jane" may be just the thing for you.

This movie is really awesome that screens the life of Call Center workers with a busy and night shift work that no one able to handle like these guys are doing. Simply a story that tells how hard to sustain in your job life and to secure that you have to just obey orders.