When college freshman Alia returns home for the summer, she discovers secrets and lies in her parents' past that make her question everything she thought she knew about her family.... (Full plot summary below)
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When college freshman Alia returns home for the summer, she discovers secrets and lies in her parents' past that make her question everything she thought she knew about her family.
Leave your thoughts about India Sweets and Spices.
| Los Angeles TimesKimber MyersWarmth and intelligence — and a strong sense of both fun and feminism — make Malik’s film worth a watch, and rising star Ali is worth keeping an eye on as well. |
| The New York TimesLisa KennedyWithout sacrificing comedic buoyancy, Malik and her ensemble make palpable a community that is vibrant and claustrophobic. |
| TheWrapMonica CastilloIndia Sweets and Spices works so well in part because Ali gives her character the authenticity of someone trying to do the right thing while still figuring out how to handle her privilege and tradition. |
| Washington PostKristen Page-KirbyWhenever a sometimes-marginalized community gets the chance to tell its story on screen, expectations can be high. India Sweets and Spices, which looks at an Indian American family, takes that expectation and turns it on its head, giving us a more nuanced, complicated, and problematic look at the people it’s about. |
| Movie NationRoger MooreIt’s a lot less “spice” and a bit more “sweet” than I’d care for, but Malik has made a warm comedy that introduces, embraces and every-so-gently-chides an under-represented American community in all their glory, their fun and their foibles. |
| The GuardianCath ClarkeThe impossibility of ever really knowing our parents is a familiar storyline, but it’s told here with real generosity and warmth. Malik slyly pokes fun, but never meanly. This is satire with the thermostat turned up to 22 degrees. |
| Screen RantMae AbdulbakiIndia Sweets and Spices has a lot of overall great ideas and themes, even if it doesn’t always rise up to the potential of its setup and story. |
| Austin ChronicleJosh KupeckiWhile India Sweets and Spices adds a veneer of depicting the contemporary Indian American experience, beyond the gorgeous lehengas and saris, past the insert shots of perfectly arrayed cuisine, lies a bland, uninspired story cut from a well worn template. |
| User ReviewTVJerrySophia Ali plays a college student who returns home to her upscale neighborhood for summer vacation. The interactions with her family and friends are framed around parties in their Indian immigrant community, which serve to expose hypocrisy and social bias. What starts as a sweet romantic flirtation turns into a drama revolving around her parents. The conflicts between the immigrants and their American-raised offspring has been examined before, but this film provides a nuanced and modern look at this community. All of the performances are excellent, but the story’s promise lacks real impact and the "comedy" aspects are minimal. Overall, pleasant but forgettable. |
