Recent Reviews for Bride and Prejudice


  • No rating.
    MCT:
    August 30, 2008
    i seen it and i love it.. im caucasian but i love tht movie and i love the indian music.. its cool lol
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    August 21, 2008
    I saw this one with my mom and even though it isn't really that great of a movie we found it funny and entertaining.
  • 1.5 Stars
    MCT:
    August 21, 2008
    this movie sucked i know that in hindi movies songs just happen but u expect them 2 come. In this movie they come at random moments and this was just 2 weird even for me
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    August 1, 2008
    just pride and prejudice in the bollywood version .. i just love the movie and aishwarya is so beautiful ..
  • No rating.
    MCT:
    July 30, 2008
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  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 30, 2008
    This is the definition of a feel good romantic comedy. Doesn't matter if most of the acting is sucky or ridiculous; It's colorful, humorous, happy overall...
    The guy protagonist is so.. pleasing to the eye. ; ) Where's a William Darcy when one needs him?
  • Want To See
    MCT:
    July 15, 2008
    Hahaha.. my boyfriend totally hates musicals.. so when we rent this I told him like 4 times that it was a romantic movie not a musical , and as soon as we star to see it ... they start sining in the wedding scene... so.. I decided.. to go and change the movie so both of us will watch a movie both like.. so.. I still havent seen it
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 7, 2008
    Only a mild Bollywood touch, but if you have never seen a Bollywood movie before, this might seem a bit outrageous and corny to you. Its a lot of fun, and although its completely modernized, they managed to keep the storyline faithful. It would be hard to have a modernization of P&P set outside of India. I am only slightly curious how they managed to do it in the 2003 version.
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    July 2, 2008
    Lalita Bakshi: "I'm sure you think India is beneath you.
    Will Darcy: If I really thought that, then why would I be thinking about buying this place?
    Lalita Bakshi: You think THIS is India?!
    Will Darcy: Well, don't you wanna see more investment, more jobs?
    Lalita Bakshi: Yes, but who does it really benefit? You want people to come to India without having to deal with Indians.
    Will Darcy: Oh, that's good. Remind me to add that to a tourism brochure.
    Lalita Bakshi: Isn't that what all tourists want, five star comfort with a bit of culture thrown in? Well, I don't want you turning India into a theme park. I though we got rid of imperialists like you!
    Will Darcy: I'm not British, I'm American.
    Lalita Bakshi: Exactly!"

    Photobucket

    Here's a neat/odd idea - update Jane Austen's enduring story about love and regret using as a medium the fascinating and often weird world of Bollywood. Keep the city sophisticates in London, move the country cousins to India and add a layer of imperialism via the United States. Ripe grounds for a ripping tale of resistance and arranged weddings in which very colourful characters dance and sing against a very colourful background. An instant cross-over hit. Director Gurinder Chadha, who was born in Kenya, raised in London, and is married to a Japanese-American, is clearly attracted to ethnic multi-tasking and understands the revelatory appeal of cross-cultural story-telling, which she achieved with distinction in the uber-entertaining and loved Bend It Like Beckham, and she does it again with Bride & Prejudice.

    The basic storyline and skeletal structure are still the same as per Austen's novel, but now the clash of cultures provide an additional angle for the story to dwell upon, with brief commentary on the caste, and system of reputation, having Mr. and Mrs. Bakshi (Anupam Kher and Nadira Babbar), the proud parents of four beautiful daughters, on the prowl for eligible bachelors. The rather dominating Mrs. Bakshi, as usual, is the most preoccupied with finding suitable partners for each girl, starting with the eldest, Jaya (Namrata Shirodkar). News soon spreads about an eligible bachelor, Mr. Balraj (Naveen Andrews) arriving from London for a local wedding. Whilst Mrs. Bakshi rejoices at this wonderful opportunity, she faces stiff competition from a surprising number of fellow mothers with similar motives. Luckily Mr. Balraj ignores the others and becomes immediately smitten by Jaya.

