Bride & Prejudice (2004)

Sorry, this movie sucks

So much average

Best movie ever!

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

What did I just watch? The movie mainly had to do with a rich American man named William Darcy and a Indian girl named Lalita. The movie started in India where William and his friend were attending a wedding. This is where they first meet, and the first encounter wasn't very good.Following this Lalita didn't have a view of William until the end of the movie. The rest of the movie had to do with their love journey and how the will fall in love. This was one of the least favorite movies I have ever seen. I am a newbie when it comes to watching Bollywood movies. But if they're all like this I think I will stick to Hollywood movies. I thought the acting was OK but most of the scene were just cringe worthy.Also the one actor who sounded like a donkey was not entertaining, he was just very annoying and I wish they realizes how annoying that actually was. The plot was OK but very predictable the two people who don't like each other end up falling in love. Very original. I never want to hear another Bollywood song ever again. All the songs beside my lips are waiting were just awful. No Life without Wife made me want to be deaf. I was like listening to Rebeca black's Friday, that's how bad it was. Also it didn't look like they were trying to lip sync it was very obvious they were not singing. Also they had so many pointless songs that we could have gone without. The dances were pretty cool, I liked them for the most part except the snake dance. That made me want to hit my forehead with my palm. But the opening dance was the best part of the entire movie. It had a good start just to crash land. If only the movie was ten minutes long. The sets were pretty cool they one of the only bright spots in a horrible movie.The costumes look very authentic to what you would see in a Bollywood film. I would call this movie more Bollywood because American movies don't have horrendous songs every ten minutes that are really pointless. And the story line was so predictable, in a American movie there would have been a plot twist.What Cultural elements i learned about Indian parents are they gold diggers who just are looking out for them and don't care about what there kids think. Just about how much money the husband has. Also how bad it must feel to be in the kids situation being forced to marry someone that they barely met and know almost nothing about them. Another thing I learned was how uncommon it is for Indian to marry someone of a different ethnicity. They want their grandchildren to be traditional Indians. Also I learned that if you are younger you can't marry until the eldest has married. So if they don't' want to get married you are out of luck. Overall I learned a lot about Indian culture but It was such a bad movie.

Those who have read and/or have seen one or more of the umpteen bajillion screen versions of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE will find this film a hoot. It is actually an Americanized version of a Bollywood film, shorter than most the traditional Bollywood films and filled with plenty of the queen's English for any American to understand.Those who take it seriously won't get the overall humor and pure, old-style Hollywood/Bollywood musical/dancing/simplistic love story enjoyment. Anyone who just wants to have fun at a film: Watch it and be prepared to smile.WARNING: Best viewed with others who have a light-hearted, open-for-fun sense of humor.

This strange movie tracks, more or less accurately, the plot of Jane Austen's great novel. It has its Elizabeth Bennet in Lalita Bakshi (portrayed by the incomparably beautiful Aishwarya Rai), a wealthy American Darcy (Martin Henderson), Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Bennet, the Bennet sisters and stand-ins for all of the novel's other principal characters and subplots. And, of course, Lalita and Darcy are destined for one another despite her initial revulsion, just as Elizabeth and the wealthy English Darcy were. But this is Bollywood, and in addition to "Pride and Prejudice," we have an exuberant musical with elaborate choreography and gorgeous costuming that moves somewhat confusingly between a city in India, London and Beverly Hills. If you don't know the Austen novel, some of the plot twists may be difficult to follow because this movie substitutes spectacle for subtlety, and it's an uneasy mixture. Ms. Rai is astoundingly beautiful and Mr. Henderson is very handsome, and some of the musical scenes are amusing if not exactly appropriate to the story. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet (i.e., Mr and Mrs Bakshi) come closest to the originals and actually have a few lines penned by Miss Austen herself. But otherwise the movie is a mishmash of conflicting elements. (Elephants in the final wedding scene certainly reflect Indian tradition and spectacle but one can't helped wondering what Jane Austen would have done if elephants were required in her novel.) Ms. Rai and Mr. Henderson might have been served better by a movie that hewed closer to the original. They actually appear to be pretty good actors as well as a handsome couple.

Back in 2000, Aishwarya Rai made a wonderful film ("I Have Found It"). It was an Indian film made in the Tamil region (sometimes called 'Tamilwood' as opposed to 'Bollywood' which are films made in Hindi) and it was an Indian retelling of Jane Austin's "Sense and Sensibility". I thoroughly loved the film and was captivated by Rai's acting and great beauty. So, it certainly wasn't very surprising that I bought a copy not only of this film but "Bride & Prejudice"--as once again, Rai is in an Indian film based on an Austin novel. However, "Bride & Prejudice" isn't exactly a Bollywood film, but is an interesting hybrid. Parts of the film were made in Northern India, as well as the UK and the US. The director, Gurinder Chadha, is of Indian descent but was born in Kenya and raised in the UK, so her making a film that blends cultures (like her other famous film, "Bend It Like Beckham") is a natural.It's Bollywood roots are apparent in several ways. First, much of the film is made in India and is about Indians. However, in addition, the song and dance numbers that make Bollywood films so unusual and endearing are also present. They don't look and sound 100% authentic, but like the Jane Austin novel, they seem "inspired" by Bollywood.Interestingly, in this film, the differences between the leading lady and Mr. Darcy are not just social but cultural, as Darcy is an American. BUT, being a true hybrid film, the handsome actor that took on this role Martin Henderson) is actually a Kiwi--a New Zealander who now lives in the US! Some other nods to the West is the brief appearance of Marsha Mason as Darcy's mother as well as a surprise appearance by the pop singer, Ashanti! Wow--now THAT'S an interesting combination! Now for Austin purists, this is a mixed bag. While the essence of the novel is definitely there, many, many story elements from the original story are gone--mostly because you must do this to make a film that is only about two hours long! While I missed a lot of the subplots, I understood why they were excised. If you MUST have the definitive version that is closest to the book, try the Colin Firth version from 1995. Still, if you are like me you'll see and love them both.Overall, a very interesting take on the original. Excellent acting, a fun and vibrant pace and a story that can't help but bring a tear to your eye (hey, it's Jane Austin!) make this an exceptional film. I just can't see why it's overall score on IMDb is so low.Also, unless you are a total knucklehead, see "I Have Found It". It actually is a tad better but both are wonderful films.Finally, if you are interested in films of other female directors of Indian descent, try seeing the films of Deepa Mehta (I love her films). "Hollywood/Bollywood" is the most approachable and fun of her films, but "Fire", "Water" and "Earth" are terrific as well. Also, Mira Nair did the wonderful and touching "Monsoon Wedding".