(This is my first review, though I've seen over 1500 films so far, but in this case, I had to do one because I'd been waiting this for since 2014 (longest wait for me in any single movie), based on the cast, genre, setting and plot synopsis alone. I watched it last night in YouTube after purchasing it first.)
Brie Larson and Scott Bakula play a father-daughter scientist group, who have just finished making a new GMO-rice and Donald Sutherland, who is the CEO, sees a business possibility to sell this new rice to farmers, so he sends her to India. While trying to teach the farmers about the new rice, she meets with Rajit, played by Utkarsh Ambudkar and a seed of has been laid.
That's the basic plot, but the way it's directed and written is another story. The film is a musical that borrows A LOT from Bollywood-films made in India. It's a very cliché-filled film (fish out of water-situation, love triangle, misunderstandings, evil CEO), but it's never boring, despite it being about selling rice. The writer- director Danny Baron is a first timer, and it shows in all- around cheapness and almost made-to-TV/direct to DVD-feel, but he shows talent and love to the musical genre, and Bollywood in general, in some amazing cinematography and good acting from all of the cast. The scenes and chemistry between Larson and Ambudkar is very sweet.
The film is very self-aware (I mean, the company is called Mogil and Sutherland's character is named Gurgon!) The musical numbers are fun at the moment, but they don't really make an impression, but I doubt they weren't even meant to be timeless. The singing is all-around good from Larson and Ambushkar and even Donald Sutherland and Tyne Daly share a villain song together (with Daly having more solos with better range while Sutherland "groons" the lyrics)
For the issues, you have to understand what the film is trying to "mimic" by having seem or heard of Bollywood cinema and how they're made. The film can also feel a bit too "happy" and "stakeless" and some of the clichés and dialogue may feel stupid and a bit ridiculous, but if you view it as a self-aware absurd romantic musical comedy (which it is) that was made for something like ABC Family or Disney Channel, you might enjoy it, if you're in the right mood.
Brie Larson and Scott Bakula play a father-daughter scientist group, who have just finished making a new GMO-rice and Donald Sutherland, who is the CEO, sees a business possibility to sell this new rice to farmers, so he sends her to India. While trying to teach the farmers about the new rice, she meets with Rajit, played by Utkarsh Ambudkar and a seed of has been laid.
That's the basic plot, but the way it's directed and written is another story. The film is a musical that borrows A LOT from Bollywood-films made in India. It's a very cliché-filled film (fish out of water-situation, love triangle, misunderstandings, evil CEO), but it's never boring, despite it being about selling rice. The writer- director Danny Baron is a first timer, and it shows in all- around cheapness and almost made-to-TV/direct to DVD-feel, but he shows talent and love to the musical genre, and Bollywood in general, in some amazing cinematography and good acting from all of the cast. The scenes and chemistry between Larson and Ambudkar is very sweet.
The film is very self-aware (I mean, the company is called Mogil and Sutherland's character is named Gurgon!) The musical numbers are fun at the moment, but they don't really make an impression, but I doubt they weren't even meant to be timeless. The singing is all-around good from Larson and Ambushkar and even Donald Sutherland and Tyne Daly share a villain song together (with Daly having more solos with better range while Sutherland "groons" the lyrics)
For the issues, you have to understand what the film is trying to "mimic" by having seem or heard of Bollywood cinema and how they're made. The film can also feel a bit too "happy" and "stakeless" and some of the clichés and dialogue may feel stupid and a bit ridiculous, but if you view it as a self-aware absurd romantic musical comedy (which it is) that was made for something like ABC Family or Disney Channel, you might enjoy it, if you're in the right mood.