Hi everyone!
We’re closing out the week with another review from One Movie Spouse. If she sounds tired this weekend, it’s because she’s back in her classroom, happy to be there, but also tired from the day. She might have one more review in her before the break, but she’ll definitely be back in October for Reign of Terror 2019 - 31 straight days of horror movie reviews and interviews, including a review by One Movie Spouse of a horror movie from Peter Jackson. And for a few other reviews from Amy, check out “Echo in the Canyon” (Episode #566), “Plus One” (Episode #573), and her review last week for “Blinded by the Light” (Episode #580).
Before the review, we’ll be hearing a promo from the Pop! Pour! Review Podcast. Tune in every week for an extended discussion about movies and adventures in creating cocktails. Catch their recent episode looking back on the summer’s best, and worst, movies. You can find them on Twitter and Instagram @poppourreview and by searching on Facebook for the Pop! Pour! Review Podcast. You won’t regret it!
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Here we go!
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<< POP! POUR! REVEW PODCAST PROMO >>
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Hello, it’s me Amy, aka One Movie Spouse :MWAH:
School’s back in session here in sunny California. That means I get to get up and do what I LOVE every single day - TEACH CHILDREN! The first two weeks back at school are equal parts rewarding and exhausting. If you haven’t lately, hug a teacher in your life. Or at least send a note, email, or text to a teacher to remind them of life outside the four walls of their classroom, and to send some encouragement for the seeming marathon of a new school year. Listen to my review, then catch me on Twitter @OneMovieSpouse to keep the discussion going.
Today’s movie is “Chopsticks”, the comedy drama film directed by Sachin Yardhi, and written for the screen in collaboration with Rahul Awate. A fake parking attendant steals the brand-new car of a naïve woman named Nirma (Mithila Palkar). Now she finds herself on an outlandish adventure to recover her stolen car, with the help of an eccentric old man known only as The Artist (Abhay Deol).
No spoilers.
“Chopsticks” is a light-hearted, comedic Bollywood film. Nirma is an under-confident, yet enthusiastic young woman living in Dharavi. She’s learning to take control of her life as a tour guide, and through the advice of motivational self-help tapes. After her car is stolen, she ends up at the police station, and while filing her report, she finds out about The Artist, who might be up for the challenge of finding her car. One might think after being duped by the parking attendant, she might be leery about accepting help from such a strange man. But that’s not Nirma, who ends up exploring a seemingly abandoned building to meet The Artist.
The relationship between Nirma and The Artist is ridiculously absurd at times, reflecting Nirma’s naivete and The Artist’s idiosyncrasies, including a huge and immaculate kitchen in the middle of the unfinished abandoned space. The Artist certainly has connections, which help them learn her car was picked up by the crew of Faiyaaz Bhaai (Vijay Raaz), and the two of them devise an unclear plan to steal back the car, which involves a prize-fighting goat named Baahubali. The goat adds intrigue, but also a much needed injection of comic relief, for what is essentially a story about recovering stolen goods.
In fact, this film’s storytelling style is disjointed at times. While Nirma’s enthusiasm is envious, I found myself oscillating between “How could Nirma be so naive?” and “Nirma is just young and trying to learn from her mistakes.” She does grow a bit throughout the film, becoming more assertive and confident in her abilities, but just a bit. While I didn’t overly enjoy this film, I could appreciate the art direction, camera angles, and color tones, especially the distinctive brightness that surrounds Nirma, her clothing, and her beautiful shiny red car, all against the more muted background colors. It’s a pretty film, but that might be it.
“Chopsticks” is arelatively light-hearted adventure film. Bollywood film fans might enjoy this film, though they may be turned off by the disjointed script/scenes. Fans of mystery/adventure films may have their interest piqued, but enter with low expectations to avoid disappointment.
Rotten Tomatoes: 20%
Metacritic: NR
One Movie Punch: 4.0/10
“Chopsticks” (2019) is rated TV-MAand is currently playing on Netflix.
