Amira & Sam (2014) User Reviews

Stellar indie-flick that avoids most typical cheesy romance clichés

[Seth_Rogue_One · 7/10 · 11 February 2016]

A nice surprise about 2 very different characters one an ex-army American soldier man and one Muslim refugee woman.

With that set-up this could have turned out to be just any typical rom-com fare but it avoids doing that by keeping a great sense of realism throughout the movie with characters and developments that all seem natural.

As a big 'Freaks and Geeks' fan from my youth it's nice to see yet another Apatow 'family member' get his shot at the limelight, in this case Martin Starr who played the lovable geek with massive glasses; Bill Haverchuck in the series.

And he handles the lead-role splendidly with natural charisma as does his love interest in the movie Dina Shihabi as Amira.

All in all a small independent drama-comedy that succeeds at being funny and dramatic when it's supposed to be, a slice of life type of movie.

Even though the reviews are fake, it's an okay movie, a 6.5

[MdlndeHond · 6/10 · 7 May 2015]

The fact that someone paid someone to place 20 fake reviews on IMDb with 10 star ratings is bad practise and IMDb should not allow it. Made me hesitant to watch it, because if the owner of this project doesn't believe in it, should I? .

About the movie. Take away all political correctness (and what is up with these people feeling offended). Let us run this against the Romcom/Bollywood clichelist:✓ Angry defensive girl, meets friendly naive guy, ✓opposite attracts, ✓A dramatic event brings them together.✓Love conquers all. Yup, seems to be all there. Is is bad? No it's no bad at all.

It's a romcom so no there is no fact checking for every event and some things are done for the cuteness factor. All together it is a nice watch and if the girl wasn't Muslim and the boy was Joseph Gordon-Levitt we'd be having this by the spoonful and declare it the indie 500 days of Summer.

Amira & Sam

[gomezm3 · 6/10 · 1 February 2015]

Amira & Sam is the story of two unlikely love birds running away together. It shows you who Amira is: a strong and independent Muslim woman who is in total control, even when she is looked down on by her peers. It shows you who Sam is: an Iraq war veteran who is trying adjust to present-day America after serving multiple tours in Iraq.

It's Sean Mullin's directorial debut and it packs quite a punch for an indy picture. What stole the show for me was the 7-minute uncut scene in the middle of the film in which Amira and Sam share secrets, jokes, and kisses. It's in this scene that I fell in love with Amira & Sam. Take 90 short minutes and rent Amira & Sam on VOD or iTunes. Or take a trip to the silver screen and support this picture. You won't regret it.

insulting

[Anas-lv · 4 May 2015]

This film insulting Muslim women !! And insulting Iraqi women !! It seems that the aim is to tarnish the image of Islamic headscarf! Those who made the film, Are they from the first world countries, as they say ?! Where is the science and knowledge that they claim! Before you talk about the habits and traditions of others, you should learn it first and look out for it in the books then, do what your conscience dictates you! Any Arab Muslim woman will not do anything like the fake personalty in this film, She will never wear the headscarf in this way if she want to wear short pants and reveal her arms until the shoulders! this film reflect your naivety and silliness! it's disgusting

Yes Watch This One!

[christa-pelc · 7/10 · 2 June 2020]

All the elements of a good story - some conflict, some sweet & a happy ending. Try to overlook the foul language & legal discrepancies, though!

White washed brown woman with bad wardrobe. How creative.

[dyacoubi2012 · 1/10 · 17 December 2014]

This movie is nothing more than a white washed westernized version of Muslim women that real Muslim women reject venomously. Does the costume designer have any knowledge of Islam at all? Do they realize the terrible and i mean TERRIBLE accent the actress that portrays Amira have? Did they ask her to make the most condescending vague brown person accent and run with it? I'm so ashamed of this film. I was introduced to it by Paul Wesley and figured he was a respectful actor and wouldn't be in something this tragically horrible. I was wrong. So very wrong. 0/10, would not recommend. If you want to make a film about Muslims, please find Muslims who actually know about the religion. If you want to make a film about an Iraqi, ask an Iraqi. Hell, I'm both an Iraqi and a Muslim, i would have been glad to offer some insight so this trash would not be produced.

