Dude Where's the Party (2003)

69% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
56% of users liked it
(7,331 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 meets Mo (Kal… 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

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Benny Mathews
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 9, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Feb 1, 2005
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.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Where's the Party, Yaar? is too corny and drawn-out to appeal to crossover audiences but may strike a nerve in Indian communities.
Millicent Mayfield, San Francisco Examiner
Filled with wacky humor and inside jokes that may leave Indian audiences rolling in their seat and average Americans sporting a quizzical look.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
The filmmakers joke about situations that will surprise those of us unfamiliar with Indian culture and amuse those who are. Much of the remaining material, however, is trite.
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com
The story bogs a bit and seems to run long, but any movie that has cricket and high-energy Indian numbers can't be all bad.
David Chute, L.A. Weekly
Mathews has obvious storytelling chops, and a sharp eye for absurdity.
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
Stereotyped characters, lame jokes.

Read all 11 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Deb S

The movie begins in India, with an aspiring Indian student who dreams of making it big in America. But when he finally enters the USA he begins to realize his cousin is ashamed to have a cousin who's from India. Anyone who's been an immigrant can identify with that… More
The movie begins in India, with an aspiring Indian student who dreams of making it big in America. But when he finally enters the USA he begins to realize his cousin is ashamed to have a cousin who's from India. Anyone who's been an immigrant can identify with that "stranger in a strange land" feeling. It captures the tensions between the assimilated and the newly arrived very well (as well as between the hip and the un-cool). The stereotyping in this movie is hilarious, it's just good olé racial funnies that I can relate to. Light hearted comedy not to be taken seriously.