dir. Panta Mosleh
Asha and Jake are old high school acquaintances who reunite and get together in adulthood. When Jake proposes, it’s time for them to meet each other’s families (which ideally would’ve happened much earlier, but that’s a whole other issue). And it’s Christmas! So Asha and Jake find themselves trying to appease both families’ traditions, both with Christmas and with celebrating the engagement. This could be a genuinely intriguing concept, except for the fact that almost every single individual in the film is deeply unlikeable. Jake is incredibly rude when meeting Asha’s family, looking constantly bewildered and loudly calling Indian traditions weird. Asha’s father is stone-faced and aggressive without being sympathetic at all. Jake’s dad interrogates the couple about whether they’ll have kids. Jake’s mum tells Asha she loves Eat, Pray Love, because that’s apparently a normal thing to randomly say to an Indian person. All of this could be given a pass if the central couple themselves seemed like a good match, but their rapport is completely lifeless. They don’t talk about important life decisions, and their bond shatters at the barest bit of challenge. It’s only a third-act personality switch from Asha’s dad which saves the day. Christmas With the Singhs is supposed to be a colourful clash of cultures, but it feels completely monochrome.
BMDb 