This is a movie you shouldn't miss

[ps-19-376465 · 10/10 · 5 June 2014]

Sam and Amira is extremely well done and touches on the issues of Immigration, and re- entry of our soldiers coming back from war. It is also a love story that develops in a very nice and complex way thru the movie. Martin Starr in his first leading man role does a fantastic job and is very believable. His character has a moral code that he sticks to even though he is given numerous opportunity and reason to trade against his values. Amira who is played by Dina Shihabi does a phenomenal job in her first leading role as the reluctant love interest while dealing with her own immigration challenges and discrimination coming from all sides. Paul Wesley is great as a Wall Street type working on the edges of the system trying to help/use his cousin to further his own ambitions. The movie is written and directed by Sean Mullin who himself is a West Point graduate and served this country at Ground Zero. He does a masterful job telling this story with all it's complexities and adding humor as the movie is very funny. Especially the back and forth between Sam and Amira. I saw the Premier at the Seattle Film Festival.

Garbage

[rabianasirbhatti · 1/10 · 7 January 2015]

This was by far the worst portrayal of a Muslim women I have EVER seen. Clearly the producers/director and writers of the film did not do much research about Islam and thats very apparent in the costumes for the Amira in this movie. Wearing a Hijab is a symbol of modesty in dressing which completely went out of the window with the various leg revealing skirts. No actual Muslim person can begin to appreciate the movie when the character of one of the lead cast members is portrayed so incorrectly. Beginning with the fake accent, to poor portrayal of a Muslim person this was just a big disappointment. Just one more examples of how Americans really do not know jack sh**.

10 stars to an indie romantic comedy? yeah, I'm surprised too!

[m_imdb-222-195605 · 10/10 · 25 January 2015]

I saw this in Seattle and was shocked by how much I really enjoyed it. Its hard not to wince when I see trailers for another low-budget, indie rom-com, but Amira and Sam finds a way to seem fresh and funny without falling into the standard tropes. If you are a fan of dry humor, then this is going to hit all the right spots for you.

The top billed cast of Starr/Shihabi/Wesley are all immediately believable in their roles and are damn endearing. I had only known Martin Starr from the freaks and geeks days, but his stoicism really lent itself to his role as a recently returned vet. Half the fun of the movie is watching Sam (Starr) flounder through social interactions and day-to-day life while trying to get back up to speed with America and all of the ways that it has changed during his absence.

The soundtrack was pretty good too - it was just enough melody to help accentuate the touching parts of the film without being overbearing and forcing an emotion on you.

Very much recommended!

As an aside, I've read a few 1-star reviews from folks who admit to not even having seen the film. That's too bad - its a difficult thing to not walk away from a flick like this without a little pep in your step.

Unrealistic...Stay away unless you got a lot of free time...

[ammarshk · 1/10 · 18 May 2015]

If you want to watch a movie full of romance and but completely unrealistic and devoid of the culture of Iraqi women but more importantly completely devoid of Islamic principles...then I guess this is the movie for you.

When you make a movie and claim is to have an "unlikely romance" especially with an immigrant you should at least TRY to learn about the culture and Way of life of the human beings from that particular part of the world...

Furthermore, the movie did not make any sense... Again, if you are into movies with an unrealistic plot then go for it...otherwise stay away..

Lastly, a movie does not have to be a documentary to be a little realistic and properly portray the "way of life" of one of the characters and their background.

