Not comedy. Not a typical Salman Khan movie
359528
I look for comedy in Salman movies. This one is a bit more romantic. No or very poor comedy. Did not like this.
443175
As you may see by all the reviews, this movie runs across the board for its entertainment appeal. For me, it barely made it as a decent movie. Sure, it has funny moments and there are some pretty good laughs. But, this movie does not rate as a true comedy. Okay, it has some emotional, true-life situations but they are intertwined in a crazy like plot. I was waiting for either some heart-felt dramatic ending or some outrageous comedic finale. I was pretty disappointed since the movie tried to mix the comedy with some, so-called, happy ending. I think the final outtakes made this movie more worth watching to the end.

The only redeeming quality of this movie is I love Kathy Bates and Susan Sarandon and now Melissa McCarthy as a talented actor.
2668795
Like a weird 'New Age' circus performance. There appears to be an attempt at including some sort of plot, maybe, really it's just like a weird circus show without having to go to an actual circus. To be fair, the circus performance is excellent, just not what I was looking for in a 'movie'.
645859
We had high expectations for this movie, even though the reviews we read were mostly negative.  In this case, the reviews were right.  This movie was not a romantic comedy, and it was not funny.
1783557
I was expecting a heartwarming comedy, centering on Dolly and Latifah.  Instead, it was a Romeo and Juliet type drama centered on the two kids. I made the mistake of buying it, and I probably won't watch it again.
1323238
There were nice moments in this film, though I really didn't see it as much of a comedy.  It was sad to see the influence of such a messed up father on his boy.  I have nothing against smoking marijuana, though substance abuse being passed down to subsequent generations, are just not that funny.  I found it to be more of a drama that, sadly, plays itself over and over again all too much in the USA (and I am sure elsewhere too).  If when watching this I was mentally prepared for something other than a warm hearted, coming of age "comedy" I may have rated it higher.
339594
It wasn't until I watched Khamoshi for the second time that I recognized the director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali as being the same for Saawariya.  It changed my opinion of the film and character/actor development. In Khamoshi which was released in 1996 you had a young Salman Khan and Manisha Koirala both who at that time were 20 something year old actors.  Fast forward to 2007 you have Saawariya introducing two new young actors, Ranbir Kapoor & Sonam Kapoor both 20 something actors. It is clear that Sanjay Leela Bhansali cares about the story, the characters, and the actors because he wrings every bit of emotion that he can from them in their performances. My initial impression was that Saawariya was dark.  It still is, only, I recognize now that it is a director style and was necessary for the movie. I didn't care for the movie/play effect. It works..but I don't like that Les Mis the movie feel but the movie was based on Dostoyevsky so dark was the order of the day and it was done well.  The storyline ,he-loves-her, she-loves-another is not unique, however, when you are not inundated with a lot of characters, your focus remains on the two main characters and you take the journey with them.

The music/dancing was fine. Nothing really memorable or hum-able. The costuming was very good. There was this Islamic overtone ( music helped) which added a contrast, but did not invade the movie. Now, if you are a Salman Khan fan ( which I am ) I would say the 6 minute screen time he had in this movie was some of his best work. He did not dance or take off his shirt which, for this role, would have been excessive and not related to the movie. What he did do in 6 minutes would have taken 16 minutes for another actor. You see him in flashback which makes the (4) scenes even more powerful. Ten years have passed since Khamoshi- evident is  the cinema maturity of Mr. Khan. There is one scene where he ( Imaan ) is speaking to Sakina ( Sonan Kapoor ) the camera angle and lighting was excellent.  He cocked his head to the side, paused, spoke...returned it and spoke again. This may not seem like a big deal but had the dialogue or movements been a second off - the scene would have been ineffective ! I see that as exquisite timing something that he has become noted for and working with a director who sees what he wants the viewer to feel at that moment.

Overall, the cinematography is excellent; giving us wide shots and closeups when needed.  Angles were used to bring us the viewer in and for the most part they worked - tapping into our emotions for that moment. I would have loved more than one scene that implied it was morning since the entire movie seemed to take place at night in the rain, wind, or snow but as I said above, it was Dostoyevsky-ish which means dark, somber, filled with angst.

If you are interested in acting and directing - this is a movie to see.  You can find this kind of story line anywhere - but not this execution.  To get a full picture of Sanjay Leela Bhansali and what he can do with actors I would suggest that you also watch Khamoshi-The Musical; not so much for Salman Khan (sic) but to see how a director can take a story and move actors to excellence when for the most part there are only 3-4 main characters. These two movies would make interesting comparative discussions.
4579353
As many people gave this film a high rating as did those who gave it a very low one. One cannot account for tastes. I was disappointed. I was seeking a funny film, or better yet, one that made fun of a well-liked subject such as TV newscasters. But I did not see this as a parody. It wasn't funny to me and not even silly, except for the silly maneuvers during a sex act and a silly giving of a crushed cigarette to a dying man and the dying man taking a drink from time to time during a gunfight before he was killed. I also did not think it was funny to have all of the dialogue in Spanish.

