When Harry Tries to Marry (2011)

An Indian-American guy surprises his family when he announces his desire for an arranged marriage with an Indian woman, though his affection for a longtime American friend complicates his plan.

Director:

Nayan Padrai

Writers:

Ralph Stein (screenplay), Nayan Padrai (screenplay)

Stars:

Rahul Rai, Stefanie Estes, Freishia Bomanbehram

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rahul Rai	...	Harry
Stefanie Estes	...	Theresa
Freishia Bomanbehram	...	Nita
Osvaldo Hernandez	...	Louis
Caitlin Gold	...	Mary
Tony Mirrcandani	...	Dev
Zenobia Shroff	...	Geeta
Grant Kretchik	...	Slick Rick / Sikh / Doctor / TV Host
Kanti Pandya	...	Deepak Uncle
Jagdish Patel	...	Chhotu
Micky Makhija	...	Commissioner Shah
Lauren LoGiudice	...	Angela
Kai Chapman	...	Chinese Blind Date
Gia Crovatin	...	Waiter
Ivanka Garajova	...	Stripper #2

Storyline

Harry is a New York bachelor cynical about "true love" ever since his parents divorce. Determined to live happily-ever-after, and not end up as another divorce statistic, he asks for help from his match-making uncle. This traditional arranged marriage to a lovely girl from India baffles and surprises his parents and friends. Just as Harry thinks he's found the perfect Indian bride he begins to wonder if his friendship with Theresa, a fun and sexy American, could be something more. Harry and Theresa become closer as she helps him prepare for the big day. The plans are under way and Harry is running out of time to choose between a love that's arranged and one that he's found himself.

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Plot Keywords:

indian american | new york city | self discovery | cross cultural

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Taglines:

The year's OTHER big wedding!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, language and brief drug material

Details

Official Sites:

Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 2011 (USA)

Filming Locations:

India

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$23,790 (USA) (22 April 2011)

Gross:

$38,261 (USA) (6 May 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

108 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Garden of Eden"
Written by Rachel Loy & Adam Lilley
Performed by SmallStar
Published by Mega Sparkle Music (BMI), Copyright Control - PRS

User Reviews

Perhaps this is a bit too obvious...even for a rom-com. But it's still a nice film.

Harry is a handsome and very nice Indian-American geek. He is lonely and would like to marry, but is afraid to marry a woman in the traditional western way. His Indian parents married for love and now hate each other. But, all the Indians Harry knows with arranged marriages seem very happy. So, he decides to call an uncle back in India and see if he can find him a bride.

In the meantime, Harry and his friend meet a couple nice American girls at the same college. They spend a lot of time together and VERY soon it's obvious that Harry and Theresa are falling in love....and Harry's uncle calls to say he's found the perfect match for him. The Indian bride-to-be is very, very much like Harry. So what will happen next? Romantic comedies are predictable. This is NOT meant as an insult. The viewer knows that the two main characters will get together by the end of the film--it's just the nature of the beast. How they do this is what makes the films sweet--and why people come back to them again and again. And, incidentally, romance novels outsell all other genres. So the fact that "When Harry Tries to Marry" is very predictable isn't a bad thing. However, for a really good rom-com, there is one thing this one misses--it should not be 100% obvious to the characters that they will get together by the end of the film. After a short time, it's OBVIOUS that there is a serious love connection between Harry and Theresa--so obvious and yet they never talk about it and avoid it through much of the film...too obvious. And, on top of this, they are well-educated and supposedly smart people. Now this does not mean it's a bad film--I just think the love between the two of them should have either been much more subtle or bloomed much later in the film.

Despite this, the film still is quite nice--especially when you consider that the movie was made by a novice director. Currently it has an IMDb score of only 3.5--which would make you think it's a terrible movie--which it isn't. While I am not as excited about the film as the other reviewers, it is a very good film. VERY predictable (even for a rom-com) but still well worth your time (though the scene with the water at the end could have been done better).

It is interesting that this is yet another film by a westernized Indian director (Nayan Padrai)--in his first film. Mira Nair, Gurinder Chadha and Deepa Mehta are Indian women who make similar hybrid films--showing the clash between traditional and western values and cultures. And, all make very well-made films and you really should try to catch as many of their films as you can (especially Mehta's). These films are a nice bridge between the Bollywood (or Tamilwood) style and western films--and make a nice introduction to the genre.