Don't even have to watch to know it's AWFUL

[nazminahmed-31006 · 1/10 · 28 February 2021]

Who the hell made this movie?! After a quick google search I can see this is another one of Hollywood's embarrassing portrayals of Muslim women. How offensive if this character who wears a headscarf (which is worn by Muslim women for modesty reasons) whilst showing cleavage? I'm sure if anyone knows a real Muslim woman who adorns a scarf, you will not see her wearing this attire because the whole point of her headscarf is modesty?!!! If you're going to portray a certain religion or ethnicity, you should take the time to research it. This either tells me no research was done (which I find hard to believe) or the fact the producers were aware their representations would be distasteful to people who are actually Muslim and just didn't care because it would appeal to the ignorant masses who had no idea how disrespectful this movie really is. Really disappointed Paul Wesley has starred in this as I am a big fan of TVD.

The Standard

[brian-anthony9 · 10/10 · 5 June 2014]

Caught the world premiere at the Seattle Film Festival. The cast and crew were fantastic. Not only is the acting and directing top notch, but the production value is second-to-none.

Film provided a unique POV on veteran and immigration issues. Moments of unexpected humor and touching emotional echoes of war immediately hook you in.

Film also did an excellent job tackling contemporary issues without a heavy hand. Mullin forces the audience to look at America in a post 9/11 world and, perhaps more importantly, at ourselves as Americans.

This is the standard for independent film. 87 minutes that are well worth your time.

Cringe worthy, but fellow Arab & Muslim reviewers need to chill

[rushaidatkhouloud · 4/10 · 14 January 2016]

I love indie movies, I'm an Arab whose family has a lot of interracial marriages so I was curious as to how this one would be portrayed, and I actually fell for the fake reviews. Long story short, I watched it.

I don't get why people are taking this portrayal of an Arab woman too personally, especially when they whine about stereotyping done on Westerners' part. There is over half a billion Muslim woman in the world, and each one them is different. If you don't want non Muslims to paint us all with the same brush when it comes to terrorism and extremism, why would you suggest that any other Muslim's way of living is a representation of your beliefs? That being said, the movie was not horrible, but it wasn't good either. Too many clichés and cringe worthy moments, there's an idea behind the film, no doubt in that, but it wasn't delivered properly by no fault of the actors, who all gave OK performances, too many plot holes and unrealistic events.

Refreshing, funny, sweet and thought provoking.

[henrygbates · 10/10 · 20 October 2014]

I'm not into romantic comedies, but I caught this movie at the Woodstock Film Festival and was blown away. The characters are all treated with respect and compassion. The dialog and timing are spot on and typical preconceptions about combat vets and Iraqi refugees are effectively challenged. Sam, the recently discharged vet, is presented as a real person trying to adjust to civilian life not a macho or tortured stereotype. Amira, the Iraqi refugee and niece of Sam's Iraqi translator, is charming and vulnerable under her tough veneer. The actors, Martin Starr (Sam), Dina Shihabi (Amira), Laith Nakli (Amira's uncle) and Paul Wesley (Sam's cousin), are all well-cast and excellent. The chemistry between Sam and Amira is effective. Director- Screenwriter, Sean Mullin, has done an outstanding job in his first feature film.

Slow and distracted story line, aims only to misrepresents the actual Arabic culture and values.

[ali-raslan · 1/10 · 12 May 2015]

First of all, the story line and the overall flow of the story seems to be very slow and distracted taking 3 stories going into 3 different directions with a very weak relationship between these stories. Very predictable ending with no attention to grab the audience's attention to any overall idea or feeling. On the other hand, even though throughout the movie I was feeling annoyed and disgust by the way the writer represented the Arab culture "my culture" in this unrealistic and irrational way. Through the whole movie, I was trying to understand the main hook or purpose behind the story, but found nothing but trying to misrepresents the actual Arabic culture and values in a way which suits the writer's fantasies and the movie sponsor's political goals. Therefore, in my opinion this movie disrespects the Arabic and Islamic values on many levels.

Disgusting

[kosarmomeni · 1/10 · 1 May 2021]

Does anyone in the crew have any idea about how islam works? I dont think so! This is ridicules. Awfull.