The story is about a man who was brought up to think he was stupid and a coward, who had nothing to do with women. But then things changed at home, and he gained courage - or was it stupid behavior going alone against a gang of armed criminals.
1314151
Tis was billed as a romantic comedy.  It was a dystopian view of romance, dark and cruel.  I did not see the humor.
837575
This is not a serious movie like taken, I think some people expected it was, and we're disappointed. My wife doesn't like taken, but really enjoys this movie. No, it isn't a comedy, but has some humor to it. I would compare it to Lethal Weapon.
3635550
Plot in essence is wealthy NRI (Non Resident Indian) and head of his own clan in America has an old friend leading a simple rural life back in India. He decides that he needs to keep Indian connections and values  strong in the States and to marry his westernized son to the daughter of the rural lot.
It is decided she will be engaged to the son and then see America for a month or so to see how she feels about the move before the wedding. She finds the son has a poor character in a range of ways and there is a ruckus when she may wish to change that decision. In the middle of all this is the son's friend played by Shahrukh Khan who she falls in love with as her trust in the son crumbles.

[...] They showed a beautiful India but one with narrow-mindedness when challenged with sorting out the change in heart. The rural group also had an early incident when another family in the village challenges the son to a sporting match with the winner claiming the girls marriage...and that is meant to be respectful of women and good values????
Then there are the 'corrupted' NRIs who seemed to have transferred the worst of their caste ideas to the USA. Among them are nice (uncorrupted??) working class folk and bitchy thoughtless other ones. In essence to me it showed there are jerks, narrow-mindedness and shady values in both cultures- as well as fine ones in both. I saw a review elsewhere by an NRI from the US who said he didn't treat people as badly as the son and hadn't been corrupted and that to him this guy was a bad apple in any culture! (well put) In an effort to push the corrupt US angle the girl points to the drug ridden US ...had she seen any of the Bollywood movies about corruption and drug lords in India? I could go on and on (as many have)....

However decide for yourself as it is a typical Bollywood melodrama and entertainer. I had seen reviews that pointed to it being unusual and superior but I found it just good standard fare. It did win some awards and is regarded as a classic. The cinematography is beautiful. There are a few decent songs and some good dances with SRK in them. Shahrukh alone is worth watching the movie for (and he plays a restrained performance) and he has a strong leading lady here in Mahima Chaudhry who is very good. The supports are good too with even the difficult son subtly treading the jerk for the most part so that she takes a while to spot what he's about. It is a long movie but my emotions were engaged so that was fine.

It is both a drama and a romance. There are some fight scenes (for those that prefer to avoid those) and a social comment movie.

Elsewhere on the Net it usually is scored above average. That's where I'd put it at too. Recommended.
2949994
The movie was slow and when you couple it with British humor (which I do like and appreciate) you get a picture that is hard to sit through. Two men, one with issues, traveling around bickering is not my idea of an entertaining evening. I can see why some people might like this film but it is for a very specific audience in my opinion and one which I am not a part of. Sorry.
4870319
It's a beautiful, meditative film with an excellent cast. As far as films go, it's more of a poem than a novel.

Be warned: it's not about people fighting (although there is some of that) and it's not like the typical "rollercoaster ride" you can expect from Hollywood bland action films. It is not a string of action set pieces strung together as a predictable plot, actually plot is irrelevant here (which, judging by the couple of one-star reviews, clearly discomforts those who seek the predictable. If you don't understand style-as-substance, and have no appreciation for film beyond its shallow entertainment value, this is not for you. This one is pure art-house.
1874337
The movie was a little Depressing.  I thought it would be funnier since it was listed as a comedy.
If you are looking for a "feel good" movie.  This is not it.
2054120
I don't know quite what I expected, but this was not it.  This movie is more hyped than substance.  Forest Whitaker is well cast, but Oprah Winfrey is not.  With another in that part it might have been pulled off.  It's very tame, very laid back and those days were not like that.  The movie has no passion.  Skip it.
4145002
Let me start by saying I usually enjoy Shahrukh Khan films. Yes, they're big budget mainstream Bollywood, but usually decent entertainment. This, however, is atrocious. His character is a smug jerk, Girl 1 is a spoiled rich girl who somehow appears as a blonde white girl in flashbacks, Girl 2 is arrogant and petty. And we're supposed to spend 3 hours with them?? Add to that a whole lot of treacle... just a disaster of a movie. Don't waste your time.
3495706
I, like many others I am sure, bought this movie since it was based in Scotland and starred Alastair Mackenzie from 'Monarch of the Glen'. I know you should not assume that all an actor's movies will be in the same genre but this movie is as like 'Monarch' as Dracula is like St Francis of Assisi. It is raw, gory and sexually explicit. The murder scene at the end involves one of the most graphic abuse scenes I have seen in any movie. Obviously this is not the film that I was expecting. The movie is well made, performances are good but the film cannot seem to make up its mind whether it is an action story, a supernatural spooky, or an examination of supressed sexual desire (those desires include masturbation, cross dressing and raw sexual intercourse). Not a film I could recommend and definitely not in the 'Monarch of the Glen' genre.