Chicken Tikka Masala (2005)

This was not a very good film, and, after seeing it and thinking about it, my opinion of it sank even further--to awful. It's supposed to be a comedy, but I didn't get one laugh.The plot is well detailed by gradyharp, another commentator here. The whole plot is utter hogwash. But I was put off by the film's making fun of the Indian traditions and rituals of engagement and marriage. (No, I am not Indian.) In playing them for laughs, it degraded them, and this wasn't funny.The gay story is ignored--yes, ignored--for most of the film. I didn't for a moment believe that Jimi and Jack were in love and a devoted couple because the film didn't have enough scenes to make that clear. Chris Bisson is miscast as Jimi Chopra. He looks much older than Peter Ash, who plays Jack. Sushil Chudasama, who plays Ravi, Jimi's brother, would have been better cast as Jimi. There is no chemistry between Bisson and Ash. Jack is ignored for most of the film, and this is insulting to his character. Jack emerges as a chump, willing to take whatever humiliation Jimi hands out. And Jack's willingness to meet Jimi's parents and extended family and to take a role in Jimi's marriage seemed unrealistic.But Jimi himself isn't very nice; he's cowardly, spineless, unwilling to confront the issues of coming out to his parents. I suppose one could say that if Jimi did so we'd have no movie, or we'd certainly have no comedy. But as presented here, I disliked Jimi for his spinelessness, even though he used the rationale of doing what he did to please his parents. But what Jimi was about to do in marrying Vanessa would have been harmful to many people in short order, even though Vanessa, Jack, and Hanah were all in on the deceptive marriage plot. That they were says nothing positive about their characters.Actually, the gay plot is so back-grounded, that the film might well work as a heterosexual story. Jimi could just as well have an English girlfriend, say, whom he wanted to marry but whom he knew his parents would disapprove of and will hatch a plot to deceive his parents but allow him to still live with his English girlfriend.In addition, I was put off by Vanessa, an overweight alcoholic woman who works tending bar in a pub and passes out most nights when she comes home from work. She also has a potty mouth. None of this makes for a humorous effect. Her precocious young daughter, Hanah, not only takes care of herself but also attends to her mother. Unfortunately, most of Hanah's dialogue is implausible, very adult, and proves only that Kazy Clayton can memorize sophisticated dialogue at a young age.A strip club scene here is unnecessary. Harish Patel, who plays Simran's father, is outrageously over the top in a Zero Mostel manner that I found both embarrassing and irritating. Definitely not recommended.

As the film reviewer for a local gay magazine I automatically get sent any dreck if it happens to have a homo in it. Chicken Tikka Masala is churning on in the background as I write this. I gave it my undivided attention for 53 minutes before I found myself involuntarily shouting - like a Tourrette's sufferer -"This is the sh**test film I have ever seen". We're just coming to the emotional climax where the son is giving some coming out speech to his father at his wedding. Father seems to be taking it quite well. An attempted honour killing at this point would at least have livened the film up a bit. And made it funnier. I didn't particularly like Beautiful Thing, for example, but could at least see why other people did. It was made with some professionalism and I seem to remember it had at least a couple of good lines. The lack of wit in this film is quite astounding - even the most mediocre sitcom will tend to have recognisable jokes. The nearest this movie got to being funny (at least in its first 53 mins) was the subtitled comment delivered to the fat unattractive female lead "Look at her with her legs wide open - she's like the Mersey Tunnel." Completely witless and I didn't crack a smile but I could imagine someone with a low IQ (who perhaps works in a chip shop) enjoying it.I'd imagine it's some Lottery-funded atrocity. If not I can at least console myself with the fact that the backers will lose a substantial amount of money as even a low-budget British film will still set someone back a couple of million. Seriously, if I met the most handsome bloke in the world and, on going back to his place to make sweet love, I found a copy of this in his DVD collection ("Man, I love this film") I'd probably kick him in the nuts and leave forthwith. And this from someone who's gone about six months without any of the aforementioned sweet love. Oh Lord I hate this film.

...but not spectacular. If the whole gay and South Asian thing is what you're looking for, "Touch of Pink" is probably slightly better, in terms of its camp value at least. "Chicken Tikka Masala" could have done with better editing, fewer irrelevant camera shots, and some dialogue tightening; for the hour-and-some of actual plot time, the characters don't get a fair chance to grow, develop, or even have any sort of discernible impact on the audience. Kill two minutes of the excessive wedding scene (any of them) and use it to make us care about the people we're watching! While the characters are mildly likable, someone should have told the writers that if you're going to make a movie about gay people, seeing the homosexual subjects actually interact wouldn't be a bad idea. The movie dialogue can be a bit stilted, and moments in the movie are occasionally a little preachy. On the other hand, the movie's a good way to kill some time on a lazy afternoon, if all you're looking for is eye/brain candy and nothing requiring serious thought or intellectual stimulation.

I was an extra on this film but wish i wasn't because its rubbish. the worst thing about this film is the music but the acting, script, editing, directing and story are terrible as well. the main reason its bad is because the budget is so low and the only way to make good film on a low budget is to have a good script. the script which should have been ripped up before the film was made isn't funny, i didn't laugh once. what did make me laugh is how makers probably think the most important thing was getting the film made, who cares if its total rubbish. the film needed about million pound more budget and a better writer. the only reason i didn't give the film one out of ten is because i felt sorry for the guy who is gonna lose a few hundred grand making this, if you do go and see it just make sure your drunk at the time. ha ha