Why so much hype?

Powerful

One of my all time favorites.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Ray grew up in New Jersey, but moves away to Los Angeles.Ray is engaged to Noel, and asks her to marry her. She delays giving him an answer until after she comes back from a vacation with her parents.Ray's father moves in with him, and soon talks him into having dinner with Sana and her parents. Noel calls him and says yes.Ray continues seeing Sana. Oi. Ray's mother comes out. Noel comes by when Ray is working at the bar, and the parents are both at Ray's house. Sana stops by the bar and tries to seduce Ray in the men's room. What could possibly go wrong, and could it be fixed?Cinematography: 7/10 Usually competent, but often just barely.Sound: 8/10 Occasionally badly miked.Acting: 6/10 Good except for Fran Kranz. The other actors counterbalance his badness, but he's still obnoxious.Screenplay: 7/10 Moves along logically, except for the intervals that contain Fran Kranz.

I became a Zachary Levi fan in the now completed TV series "Chuck" where he played an undercover agent. Here he is Ray Rehman, son of a Pakastani father and a "white" mother. He grew up in New Jersey and never looked at himself as anything more than an American kid. But his dad always warned him against marriage (It is like having your testicles caught in a bear trap.) and also about marrying a "white" woman.But Ray grows up, graduates from college, and the story picks up 18 years later in the Los Angeles area. Ray's dad thinks he is an investment banker, but he is a bartender attempting to have an acting career. Mom knows what is going on, she accepts it.Ray proposes to his girlfriend, Bonnie Somerville as Noel Wilson . She is "white" and that worries dad, who shows up in California unannounced and proceeds to force Ray into "seeing" a daughter of a Pakistani friend. It works because Noel hadn't said 'yes' yet, so Ray didn't know if they would remain a couple. The new girl is Sarah Shahi as Sana Khaliq. They have an instant connection because both of them are 'mutts', with "white" mothers. Veteran actors Brian George as dad Javaid Rehman and Kathy Baker and mom Janet Rehman round out the family. Both are excellent. So the movie is about Ray, the "shades" of skin in his life. Will he marry the "white" girl or will be be swept away by the "mutt" who is perhaps the first person to actually relate to his situation?SPOILERS: There is some mandatory drama and comedy in a mix-up, but Noel agrees to marry him, and Sana goes to Mexico to do a school year teaching English. Ray decides Noel is not the one for him, he corresponds with Sana, and as the movie ends she shows up, on a break, with a big sombrero for Ray, it looks like they are on their way to bonding.

I saw this movie at the South Asian Film Festival in New York and I can honestly say that describing it as excellent is an understatement. Although, the main character in the movie, Ray, is portrayed as a biracial individual, I feel that all people alike can relate to the story put forth. The director, Jaffar Mahmood, was really able to connect with his audience; moreover, the acting in the movie was far superior than the acting I have seen in any other movie recently. I recommend Shades of Ray to anyone who enjoys a well produced romantic comedy. The only warning I have for potential viewers is that by the time the credits roll up at the end of the movie, their stomachs will be in knots from laughing so much.

Shades of Ray is an outstanding film. Extremely well written and directed; and the acting by all the performers was top notch. It was very funny and at the same time it gave us the "warm fuzzies" all over. Although there is a definite ethnic slant, this movie could have been about any first generation immigrants trying to find there way in America. In many ways it also portrays typical family values of Americans across the country.This film is a breath of fresh air compared to the gratuitously violent and sophomoric films that Hollywood has foisted on us for all too long. We want to see many more films written and directed by Jaffar Mahmood. He is a great, young talent.