Great Film overall

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Take away the cultural aspect of this story (i.e. an Indian-American coming from a closely-knit society that has strict expectations on how and to whom one will marry) and this is just a typical story of a guy looking for a girl. Yet in the process, we get to learn (or rather get confirmation...for some of us) just how shallow, racist and petty Indian culture can be. Maybe the most telling scene was when the son whines over the phone "But MOMMY....I told you: no fatties!" Yes, we get some banter from the parents whom I'm sure were told "aren't you adorable...you should be in a movie!" by their relatives, but the reality is Indian culture just is not very exotic anymore. Being racist and shallow is not "cute" nor is it acceptable just because it's part of one's culture. And the whiny son trying to get a girl who will make him happy and fit in with his family really is not at all original, regardless of the setting. Had we gained any NEW insight or information (maybe such as why dumpy, odd-looking Indian guys with acne and no career to speak of feel they somehow deserve to marry a super-model) there may have been value or entertainment here.

There has been a lot of publicity about this movie. The best and funniest parts were in the trailers and previews. Prior to seeing the movie, I was so excited. I even liked the Facebook page. I drove 45 minutes each way to see it. What a disappointment! I was hoping to see a lot more of what was in the trailer. I did not. My 7-year-old daughter thought it was funny. But she liked The Martian more. So did I.I think the problem with the movie is that it is not an experience. It's not uplifting, hilariously funny, educational or anything really. The only feeling it left me with was regret -- that I spent all that time and about $20 on it.Oh, I guess the only feeling it left me with was annoyance. It's the journey of of a man who did not know himself.

"Meet the Patels" (2014 release; 88 min.) brings the story of Ravi Patel (TV actor best known for his work in Past Lives , and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and his quest for the perfect mate. As the movie opens, we see an animated sequence in which Ravi is telling us what's been going on. We then go back 2 years, when he and his parents and sister go on a family vacation to India. And that it is a "family" vacation becomes all too clear as it turns out in his dad's home village of Gujarat, most people are names Patel. Eventually Ravi decides to try the matchmaking skills of his parents (who themselves married in an arranged wedding). Will Ravi find his perfect mate? To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: this movie is a labor of love for Ravi and his sister Geeta Patel, who co-directed. With little or no budget, they film the dating adventures or Ravi for over 2 years. And where the camera failed to capture an important moment it is filled in by a surprisingly charming animation. Did I tell you that the Patel parents are in the movie? "Almost 30, never married: Code Red!" is how Ravi describes himself. His dad came to the US in 1967, and obviously has done very well for himself. He is also a doting dad, always ready, willing and able to give advice to his kids, whether they want it or not. There are plenty of hilarious scenes in the first half of the movie, to the obvious enjoyment of the theater audience. The second half of the movie is not so much laugh-out-loud funny, but more a reflection on the importance of family. Please note: you do NOT have to be Indian or Indian-American to enjoy this movie (I am not). There is a surprising amount of great music placement throughout the film, including MIA, Hot Chocolate, Soup Purpose, and many others. This movie was first released at the 2014 Los Angeles Film festival. No idea why this has been sitting on the shelves for over a year before finally getting released in theaters..."Meet the Patels" opened this weekend out of the blue at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati without any pre-release advertising or hype. I love a good documentary, and so I checked it out. The early evening screening where I saw this at was attended much better than I had anticipated, and I should point out that there were quite a few from the Indian community here in Cincinnati. This is a light-hearted documentary that flew by in no time. If you like documentaries or a glimpse at the dating scene in the Indian-American community, you cannot go wrong with this. "Meet the Patels" is worth checking out!

I hope everyone goes out to see this film when it opens in late September. We were lucky enough to see it in our film club a few weeks ago and it rated the highest of any film we've seen! It's one of those stories anyone can relate to, but its about a young Indian man trying to find his soul mate, who decides to give "arranged marriage, Indian-style" a try. It mostly shows how much alike we all are and the film is hugely funny! There was a Q&A session afterwards with the whole family on Skype and it was nearly as good as the film! The parents are hilarious!! The film was made by their son and his sister, so was a family project and began as footage from a family vacation. What they did with that is amazing! Please go see this and take your family and be prepared for lots of fun!!