Breath of Fresh Air

[VJAtlas · 10/10 · 12 October 2014]

Just watched Amira & Sam at Hampton's Film Festival. Very pleasant surprise! Was expecting your run of mill "boy meets girl" love story and this was anything but that. The film is engaging and funny but at the same time exposes some sensitive political topics without ever making judgments or conclusions-- it leaves that to the viewer which is where it should be. The cast and the casting was fantastic. Starr (Sam) delivers a very convincing performance trying to maintain his principles in a world devoid of them. Dina Shihabi (Amira) matches him step for step. Their chemistry is undeniable and makes the movie click. Very strong debut for her -- who I expect we will see more of as she has the charisma, looks, talent and star power to go further. Also thought Paul Wesley was excellent as desperate, confused, generally weaselly Wall Street guy serving as the perpetual foil for development of Sam's character. Finally, Kudos to writer/director Mullin. From start to finish, the film was very well done. He is able to take several different themes and ideas and and roll them seamlessly into a film that was intriguing, funny and believable.

About as realistic the 10-star reviews

[timlin-4 · 4/10 · 15 February 2015]

While this movie will appeal to some because it's cute, the plot is thin and not believable. The leading man is OK as a deadpan comedian, and the female lead is sort of OK as his vulgar foreign love interest, but these are stock characters from many low-budget movies, and as usual the humorous lines are more to notify the audience that they are watching a "funny movie" than to legitimately force them to laugh. But a Green Beret should not need a woman to rescue him from a fight, nor would he deny that United States of America has a border protecting Americans! And an migrant woman living with her middle class relative would not be selling items on the street for no apparent reason, nor would she have such an attitude problem just because she is an alien. Few of the details in this movie make any sense, rom-coms might not be too plausible, but this movie takes itself too seriously. Sure you could suspend disbelief, but then why not pretend you already watched it?

EXCELLENT! We laughed, we cried, we fell in love with this movie.

[philnean · 10/10 · 26 January 2015]

We recently saw this film at the Napa Film Festival and thought it was not only the best movie in the festival but also one of the best movies we saw in 2014. If you have not seen it yet, put it on your "must see" list.

The story is a wonderful love story, complete with the strings tugging at your heart and the joy of seeing two people fall in love in current times. At first, Amira and Sam do not seem likely to form any sort of relationship but soon their true selves emerge, they learn how to communicate and respect each other, like and then love each other.

Writing a screenplay about a balanced, heartwarming and honest movie about a current veteran and an illegal immigrant is not easy, but Sean Mullin nailed it. The cast selection was also suburb - you will be wondering "Where did they find the woman who plays Amira?" She is simply terrific. New York, of course, plays itself.

And by the way, I don't agree with some of the other reviews saying that the movie incorrectly portrays Iraqi/Muslim women. I saw Amira as a smart, fiercely independent, strong and caring woman.

High for Allah, Down for Abdullah

[Farzad-Doosti · 1/10 · 5 January 2022]

The most ridiculous thing I have ever seen is that this garbage has nothing to do with cinema and film What a waste of time.

Every time I think of the motorcycle scene and Amira's red dress, I just lol ....

Mostly pleasant and even funny, doesn't avoid controversy

[vchimpanzee · 5 June 2019]

As Sam, Martin Starr is quite dignified and yet still manages to be funny. He is not silly, even though some of the situations he gets in are.

Dina Shihabi as Amira comes across as intelligent and independent and, while not exactly likeable at first, manages to be appealing. She does laugh later and shows a more pleasant side to her personality. While doing her job, she comes across as charming in an aggressive and annoying manner. A little different from Paul Wesley, who is charming in the way one would be expected to be on Wall Street.

Early in the movie another Muslim woman who is properly dressed criticizes Amira for showing too much skin. But later in one scene with Amira you have to ask what's the point of the hijab when the rest of her looks like Jennifer Lopez at an awards show.

If you like cats, look closely at the scene at the Veterans Affairs office. I record everything I watch on TV and this is a great opportunity to go back and slow down the video.

David Rasche does a good job, which he always does, as the Vietnam vet. He tells a beautiful but unpleasant story when he spends time with Sam. It's a great scene.

