Growing Up Smith (2015)

In 1979, an Indian family moves to America with hopes of living the American Dream. While their 10-year-old boy Smith falls head-over-heels for the girl next door, his desire to become a "good old boy" propels him further away from his family's ideals than ever before.

Director:

Frank Lotito

Writers:

Anjul Nigam, Paul Quinn

Stars:

Jason Lee, Anjul Nigam, Brighton Sharbino

5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Lee	...	Butch Brunner
Anjul Nigam	...	Bhaaskar Bhatnagar
Brighton Sharbino	...	Amy Brunner
Hilarie Burton	...	Nancy Brunner
Roni Akurati	...	Smith Bhatnagar
Poorna Jagannathan	...	Nalini Bhatnagar
Samrat Chakrabarti	...	Older Smith Bhatnagar
Shoba Narayan	...	Asha Bhatnagar
Jake Busey	...	Officer Dick
Tim Guinee	...	Officer Bob
Alison Wright	...	Mrs. Reynolds
Austin Harrod	...	Billy MacNamara
James Hyland	...	Stan Swanson
Jack Hyland	...	Steve Swanson
Paul Castro Jr.	...	Patrick

Storyline

GOOD OL' BOY is the story of Smith, a ten-year-old boy from India growing up in Small Town, America in 1979. While the boy's family straddles the fine line between embracing the American Dream and preserving their Indian heritage, there are barbecues, Halloween and hunting. And as Smith falls for Amy, the girl-next-door, he finds in Amy's father Butch the cowboy he wishes his own father could be. But alas, when Smith's father Bhaaskar sees Smith is quickly losing any hope of remaining a respectable Indian boy, he banishes him back to India. Nineteen years later Smith will return to America, back to a place he once called home.

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Plot Keywords:

overalls | elementary school | tube sock | hunt | indian american | 

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Taglines:

Living the American Dream!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language and brief drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Growing Up Smith

Filming Locations:

Kingston, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,867, 3 February 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$14,867, 3 February 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brittany House Pictures, Emedia Films, Quixotic Road

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The red mustang in the garage was supposed to be an extra. Upon seeing the car, Jones wanted it to appear to be his own car and had it parked in the garage.

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Goofs

The movie was based in the years 1977-1980 judging by Saturday Night Fever, Star Wars, etc. In those days US$1 was approximately 8-9 Indian Rupees. So in the beginning when they said $2 was 125 Rupees, that is based on currency rates of 2015 on wards.

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

User Reviews

Won Me Over

Set in 1979, this film centers on 10-year-old Smith who has emigrated to America with his parents and sister from India. He is trying to adjust to the American way of life amidst some bullying, racism, and an old school father who doesn't want Smith to stray from the Hindu culture and religion.

Smith also befriends and has a huge crush on Amy, the girl next door, despite the fact that his father has prearranged a marriage for him when he reaches the age of 22. I might note that Jason Lee is excellent here as Butch, who is Amy's father and tries to help Smith in various ways.

I thought some parts of this movie were cute and humorous, while other parts proved awkward and just didn't work well, so a mixed bag here. However, it ends in a most heartfelt and uplifting way, which greatly enhanced the film. There's also a wonderful musical soundtrack to enjoy consisting mainly of oldies. I might note there were no subtitles of my DVD copy, but I was able to obtain them by using the closed caption option on my remote.

All in all, this movie, directed by Frank Lotito, doesn't always work but with some solid performances, an enjoyable soundtrack, and a strong ending it won me over.