The documentary offers a sharp, often riotously funny take on the conflicts and compromises that all culturally nebulous families must navigate. It follows Ravi Patel, an almost-30-year-old Indian-American as he enters a love triangle between the woman of his dreams... and his parents.
Ultimately a touching, funny documentary about family and cultural forces putting pressure on a first-generation Indian-American man to do what should come naturally: find love and a life partner.
Rather than taking a firm position for or against arranged marriages, "Meet the Patels" is a big-hearted, poignant and truly funny documentary that shows people will try anything to find love - and sometimes "anything" works.
In this divisive culture some have worked hard to establish it's important to see a film that reminds us that despite our differences, we all have a lot more in common.
It's an authentic look at the sociology of dating that we just don't talk about enough -- especially among marginalized cultures. And that's something to champion in and of itself.
[Patel's parents] are the real personalities of the movie, so good-humored and spirited, and so wonderful in sticking to their old-fashioned view of family life.
Meet the Patels ends up being much more than a movie about a guy going out on dates. It's about shifting identities, parental expectations and trying to hold on to a life raft of tradition in a swirling sea of change. And it's pretty funny, too.
Epoch Times
May 31, 2016
How is dating in India different from dating in America? Indian culture is roughly 11,000 years old; ours-239 years. Dating is hilariously, eye-openingly different in India.
This highly personal and lighthearted documentary gives some social context but never dives deep on the potentially devastating cultural divide it is exploring.
