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Reviews
Masti (2004)
the dregs of Bollywood
I tend to enjoy Bollywood movies without shame, despite the campiness that makes my friends roll their eyes. For example, while the reviews were pretty harsh about Hum Tum, I thought it was cute and satisfying. However, this movie was just awful. The acting was incredibly bad, the story was stupid and abrasive, and the technical quality was dismal. It would not compare favorably to old Hee Haw reruns for subtlety and wit. I gave up half way through the movie. See it if you must, but don't use this movie as an introduction to Bollywood for your uninitiated friends or it will be their first and last. Of course your mileage may vary; numerous other reviewers seemed to think this movie was fabulous, just as several of my friends loved "Weekend at Bernie's" (and I've made it a point to discount their opinions ever since.)
Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
formula moviemaking at its worst
I didn't have high hopes for this movie after seeing the previews. My fears were well-grounded. I read this book years ago, when I was in grade school, and enjoyed it thoroughly. The book was warm, funny and endearing. However, beyond the presence of a family with twelve children, there was absolutely no similarity between this movie and the book. None! I doubt the scriptwriter even read the book; he was probably just told to write a movie about a family with 12 kids with lots of shallow slapstick humor and a simpleminded conflict-resolution cycle.
It's not that this film is unusually bad compared to any other dime-a-dozen formula movie cranked out by Hollywood for the bored and easily-amused. I just find it offensive that they have sullied the title of a classic book by associating it with this bland pablum; the credits even make the audacious claim that the movie was based on the book. A director and writer who had not long since sold their souls might have revitalized "Cheaper by the Dozen" into a modern classic, but instead the artless director has turned an "All Creatures Great and Small" into a "Scooby Doo" or "Weekend at Bernie's" production. Shame!
If you're even considering this movie, I encourage you to get the original 1950 production instead. I haven't seen it, and I can't say whether it's any good, but at least the original author of the book seems to have been associated with the production so it's bound to bear some resemblance. Don't reward Hollywood for acting like a bull blundering and rampaging through an art gallery.
Rating: 3/10.