Take away the cultural aspect of this story (i.e. an Indian-American coming from a closely-knit society that has strict expectations on how and to whom one will marry) and this is just a typical story of a guy looking for a girl. Yet in the process, we get to learn (or rather get confirmation...for some of us) just how shallow, racist and petty Indian culture can be. Maybe the most telling scene was when the son whines over the phone "But MOMMY....I told you: no fatties!" Yes, we get some banter from the parents whom I'm sure were told "aren't you adorable...you should be in a movie!" by their relatives, but the reality is Indian culture just is not very exotic anymore. Being racist and shallow is not "cute" nor is it acceptable just because it's part of one's culture. And the whiny son trying to get a girl who will make him happy and fit in with his family really is not at all original, regardless of the setting. Had we gained any NEW insight or information (maybe such as why dumpy, odd-looking Indian guys with acne and no career to speak of feel they somehow deserve to marry a super-model) there may have been value or entertainment here.

Documentaries are serious business… usually. Most documentary films show us something, take us somewhere, teach us something, or express a point of view as only film can. While these stories and lessons can come with light moments, they usually play it pretty straight with their subjects. That's what makes "Meet the Patels" (PG, 1:28) so delightfully original. Technically classified as a documentary (and accomplishing many of the things that documentaries do), this movie is also a comedy and a romance.The main character in this romantic comedy documentary is Ravi Patel. In real life, he's an actor and comedian in Los Angeles. Also in real life, he's had to deal with some of the same issues as many young men and women who have roots in India, yet grew up in the U.S. His parents, Vasant and Champa, who emigrated from India in 1967, want him to marry a nice Indian girl and give them nice Indian grandchildren. Ravi isn't opposed to this, but isn't sure how to go about it in the modern world. As the film opens, he's just broken up with Ashley, his red-haired American girlfriend of two years, because he feels the need to commit to someone with whom he can more easily raise a family like he and his sister, Geeta, were raised. For the time being, Ravi and Geeta share a house and deal with their parents… "encouraging" them to find spouses. Ravi is just under 30 and Geeta is just north of 30, making it a minor scandal within their family and circle of friends that neither of them is married.This film chronicles Ravi's search, over the course of a year, to find a woman whom he and, hopefully, his parents, think would be a good match for him. Even though their own union is the product of a traditional Indian arranged marriage, Vasant and Champa have lived in the U.S. long enough to be willing to compromise on how and where Ravi finds his life partner. But that doesn't stop them from helping the process along. Early in the film, the family takes a trip to India during "wedding season", which they believe is a great opportunity for Ravi to find his bride. Ravi, however, prefers to find an Indian girl in the U.S. The problem, as Arsenio Hall's character says in the similarly-themed "Coming to America", is that "the land is so vast, the choices so infinite." Fortunately, Ravi and his parents have the money and the technological tools to give this search a decent chance for success. Ravi's parents circulate a bio sheet about him amongst other Indian-American families, whose eligible bachelorettes have bio sheets of their own. Ravi also tries meeting women online through Indian-American dating websites. Then, Ravi flies around the country having first dates with a number of the women he meets using these techniques, while his parents keep in constant contact with him, hoping to hear that there will be some second dates. Ravi even attends an out-of-state marriage convention in the hopes that he'll meet and fall for, not just an Indian-American woman, but one named Patel, of which there are many.Behind the camera is Ravi's sister. We hear them converse about the latest developments in Ravi's search for his ideal woman and there are also reality-TV-style sit-down interviews with Ravi explaining to his sister how he sees things. At the beginning of the film, Ravi explains that, while Geeta is also in the movie business, she's no cinematographer, as evidenced by her shots which are sometimes out of focus, badly lit, poorly composed and include part of her boom mic in the upper right corner of the frame. All this is true at various moments in the film (plus, subtitles are sometimes used to make it clear what certain people are saying if the mic doesn't pick them up well enough), but the movie has well-executed creative aspects as well. Occasionally, Geeta and her fellow director (Ravi) and her fellow producers illustrate part of the story with appropriate graphics and animation. Also, during most of Ravi's sit-down time talking to the camera, we hear his voice (and Geeta's, as she interviews him), but what we see is a cartoon-animated version of Ravi, which sometimes includes a "long shot" of Ravi and Geeta together.Although this movie documents one man's romantic journey, the film does have writers – Ravi and Geeta, along with Billy McMillin and Matthew Hamachek (who was both editor and co-producer on 2015's great documentary "Cartel Land"). Given that the plan for this film was laid out as a documentary which is also a comedy and a romance, it should come as no surprise that we see aspects of other films, both other documentaries and romantic comedies, within this doc. While "Meet the Patels" doesn't copy any of these movies, moments of this unique film reminded me of films like, of course, "Meet the Parents" (2000), "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (2002), "My Date with Drew" (2004), "Catfish" (2010), "When Harry Met Sally…" (1989), "Bride & Prejudice" (2004) and "Dil Dhadakne Do" (2015)."Meet the Patels" is original and beguiling. The unique combination of romantic comedy and documentary filmmaking makes for interesting story-telling. Not only do we want to learn how Ravi's search turns out, but we're also interested to learn from the story's cross-generational and cross-cultural tension. The immediate family of Ravi, Geeta, Vasant and Champa Patel are appealing and many of their interactions are both funny and endearing, as are Ravi's verbal observations, actions and reactions throughout the film. Geeta's lack of expertise with the camera is unfortunate and distracting, but the story-telling is solid, relatable and entertaining. "B"

I hope everyone goes out to see this film when it opens in late September. We were lucky enough to see it in our film club a few weeks ago and it rated the highest of any film we've seen! It's one of those stories anyone can relate to, but its about a young Indian man trying to find his soul mate, who decides to give "arranged marriage, Indian-style" a try. It mostly shows how much alike we all are and the film is hugely funny! There was a Q&A session afterwards with the whole family on Skype and it was nearly as good as the film! The parents are hilarious!! The film was made by their son and his sister, so was a family project and began as footage from a family vacation. What they did with that is amazing! Please go see this and take your family and be prepared for lots of fun!!

You do not have an Indian background to thoroughly enjoy this hilarious, heart-felt, & engaging documentary of a beautiful family who truly respect and love one another. I was so sorry to see the film end.I was lucky to see this film through San Jose's Cinema Club led by Tim Sika, & I highly recommend to people of all ages, backgrounds, religions, & cultures. You will actually feel renewed after viewing it!The characters are so real & engaging; of course, this is because they are a real family..with the same wishes and desires for their children's happiness that we all feel for our own children. There is surprising beautiful animation sprinkled throughout the film which enhanced it for me.I wish that they would do a sequel.