India Sweets and Spices

India Sweets and Spices is peppy, energetic and unapologetically broad in its comic approach.

The impossibility of ever really knowing our parents is a familiar storyline, but it’s told here with real generosity and warmth. Malik slyly pokes fun, but never meanly.

What follows makes this movie more complex that its rom-com set up, which has Alia returning home for the summer break, being pursued by a handsome, wealthy young man who will have a real elephant...

India Sweets and Spices gives us a different aspect of the diaspora experience by trying to understand Sheila's generation and the things they gave up in order to give their children the life they have.

Much of this has been done before in more stylish, more well-rounded films, and India Sweets and Spices suffers from those comparisons.

Alia's internal tug-of-war may be familiar to many first- and second-generation children of immigrants, and Malik's film makes that uneasy struggle into a poignant yet delightful journey of self-discovery.

Headlined by the spirited Sophia Ali, this vibrant romance/family drama has a lively pacing. There are unexpected twists thrown in that made this one quite memorable.

Sweet central performances can't outweight the social satire laid on thick and the gaudy aesthetic in this inside job on some questionable expat community values

Its ham-fisted, for sure, and some of the story points are clumsily handled...Still, its hard not to warm to the films well-packaged progressive sentiments, especially when blessed with such a winning lead performance.

A blend of a romantic comedy and a family drama [that's] somewhat erratic in its tone and pacing. It's ultimately a charming story about a young woman finding her identity and coming to terms with how family baggage and family traditions affect her life.