Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Len9876 After seeing "Tropic Thunder" (2008), it has become clear that Hollywood actors, directors, and writers need to do background research on the characters they are portraying.Just the film's title alone makes the audience aware that we should 'Americanize' people, and make them 'generic Americans'. And, in doing so, we should bury or hide their culture. Right? Wrong. Americans need to become 'culture sensitive', so they convey a positive message that someone else's culture is on an equal level with Americans. I'm okay. You're okay.A number of Indian people attended a film festival in Connecticut. Those that had become 'Americanized' were not offended by the film. But, some felt that their Indian culture was portrayed in a negative light, and should have been given the dignity and respect of being on an equal level with the American culture. A significant number of Americans act like other cultures are inferior. This is wrong, and not at all true. 'Shelley' is given an American name, and is taught how to act, feel, and think like Hollywood-stereotypical Americans.The Indian culture needs to be researched, and the script needs to be further developed. But, even with all of its flaws, the film is worthy enough to be seen. Truly, there are some very enjoyable, very funny, and very poignant moments. For a fair attempt, I rate this film a 6 out of 10. With some polish, and more work, the film would rank at least an 8 or 9.

djlennon Without a doubt one of the worst films I have ever had to sit through. I saw it recently at a film festival in Connecticut and was quite simply stunned that the organisers sanctioned the screening. I cannot think of a single redeeming feature.The Indian stereotypes portrayed are so crude and patronising it defies belief, astoundingly so considering that the writer (and lead actress) is of Indian descent herself. Beyond the customary silly accents, we are led to believe that Indian people are culturally and technologically backward. For example, when Shelley (post-makeover) is reunited with her family ahead of her arranged marriage, she explains to everyone's amazement what happened to her ugly-duckling-style glasses: "Americans have these amazing things called contact lenses!". Incredible. But make no mistake, there is much more to be upset about than racial stereotyping. Not content merely to offend anyone from an Indian background, the overall ineptness of the production ensures that pretty much anyone with a shred of intelligence should be equally disgusted: the jokes are predictable and unfunny, the plot a disconnected, contrived mess of clichés, the acting largely indifferent.Given that the film was being screened at the close of an otherwise excellent festival, I had high expectations . Unfortunately, Americanizing Shelly is like a bad made-for-TV rom-com. Except that on TV you can always change the channel to a program with more class, humour and artistic merit, like Home Shopping.

dynexty When we rented this film, we had no clue or expectation from this movie as I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. But being a fan of Bollywood Lite, I thought I'd give it a shot, as I enjoyed The Guru and Bride and Prejudice. But the next couple of hours turned out to be such a fun experience. I'd say its a chick flick but my husband loved it too. The lead actress is not only a great looker but also a true performer. The African-American actor had us laughing so hard with his little quips. The lead guy's acting seemed a little staged but not enough to detract from the film. The supporting cast were all pretty good in their roles and we'd recommend this film to all fans of the romantic comedy or foreign-indie genre. All in all a very fun time.

bill-olsson then this is the film for you. I saw this at Sn Diego film fest and i have to admit i didn't know much about the Indian culture but was educated, entertained and enchanted (esp by the lead girl) in every way possible. I just found out that this film is opening in a few weeks and I am psyched. Just a great fun movie and well worth watching, this one definitely did it for me. It was a hit at SDFF and going to the fest website and reading some of the reviews will give you some more audience reactions (lookout for mine too - it's in there buried with the others). I feel lucky to be one of the first ones to have watched it. congratulations to a fine movie and a fine team (please put the poster up that the Indian dancers were handing out at the festival), thank you, Bill Olsson