Before I start, I want to make it clear that I blame no one but me for falling into the trap. I don’t blame the positive talk about the movie. My gut was telling me from the beginning and the twitch in my left leg was sending me warning signals. But I did not pay heed. I went. And my bottom got punished.
There was a time when I liked Love Stories. And then came SRK…. And KJO… and now it’s Imran. And it’s official “I Hate Luv Stories”. I am scarred for life.
Anyways, getting back to the movie, this Valentine Day release was said to be a refreshing new love story and all it turned out to be is a Mashed up copy of a few movies, with a clichéd plot and a slightly open ended climax.
I read somewhere that the director was influenced by the work of Woody Allen. So, he pushed in OODLES of gab into the film. He just didn’t have the Woody Allen flair to pull it off. The wit, the charm, the performances, the dialogues, the delivery, the camerawork – all combined give Woody Allen that edge. What we have here is one boring discussion after another. The so-called fresh writing is downright stale. And please note, it has been written by the best friend of Imran’s wife and hence been made into a movie and not because the story had any merit.
That it had the premise of “What Happened in Vegas” was made public long time back, but after watching the first few scenes, I saw glimpses of the quirky Zach Braff film “Garden State” and a scene from “Up in the air” in it. Well, I even got SCARY DEJAVUs of “I Hate Luv Stories”!
There are many problems with this film and the biggest is its length. It’s bloody 110 minutes long and the writing is sufficient for not more than 60 minutes! Even some episodes of C.I.D have more content!!! After 15 minutes the guy besides me (who had come with his girlfriend) started fidgeting with his phone. After 30 minutes, I started yawning uncontrollably. In the interval my Mom left the theater and a girl on the other side sat there catching her head in disbelief. And I am not exaggerating. I would have been if I had said that even a CID episode is more entertaining that the movie! Well, come to think of it, it is...though for entirely separate reasons!!
Now, the other problems. The songs are monotonous and are a waste of time. The story is predictable. The Heroin (Kareena) does nothing new. The Hero (Imran) is restrained for sometime and then starts proving why exactly he is such an irritating actor. Also, in an attempt to make the film COOL, the actors are forced to say things like “As’ole”, make lewd hand gestures, and a father asks her daughter if she has slept with this guy, jokingly! What the writers or the makers do not understand is that you do not need SEXUAL innuendo to make a movie cool.
There is a bit of chemistry between the leads, although much like a big sister n her baby brother and nothing more than that. The movie is actually a mashed-up category-less film that poses as a Romance. Just because it was released during Valentines, it is portrayed as a Romantic Film. It would have fit the Halloween season equally comfortably!
Well, the movie is not a complete waste. There are a couple of decent scenes which make you smile. But then again, there is a lot of Bhashan baazi, discussion which is neither new and inventive, nor is deep and touching. And more than half the theater I visited were bored out of their wits. So, here is my view – Ignore this film or simply buy Aisle seats. That way you can escape easily. Otherwise you would have to shake the sleeping aunty beside you and say “Auntyji , Auntyji, WAKE UP and advance (or atleast let me!!)”
Rating : 3.5 / 10
(P.S> If you disagree, well do leave your email ids in the comment section. I will definitely send my bank account details to you. I am sure you wont mind refunding my 280 bucks.)
There was a time when I liked Love Stories. And then came SRK…. And KJO… and now it’s Imran. And it’s official “I Hate Luv Stories”. I am scarred for life.
Anyways, getting back to the movie, this Valentine Day release was said to be a refreshing new love story and all it turned out to be is a Mashed up copy of a few movies, with a clichéd plot and a slightly open ended climax.
I read somewhere that the director was influenced by the work of Woody Allen. So, he pushed in OODLES of gab into the film. He just didn’t have the Woody Allen flair to pull it off. The wit, the charm, the performances, the dialogues, the delivery, the camerawork – all combined give Woody Allen that edge. What we have here is one boring discussion after another. The so-called fresh writing is downright stale. And please note, it has been written by the best friend of Imran’s wife and hence been made into a movie and not because the story had any merit.
That it had the premise of “What Happened in Vegas” was made public long time back, but after watching the first few scenes, I saw glimpses of the quirky Zach Braff film “Garden State” and a scene from “Up in the air” in it. Well, I even got SCARY DEJAVUs of “I Hate Luv Stories”!
There are many problems with this film and the biggest is its length. It’s bloody 110 minutes long and the writing is sufficient for not more than 60 minutes! Even some episodes of C.I.D have more content!!! After 15 minutes the guy besides me (who had come with his girlfriend) started fidgeting with his phone. After 30 minutes, I started yawning uncontrollably. In the interval my Mom left the theater and a girl on the other side sat there catching her head in disbelief. And I am not exaggerating. I would have been if I had said that even a CID episode is more entertaining that the movie! Well, come to think of it, it is...though for entirely separate reasons!!
Now, the other problems. The songs are monotonous and are a waste of time. The story is predictable. The Heroin (Kareena) does nothing new. The Hero (Imran) is restrained for sometime and then starts proving why exactly he is such an irritating actor. Also, in an attempt to make the film COOL, the actors are forced to say things like “As’ole”, make lewd hand gestures, and a father asks her daughter if she has slept with this guy, jokingly! What the writers or the makers do not understand is that you do not need SEXUAL innuendo to make a movie cool.
There is a bit of chemistry between the leads, although much like a big sister n her baby brother and nothing more than that. The movie is actually a mashed-up category-less film that poses as a Romance. Just because it was released during Valentines, it is portrayed as a Romantic Film. It would have fit the Halloween season equally comfortably!
Well, the movie is not a complete waste. There are a couple of decent scenes which make you smile. But then again, there is a lot of Bhashan baazi, discussion which is neither new and inventive, nor is deep and touching. And more than half the theater I visited were bored out of their wits. So, here is my view – Ignore this film or simply buy Aisle seats. That way you can escape easily. Otherwise you would have to shake the sleeping aunty beside you and say “Auntyji , Auntyji, WAKE UP and advance (or atleast let me!!)”
Rating : 3.5 / 10
(P.S> If you disagree, well do leave your email ids in the comment section. I will definitely send my bank account details to you. I am sure you wont mind refunding my 280 bucks.)
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