Review of English Vinglish (2012) by Niloo R — 12 Dec 2012

I really liked this film!! it was so simple and such a feel-good movie, but at the same time it wasn't a cliched happy ending. the ending was surprising yet inevitable - exactly how every film's ending should be.

I loved that it was set in new york and I thought it had some very interesting, touching themes, about love, respect, culture and family. I connected with it on several different notes, which is impressive, given that the protagonist wasn't someone I would've associated with readily.

the characters were very well-developed, and the script was simple, yet rich and layered. the acting was great - I could really easily put myself in the world of the film and I had a great time watching it - it was great in the sense that it had some laugh out loud moments, as well as some deeper, cathartic moments, and I think every good film has to have a mixture of both to be a great, engaging filmic experience.

the only thing that bothered me was that the film was littered with slow-motion moments whenever something "important" happened as well as a myriad of montages set to very literal, on the nose music that was clearly made specifically for the film.

I just felt like the filmmaker didn't trust the audience's intelligence to discern the feeling of the moment and kind of beat us over the head with the emotional beats. but that's such a minuscule problem and the film had more than enough to make up for it.

overall, an excellent watch!