Haddy Tina Aisha Jeng This is the worst movie I've ever watched! I cannot point out anything good with it, the script, actors, storyline and everything was just bad! It shouldn't even be certified as a movie.I didn't like the way that they portrayed the Indian culture, nor the American. It was just over dramatic and not funny. I know movies have an tendency to over do stuff, but this movie took things too far. The generalizations of Indians, white people, Mexicans and blacks were just not funny. Everything that happened in the movie was also expected, I hate when you know the storyline from the beginning by just the title.

Len9876 After seeing "Tropic Thunder" (2008), it has become clear that Hollywood actors, directors, and writers need to do background research on the characters they are portraying.Just the film's title alone makes the audience aware that we should 'Americanize' people, and make them 'generic Americans'. And, in doing so, we should bury or hide their culture. Right? Wrong. Americans need to become 'culture sensitive', so they convey a positive message that someone else's culture is on an equal level with Americans. I'm okay. You're okay.A number of Indian people attended a film festival in Connecticut. Those that had become 'Americanized' were not offended by the film. But, some felt that their Indian culture was portrayed in a negative light, and should have been given the dignity and respect of being on an equal level with the American culture. A significant number of Americans act like other cultures are inferior. This is wrong, and not at all true. 'Shelley' is given an American name, and is taught how to act, feel, and think like Hollywood-stereotypical Americans.The Indian culture needs to be researched, and the script needs to be further developed. But, even with all of its flaws, the film is worthy enough to be seen. Truly, there are some very enjoyable, very funny, and very poignant moments. For a fair attempt, I rate this film a 6 out of 10. With some polish, and more work, the film would rank at least an 8 or 9.

djlennon Without a doubt one of the worst films I have ever had to sit through. I saw it recently at a film festival in Connecticut and was quite simply stunned that the organisers sanctioned the screening. I cannot think of a single redeeming feature.The Indian stereotypes portrayed are so crude and patronising it defies belief, astoundingly so considering that the writer (and lead actress) is of Indian descent herself. Beyond the customary silly accents, we are led to believe that Indian people are culturally and technologically backward. For example, when Shelley (post-makeover) is reunited with her family ahead of her arranged marriage, she explains to everyone's amazement what happened to her ugly-duckling-style glasses: "Americans have these amazing things called contact lenses!". Incredible. But make no mistake, there is much more to be upset about than racial stereotyping. Not content merely to offend anyone from an Indian background, the overall ineptness of the production ensures that pretty much anyone with a shred of intelligence should be equally disgusted: the jokes are predictable and unfunny, the plot a disconnected, contrived mess of clichés, the acting largely indifferent.Given that the film was being screened at the close of an otherwise excellent festival, I had high expectations . Unfortunately, Americanizing Shelly is like a bad made-for-TV rom-com. Except that on TV you can always change the channel to a program with more class, humour and artistic merit, like Home Shopping.

dynexty When we rented this film, we had no clue or expectation from this movie as I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. But being a fan of Bollywood Lite, I thought I'd give it a shot, as I enjoyed The Guru and Bride and Prejudice. But the next couple of hours turned out to be such a fun experience. I'd say its a chick flick but my husband loved it too. The lead actress is not only a great looker but also a true performer. The African-American actor had us laughing so hard with his little quips. The lead guy's acting seemed a little staged but not enough to detract from the film. The supporting cast were all pretty good in their roles and we'd recommend this film to all fans of the romantic comedy or foreign-indie genre. All in all a very fun time.