Christmas with the Singhs

There were parts of this Hallmark holiday romance that were nice...like the sharing of some East Indian culture, but there were parts that were awkward like the say anything/Bollywood dance moment.

Jake and Asha meet in the ER during Christmas thanks to an icy sidewalk injury. A year later Jake asks Asha to marry him and goes to spend Christmas with both his parents and her parents the Singhs.

The spicy food, superstitions, lack of footwear in the house, sari's, etc were all fun to see as was the explanation of the small number of Christians in India. I thought the classing seemed forced because everyone seemed open and reasonable.

I really enjoyed Manoj Sood, who played Asha's father Samuel...for me he was the star of the show.

Colorful and quasi romantic. I wanted more from this film...including a few less stereotypes.

The 'Singhs' truly hit all the marks of a Hallmark movie at Christmas-time. It weaves the complexity of joining two distinct cultures with the signature kindness that makes a Hallmark movie pleasurable to watch.

Each character had valid concerns, while still managing to remain endearing for me. Even Mr. Singh, with his gruff insistence, was likeable and pretty hysterical. I loved both Moms, and the dynamics of each family. It was heartwarming to see the added element of Jake's parents reuniting. Regarding casting, the cast was absolutely brilliant; I can't imagine a better selection of people. I also loved the little details, like the montage depicting the passage of a year of time, to help the viewer accept the fact that they were ready for engagement. These are really great touches that make Hallmark the top player among similar networks.

Reading these reviews, I knew that there would be criticism of the movie's attempts to depict Indian culture. I disagree, as it's honestly refreshing to see this effort happening. It's not perfect, it is progress. They did get much of it right, in my experience. A favorite scene was the simplicity of Asha's family playing Indian music together in their living room.

More than all things, the movie was not just empty feel good moments; it taught most of us something about picking battles, reaching compromise, and learning to accept things that we can't control, for the sake of having lifelong love and valued relationships.

This is a movie that delves into territory that isn't always super-common on Hallmark, and it also was such a comforting movie to watch. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a side of realistic drama/conflict with their helping of effervescent Hallmark Happiness.

The movie started with a lot of promise. The leading couple, Anuja Joshi and Benjamin Hollingsworth were young adults starting out in their careers and had good chemistry, and the development of their relationship from their surprise meeting years after graduation, up to the proposal was reasonable, warm, and believable. I had high hopes for the movie at this point.

... and then we met the parents. With the possible exception of the bride-to-be's (Asha) mother, the parents were, to put it mildly, unpleasant. They were stereotypes of a suburban WASP couple and an immigrant couple. They expected absolute adherence to their own personal or cultural standards, and were unwilling to see the other side in any way. They were utterly competitive in their quests to win some kind of Christmas decoration prize. They portrayed the worst of inlaw characterizations.

This has been done before, with sensitivity and humor. But in this movie, it came off as bullying and was so unpleasant to watch that this was one of the few Hallmark movies that I simply turned off without watching to completion.

One last thing, Why was the movie called "Christmas with the Singhs"? It could have just as easily be called, "Christmas with the O'Briens".

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.

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.