Dude Where's the Party (2003)
-
69% of critics liked it
(13 reviews) -
56% of users liked it
(7,418 ratings)
Before leaving India for college in Houston, Hari (Sunil Malhotra) consults an astrologer, who tells him that he'll meet the woman of his dreams there, that her name will begin with a "P," and that she'll fall from the sky. Hari moves in with friends of the family, the Bakshis, and… More Before leaving India for college in Houston, Hari (Sunil Malhotra) consults an astrologer, who tells him that he'll meet the woman of his dreams there, that her name will begin with a "P," and that she'll fall from the sky. Hari moves in with friends of the family, the Bakshis, and meets Mo (Kal Penn of American Desi), their slacker son. Mo is a fully assimilated ABCD (American Born Confused Desi), and while he's proud to be Indian, he's ashamed of his socially inept FOB (Fresh Off the Boat) "cousin," who wears clashing outfits, puts coconut oil in his hair, and speaks with a heavy accent. At school, Hari meets Priya (Tina Cherian), a ditzy beauty who literally falls into his lap. Hari is quickly convinced that Priya is the girl the astrologer told him about, and he offers to tutor her in math. Mo is smitten with Janvi (Serena Varghese), a student filmmaker. She's making a video about what it means to be South Asian in America, and Mo invites her to one of the "Desi Fever" parties he promotes. The evening turns into a disaster when Janvi films Ray (Prem Shah), the radio personality who runs the party, rudely kicking out an FOB, Sham (co-screenwriter Sunil Thakkar), and Ray smashes her tape. While Hari is determined to help Mo win back Janvi, Mo won't even tell Hari about the next exclusive party he's promoting, which Priya is sure to attend. Where's the Party, Yaar? was based partly on Thakkar's experiences as a DJ and party promoter in Houston. The film was helmed by music video director Benny Mathews and features the music of Panjabi MC and Cornershop. It was shown at the 2003 Rhode Island International Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Directed By
- Benny Mathews
- Genres
- Comedy
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Mar 9, 2003 Wide
- Studio
- Music Masala Films
Critic Reviews
-
Matt Weitz, Dallas Morning News
Town mouse/country mouse isn't exactly the freshest conceit, but the poignancy of the identity issues and the freshness of the cultural glimpses push this film through the occasional slow and/or stale parts.
-
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
Assembles all the usual stereotypes in one movie.
-
Bob Campbell, Minneapolis Star Tribune
An amiable city mouse/country mouse story.
-
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle
A charming if inconsistent comic essay on assimilation.
-
Dave Kehr, New York Times
This film clearly understands its target audience of first-generation Indian-Americans and has its pleasures to provide.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Kal Penn
as Mohan Bakshi
-
Sunil Malhotra
as Hari Patel
-
Prem Shah
as Ray
-
Serena Varghese
as Janvi Valia
-
Tina Cherian
as Priya Varghese
-
Mousmi Dave
as Poonam
-
Sunil Thakkar
as Sham Bhalabhatrapatramukhi
-
Indrevan Trivedi
as Jotish
- Ankur Patel
- Arun Bakshi
- Mousami Dave
- Shaan Puri
- Zarina Khan
