Amira & Sam

Amira and Sam does what great art should do: open our minds to thought-provoking and relevant issues while doing so in an enjoyable and highly entertaining way. There are elements of this film that will be familiar to many fans of the rom-com genre but it is much more than that standard fare. It challenges perceptions of veteran assimilation and immigration. Like the character of Sam, I am a veteran of Iraq. Upon my return home, the most difficult thing for me to confront was a society that was completely disconnected from the war effort and the sacrifices of the very few who were asked to fight it. I was also troubled by the many people who thought of all Iraqis as the enemy whereas I saw the bravery and heroism of many Iraqi citizens who joined the coalition forces in fighting the insurgents and sacrificed of themselves to rebuild their country. I feel Amira and Sam is the first movie to speak to those issues in an real and genuine way. I applaud the filmmakers for tackling such important topics yet choosing to tell a story that is at the same time incredibly funny and entertaining. Comedy is at its best when it speaks to truth. Amira and Sam uses comedy to help us get to the truth of these important issues. Knowing that this film was written and directed by a veteran and produced by veterans, I can't recommend this movie any more highly. Go see Amira and Sam! You'll love it!

I enjoyed this movie a lot. I found it to be refreshing that a movie about a veteran doesn't descend into the jingoism so common in American movies about soldiers. I found the speed at which the romance developed to be unrealistically fast, but otherwise I found it quite believable.

Sadly, somebody attached to the movie felt it was appropriate to generate 39 fake reviews. It is possible that some are not fake, but when a review is posted _before_ the movie has been released, that's pretty bad. Normally, I wouldn't mention this because it seems like all movie companies do this on IMDb, but I've never seen such a high proportion of fakes for any other movie.

I'm not into romantic comedies, but I caught this movie at the Woodstock Film Festival and was blown away. The characters are all treated with respect and compassion. The dialog and timing are spot on and typical preconceptions about combat vets and Iraqi refugees are effectively challenged. Sam, the recently discharged vet, is presented as a real person trying to adjust to civilian life not a macho or tortured stereotype. Amira, the Iraqi refugee and niece of Sam's Iraqi translator, is charming and vulnerable under her tough veneer. The actors, Martin Starr (Sam), Dina Shihabi (Amira), Laith Nakli (Amira's uncle) and Paul Wesley (Sam's cousin), are all well-cast and excellent. The chemistry between Sam and Amira is effective. Director- Screenwriter, Sean Mullin, has done an outstanding job in his first feature film.

A nice surprise about 2 very different characters one an ex-army American soldier man and one Muslim refugee woman.

With that set-up this could have turned out to be just any typical rom-com fare but it avoids doing that by keeping a great sense of realism throughout the movie with characters and developments that all seem natural.

As a big 'Freaks and Geeks' fan from my youth it's nice to see yet another Apatow 'family member' get his shot at the limelight, in this case Martin Starr who played the lovable geek with massive glasses; Bill Haverchuck in the series.

And he handles the lead-role splendidly with natural charisma as does his love interest in the movie Dina Shihabi as Amira.

All in all a small independent drama-comedy that succeeds at being funny and dramatic when it's supposed to be, a slice of life type of movie.

Sam and Amira is extremely well done and touches on the issues of Immigration, and re- entry of our soldiers coming back from war. It is also a love story that develops in a very nice and complex way thru the movie. Martin Starr in his first leading man role does a fantastic job and is very believable. His character has a moral code that he sticks to even though he is given numerous opportunity and reason to trade against his values. Amira who is played by Dina Shihabi does a phenomenal job in her first leading role as the reluctant love interest while dealing with her own immigration challenges and discrimination coming from all sides. Paul Wesley is great as a Wall Street type working on the edges of the system trying to help/use his cousin to further his own ambitions. The movie is written and directed by Sean Mullin who himself is a West Point graduate and served this country at Ground Zero. He does a masterful job telling this story with all it's complexities and adding humor as the movie is very funny. Especially the back and forth between Sam and Amira. I saw the Premier at the Seattle Film Festival.