Christmas with the Singhs

When I sat down to watch the 2024 movie "Christmas with the Singhs", I was under the impression that I was in for a Christmas movie. But it turns but that director Panta Mosleh delivered a comedy that was set against a Christmas backdrop. And while the movie certainly was watchable and enjoyable, it just wasn't exactly what I was expecting. But don't get me wrong, because the movie is not a bad movie.

Writers Patricia Isaac and Emily Ting put together a good and enjoyable script. Just don't expect to be in for a sappy Christmas movie, as I did, and you're good to go. "Christmas with the Singhs" is a feel-good kind of comedy that takes Western and Hindu culture and traditions and throw into a kettle and stir around for some funny moments and good laughs.

I was not familiar with a single actor or actress on the cast list. And that is actually something I generally enjoy when I sit down and watch a movie. I will say that the acting performances in the movie were good.

This movie provided me with genuine entertainment, and it is a movie well-worth watching if you enjoy comedies with more than just jokes below the belt.

My rating of director Panta Mosleh's 2024 movie "Christmas with the Singhs" lands on a six out of ten stars.

7.4 stars.

That Jeopardy category where anything goes... That's how I describe this movie. Exacerbate your sprain visiting a family of Indians, the father is very strict and judgmental. So the lead male has a serious uphill battle, trying to win over his approval. Their antics are somewhat enjoyable.

The lead female is a bit unorthodox in her presentation, but I like what she does with the character. The main man steals the show. Great performance.

The story is about a guy and a girl who happen to run into each other in the emergency room. He has a minor sprain and she is the ARNP on duty. They recognize each other from high school, she was a nerd, he a jock. It's now about 15-20 years later and there is attraction. The rest of the film is about their Christmas fiasco trying to make a doomed relationship succeed.

This film is an acquired taste, which I purchased with an open mind and an affinity for spicy food.

Asha is a nurse practitioner who one Christmas night encounters Jake, an old high school classmate. They hit it off immediately and go on an impromptu date that same night. Fast forward a year later, they get engaged and it's time to go back home and meet the inlaws.

I'm a bit biased because I love Benjamin Hollingsworth and I think he is a great leading man, full of carisma and charm. I've seen Anuja in the Resident and I think it's her first Hallmark movie. I thought the chemistry was there. I'm definitely not mad about the early kiss. It instantly breaks the formula we are all used to.

Yes, this movie is full of stereotypes. And you can imagine how this goes, Indian family on one side and Irish descendants on the other, everyone proud of their cultures. The problem is that the main characters get stuck in the middle and the relationship struggles because of that. The parents should know better.

This movie is quite fast paced, it has a big secondary cast, meddlesome parents, sweet scenes between Jake and Asha and unnecessary drama. If they do get married, I recommend they elope.

Well, not without ALL the daggers.

A WASP young man and a woman whose heritage is from Christians from India have (almost) love at first sight, bumping into each other after they knew each other in High School, where she tutored him in Chemistry.

After a year of happy dating, he proposes and she cheerfully accepts. Then comes the issues ... meeting each other's families and the families meeting each other.

The daggers? Looks the two fathers give each other over the preference for baseball or cricket.

The poison? The extra spicy food the young man gets (sort of) tricked into eating at a family dinner in the Indian home.

Eventually, family issues threaten the relationship, and that happens all too frequently in real life.

The conclusion is satisfying. I'm not sure this will bear repeated viewings, but we wouldn't avoid it. Thre are a few truly amusing moments.

This film uses the joining of two families over Christmas to rerun the Meet the Parents theme, while showcasing Indian celebrations of the holiday.

Ultimately dry and lifeless, this effort is not worth your time. I felt uncomfortable for our leads for having such annoying families who spoke in long, robotic and way-too-complete complete sentences.

One bright side, our leads. They could have carried the movie alone, had they not been busy playing caricatures of "regular white guy" and "modern Indian woman."

Change the channel on the Singhs.

Measuring Christmas magic: no magic, but good representation of Indian culture.

Cast Kudos: I'd like to see Anuja Joshi given another lead role, but with less responsibility than representing the entirety of her culture.

Alternative titles: Christmas engagement clash; Blending Culture Christmas.