    The instant attractions continue when Mr. Balraj's good friend Will Darcy (Martin Henderson) who spots Jaya's sister Lalita (Aishwarya Rai). His good looks and charm initially attract Lalita, although one or two conversations later, she decides he's arrogant and snobbish. Fate keeps bringing the two together but their apparent pride and prejudice continue to pull them apart. During this process Lalita meets a couple of other suitors, including the conniving Mr. Wickham (Daniel Gillies) and a hilariously terrible Indian-American Mr. Kholi (Nitin Chandra Ganatra). It's selection time and Lalita faces increasing pressure to pick her groom.

    If you haven't experienced Bollywood as of yet, this the ideal film start with, because it isn't exactly a Bollywood film - it's a Western comedy which incorporates elements from Bollywood. Therefore, elaborate song and dance routines will break out spontaneously, dialogue filled with clichés and dated jokes will abound and men and women will never kiss. Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding and Deepa Mehta's Bollywood Hollywood are two other films where East and West meet, making them good primers so as to ease your way into the Bollywood experience. Still, Chadha sticks largely to the Bollywood formula - at least as far as style goes. The costumes and sets both blaze with bright colours. With such a set design, it only adds to the fun feel of the film.

    Had the script been a product solely of Hollywood, it would induce nothing but groans and the sounds of theatre seats smacking back into place as audience members walked out early. Take the character of Mr. Kholi, for instance. He actually quotes the old Budweiser "Wazzup?" commercials that are five years overused and acts all-American, like he's in India on vacation or something like that, and not visiting his homeland. Sure, he's supposed to be a nerdy poser type, but of all the unfunny lines that could have come from him, the best that they could come up with is "Wazzup?" However, there's a lot of Chadha's tongue pressed in her cheek. It's meant to induce groans.

    Bride & Prejudice is very aware of itself as a cross-cultural film. And that perspective is exactly where its greatest strength lies. Like Monsoon Wedding and Bollywood Hollywood, it tackles the subject of converging cultures as old India, represented by Lalita's mother (hilariously played by Nadira Babbar) and old animal-drawn farm machines, and a new, emerging India, represented by the hustle and bustle of big business, cars and new technology. There is tremendous tension between the two and it's Lalita's generation who are stuck in the middle of it.

    Observations like pandering toward all things west as good, and dreams of instant emigration often get shot down, in no part due to rebuttal from Lalita, who exudes all things pro-India, and come to think about it, it's quite true as a universal theme if you discount the country in question, addressing the attitudes of migrants who forget their roots. Chadha is also just a little critical of Western influences on India, which is still a very young nation having gained independence just 60 years ago.

    Chadha has managed to create another extremely enjoyable and light-hearted film that, while still clichéed, is many steps above the hundreds and hundreds of romantic comedies that flood theatres around the world every year. She deserves credit for bringing all the elements of this romantic melodrama/comedy/musical together in such an energetic and appealing way. The musical numbers are a rousing mix of glitz and glamour. Several vigorously choreographed large group numbers are nothing short of spectacular. One of them even takes place on a Californian beach with a Gospel choir in blue robes and a serenading group of surfers provide backup music to the festivities. Bride & Prejudice is a cross-cultural gem filled with many magical moments.

    Former Miss World, Bollywood Queen Aishwarya Rai - who was listed by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world - does a great job as the female lead in her first starring-role in English. Despite the weaknesses in the personality of her character, Aishwarya manages to make Lalita very likable. She breathes life into the character and some of her facial expressions (particularly during emotional scenes) are like picturesque portraits. New Zealand actor Martin Henderson is adequate. He does a decent job, as does Naveen "Sayid" Andrews, with a refreshingly different role. However, everyone else becomes kind of irrelevant when compared to Rai, who is potentially the most attractive woman ever born in the history of life on Earth. There are no words appropriate for describing her beauty. You feel like you're watching some sort of otherworldly creature... and what a smile!