There is way more cursing than there should be. Numerous times, the sound went out and a character's mouth, or a word in the subtitles, was blurry.

Overall, it's a worthwhile effort.

A deliberate romance drama!!!

[Reno-Rangan · 2/10 · 24 October 2016]

It looks good, but not very enjoyable. I would have liked if it was focused only on Sam about a soldier's struggle since his return from the war like the 2009 film 'The Messenger' perhaps. The Amira's character seems deliberately put in, especially in the present western world scenario to tell what's wrong with them. So sorry, this did not click for me. But I like some parts, like how the character Amira transformed compared to the beginning and ending.

Martin Starr was at his best and that's why its watchable. Some people might like the film for its simpleness, but the screenplay should have been improved. They covered many topics like wall street, unemployed ex soldier, immigrant et cetera in 90 minutes, but when it comes to the romance part, the reality was missing. So like I said, intentionally the lead two characters put together to bring attention, rather to tell a neat romantic tale.

It it like 'Learning to Drive' kind of film. That aimed to reveal the cultural clash between two and how it stands as an obstacle between their feeling to each other. This is not for everybody, even the middle eastern audience might be annoyed about how Amira was portrayed in a few scenes. But those are the parts I liked the most from it. Just once watchable.

4/10

Has this Veteran's highest seal of approval

[maryelizabethfrey · 10/10 · 26 January 2015]

Amira and Sam does what great art should do: open our minds to thought-provoking and relevant issues while doing so in an enjoyable and highly entertaining way. There are elements of this film that will be familiar to many fans of the rom-com genre but it is much more than that standard fare. It challenges perceptions of veteran assimilation and immigration. Like the character of Sam, I am a veteran of Iraq. Upon my return home, the most difficult thing for me to confront was a society that was completely disconnected from the war effort and the sacrifices of the very few who were asked to fight it. I was also troubled by the many people who thought of all Iraqis as the enemy whereas I saw the bravery and heroism of many Iraqi citizens who joined the coalition forces in fighting the insurgents and sacrificed of themselves to rebuild their country. I feel Amira and Sam is the first movie to speak to those issues in an real and genuine way. I applaud the filmmakers for tackling such important topics yet choosing to tell a story that is at the same time incredibly funny and entertaining. Comedy is at its best when it speaks to truth. Amira and Sam uses comedy to help us get to the truth of these important issues. Knowing that this film was written and directed by a veteran and produced by veterans, I can't recommend this movie any more highly. Go see Amira and Sam! You'll love it!

So much more than a romcom

[luxgeminos1 · 10/10 · 26 January 2015]

Fantastic! Funny, sad, dramatic and multifaceted- everything a great film should be. But there are subtler messages. I imagine this movie will create some controversy surrounding the courageous Amira's independence. She is the Muslim version of a cafeteria Catholic. She embraces the dictates she agrees with and discards the rules that suppress her spirit.

The angry reviews criticizing the depiction of Amira as out of touch with Islamic custom completely miss the point. Amira is a strong, independent Muslim woman courageously living and dressing as SHE pleases despite the criticism she receives- even from other women. An empowering, complex and thought provoking message.

Martin Starr is charming as a leading man! Amira and Sam have a real on screen chemistry which has been rare in this day and age of formula romcom. Besides the beautiful Dina Shihabi the other 'breakout" star of this film may well be that red dress! I predict this humble little film will do very, very well- as it should. Best movie I've seen in an age.

I loved Amira and Sam

[hudson10000 · 10/10 · 26 January 2015]

It was refreshing to see a modern love story; Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, we do have beautiful stories, but we need current stories for these times that resonate with today's young people. The characters in the story were likable, the concerns of the uncle are realistic, the love of the younger people seem true and the lives they were living were real and complicated. I am a sixty year old woman and was delighted to see a movie that entertained was character driven, surprising, and sweet. My children liked it, my husband liked it and friends were with all liked it! Go and see it you will not be disappointed.