The Good

The Bad

I REALLY wanted to review this film without touching on my usually gripes with the independent film scene. Those that know my work from Mushy's Movie Minute know that sometimes I can be really hard on those films that are disguised as indy but are really "big" films scaled down. This isn't to say that I didn't like Monsoon Wedding. As a movie it was enjoyable and I "didn't mind" it. However, at the end of the day I found that I was unable to embrace it. And no, it wasn't because it only made about $14 million at the box office.In a very quick nutshell, this is a film about a family gathering together for a celebration. What ensues are moments of laughter, tearful emotions and just about anything else that falls within that spectrum. As I said, it wasn't so much that this film was bad I just didn't think it was very good. I knew what was going to happen almost the whole time, and not that that is a bad thing but it just wasn' t really my cup o' tea. Here are some notes I made whilst watching the film...A) If you've seen Foue Weddings & A Funeral, Eat, Drink, Man, Woman or any of the other "Cultural Educational Romance" movies then you really don't need to see this film. It isn't so much similar as it is derivative. I will admit that it has been a while since I saw either film so please excuse me but these are the first ones that come to mind. B) Once again, the "independent" film scene proves itself to be about as legitimate as the sanctioning bodies that govern the THREE champions per weight class in boxing. For more clarification read (A) again. C) I didn't want to bring this up again but I am tired of seeing studio films that "couldn't be made at the studio" being made as an indy. I only bring this up again because I truly think this film could've done with a bit more script work. Now, lets get to some bright spots. The acting amongst all the players was quite good. I did learn about another culture and I guess if that was the intention of the filmmakers then the mission was accomplished. I am beginning to think that it is I who has the problem. Maybe I have seen too many movies or maybe I am just cynical when it comes to things I don't understand right away.

Features

- The Making of Monsoon Wedding- Feature Commentary with Director Mira Nair

Video

Audio

Package

Final Word

I truly believe we all share some universal truths and a film like Monsoon Wedding really does underscore that. I will do some work on my attitude and get back to you...Having an audio commentary does score a lot of points with me!!

Monsoon Wedding was released August 30, 2001.