Shades of Ray

Shades of Ray was fabulous, i saw it last night in New York City for the South Asian Int'l Film Festival. Great balance of comedy and drama, i am not a particularly indie film savvy person, but i would buy this movie on DVD in a heartbeat. This movie, especially the casting, had the right amount of earthiness as well as a little flair in the roles of Zachary Levi and Brian George. i cant explain how much i love it, i think that the movie truly achieved its purpose, it showed that sadly some prejudices still exist in a subtle yet ingrained ways, and yet people know about it, and just aren't willing to wholeheartedly give them up.

Shades of Ray is an outstanding film. Extremely well written and directed; and the acting by all the performers was top notch. It was very funny and at the same time it gave us the "warm fuzzies" all over.

Although there is a definite ethnic slant, this movie could have been about any first generation immigrants trying to find there way in America. In many ways it also portrays typical family values of Americans across the country.

This film is a breath of fresh air compared to the gratuitously violent and sophomoric films that Hollywood has foisted on us for all too long.

We want to see many more films written and directed by Jaffar Mahmood. He is a great, young talent.

Jaffar has succeeded in producing a movie,that touches the hearts of almost every immigrant in this great nation's melting pot.I brought my wife(who is American)and my son and daughter.Both told me after,they couldn't believe how they could relate so closely to the characters.Very funny,and sweet.I am so excited for Jaffar,and Zach,who I think is just sprouting.He has great talent.And Brian George,my goodness!What immigrant father cannot relate to THAT character!! Loved it,Loved it. Ray's roommate did seem to have a lovable character.The interesting thing is that people were actually clapping at many parts.It seemed that we were being led into our own experiences.And it could have been a story about any ethnicity. I saw the movie at it's premiere in NYC to a sold out audience,and again,I can't remember laughing so hard in a long time.

I saw "Shades of Ray" in NYC this past weekend at the South Asian International Film Festival. The plot of the movie deals with Ray coming to terms with his biracial background. Although this movie focuses on a half Pakistani half Caucasion man it could be any biracial story; it has a universal appeal. All the characters are endearing and after 90 quick minutes, I didn't want the movie to end! Zachary Levi is fantastic playing the lead role of Ray, his comedic timing is incredible. The supporting cast are all amazing; whoever did the casting was very successful. I hope this movie is picked up for distribution. I think it would be a shame if this fantastic romantic comedy was not made available for everyone to enjoy!!

Of all the films I saw at the Austin Film Festival, Shades of Ray impressed me the most. The film is a superb blend of comedy and drama that is both endearing and hilarious. Zachary Levi, known largely for playing the lead in the recent T.V. hit Chuck, stars as Ray Rehman, an aspiring actor who works as a bartender in the evenings to support himself. After Ray's girlfriend remains indecisive towards a recent proposal, Ray's dad shows up at his front door and suddenly Ray has to deal with a rift between his mother and father. To further complicate things, a new girl appears in Ray's life who he feels a deep connection to. The girl shares his ethnicity (1/2 Caucasian, 1/2 Pakistani) and causes him to question his relationship with his current girlfriend. Ultimately, the movie is a great exploration into love and identity. Levi does an excellent job with the character. He is both moving and convincing (interesting since Levi is not of any Pakastani or South Asian decent). Fran Kranz also plays a memorable role as Ray's spastic roommate Sal. It seemed like every time he appeared on screen the audience was laughing. But perhaps most impressive is that Shades of Ray is writer/director Jaffar Mahmood's first full length film to direct. With the incredible pacing and overall flow of the movie it seemed like it had been done by a long-time veteran director. I really look forward to what Mahmood puts out next. I would highly recommend Shades of Ray to anybody.