AMERICANISH Enjoyable film has good humour and strong characters

THE comedy-drama set in Jackson Heights, New York, just had its European premiere at the London Indian Film Festival.

The story revolves around a first-generation immigrant mother, who was dumped years before by her husband, trying to find suitable matches for her two daughters and a niece who is visiting from Pakistan. The niece wants to marry a PakistaniAmerican doctor, the youngest daughter falls for a fellow student and the elder one is focused on her career. Each of the girls go on journeys that lead them towards what they really want.

The low-budget film frames the romantic comedy genre around Muslim women, who have decidedly different outlooks on life, and relies very much on the well-defined characters to keep you connected. There is good humour, strong performances, relatable situations, and familiar protagonists, like the overbearing mother who think she knows best. Unfortunately, the film never quite reaches its undeniable potential because some scenarios seem outdated in the modern world, and it is also too predictable. You kind of know what will happen and what path each of the women will take.

The most interesting aspect is the niece visiting from Pakistan, who starts falling for a black Muslim man, and a strong faith element with the youngest daughter. There was a lot of scope to take a great deep dive into both situations, but that doesn’t really happen. There is a similar situation with the elder daughter forming a connection with a loveable policeman.

What remains is an enjoyable enough film that could have been so much more if the screenplay had matched up to the undeniably good central storyline and ambitions the director clearly had. Find the film when it becomes widely available in UK, but don’t expect it to flip into a higher gear. It’s a decent film that could have been a great ride.