    All in all, still a decent romantic comedy with a plus for its Indian/Bollywood elements and its dare, though I'm not entirely sure if Austen purists would like to see that literary classic take a Bollywood turn. But those who enjoy Bollywood films or have always held a certain fascination for India will - guaranteed - have a very hard time not enjoying themselves. Bride & Prejudice, being part Jane Austen, part Bollywood and part Western comedy, probably won't be for everyone. Not probably, it won't be for everyone. It is however, a lot of fun if you let it, don't take it too seriously and accept, beforehand, that it'll be a predictable, resolution-long-known, but also extremely amusing and colourful film starring the most beautiful woman in the world. Like Chadha's Beckham, it's cotton-candy fluffy. It might not be the healthiest thing for you, but it makes you smile incessantly and feel oh-so-good while you eat it.
  • 0.5 Stars
    MCT:
    July 1, 2008
    it is quite funny how bad it is! They burst in to song at any random moment and are not very good at lip-synching either. It kind of lost the plot lol <bad/>
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    June 29, 2008
    This movie was very much like 'Pride and Prejudice'. They also had one line which was the same. The one about how the mother wont talk to her daughter and the father wont if she gets married to that dude. The storyline was pretty much the same. I liked it, but I didnt like it as much as Pride and Prejudice. It has a lot of similaraities. But the one thing I really did like about this movie was the music. They are awesome dancer and singers. I liked the first song with the boys dancing for the girls at a wedding and the song 'No life, without wife'. That was really funny.
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    June 26, 2008
    Quite fun. Neat job of adapting P&P to the setting, and the scenarios. Hurrah for Bollywood dance scenes... =P
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    June 22, 2008
    This was a silly love movie. It had a lot of Bollywood-type dancing and singing. There are better things to watch.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    June 14, 2008
    i need to see it because i saw pride and prejudience and i think both of these movies would be good so i think i would love it just like i love the movies i watch so i think this movie would be good.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 20, 2008
    this movie is a musical. if u don't like musicals, don't see it. but if u do, you'll really like it! i did! it's just pride & prejudice only set in India.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 19, 2008
    Pretty colorful movie, and musical, based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. A fun movie to watch if you loved the direction of Gurinder Chadha.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 17, 2008
    so good. i like it allot!!!! it is almost the same as pride and pregidice. it is so nice and cool.:)xoxoo.
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    May 16, 2008
    Good romantic movie, great dancing scenes and musica, with the most beautiful woman in all the world!
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 10, 2008
    gud casting and direction when east meets west morover martin henderson is shooo cute and handsome..
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    April 27, 2008
    The bright colors make you feel happy and if you like pride and prejudice you will like this. The songs are catchy too.
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    March 30, 2008
    A fun Bollywood film, which is filled with vibrant colour, awe-inspiring dancing and toe-tapping music.

    The performances are by-the-book romance performances, but that's not a bad thing. Aishwarya Rai shines as Lolita, the indian brought up in what is a very forceful family, smothered by the fact that her arranged marriage is on the horizon and troubling men linger about.

    In what is most laughably a Pride and Prejudice parody, it works well and captures your interest from beginning to end.

    A bit typical, especially before the final scenes, where they all realise that who they thought is good is actually bad, and they fight it out, but it doesn't stall the movement of the film.
  • 2.5 Stars
    MCT:
    March 25, 2008
    Absolutely hilarious. From the really random background dancers to the funny pop songs to the LOL-performances of some of the actors. Good fun.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 20, 2008
    It's cool how they can blend culture and moderness and how the guy actually got married to her in the end over a short span of time. But it is a typical romance story that is enjoyable to watch.
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    March 13, 2008
    I love Indian movies, this one mixed w/ an american guy and parts of USA ...my b-f got me started and interested in these movies...I love the dancing & beautiful Indian dresses & clothes.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 7, 2008
    Charming! A colorful love story, a different choice in Hollywood movies, great soundtrack & pure romance!

    BOLLYWOOD ENCOUNTERS HOLLYWOOD IN A CLASSIC & RESPECTFUL WAY...

Summary


Bride and Prejudice Summary