Over the years, I’ve met the Applegates, the Parents, the Fockers, Joe Black, the Robinsons, the Spartans, the Feebles, the Deedles, and the Browns. I’ve also met the press, and greet, up, and the enemy [spoiler alert: it was us!]. I have yet to meet my maker, but looking forward to that being the last, because after all that meeting, I’m not wild about meeting anybody. You’ll forgive me if I wasn’t quite up for meeting the Patels.
And then I met them. And my thoughts about meeting improved significantly. Meet Ravi Patel; his is a very common Indian name, the equaivalent of “John Smith” in the Caucasian world. Now over 30, Ravi is ancient for an Indian bachelor. His busy-body parents want grandchildren and Ravi can’t seem to own up that he’s just come off a two-year relationship with a not-so-Asian princess from the remote “Indian” village of Connecticut. Communication is the heart of this documentary filmed entirely by his sister, Geeta Patel. She’s also “old” and unmarried, which is also an Indian tragedy, but this isn’t about her.
Ravi is … American through and through. The taxed, overachieving, abundant-family Indian stereotype has yielded to that of a commitment-phobe unemployed actor who shares a flat with his sister and nobody else. He enjoys his life, but has never seriously considered his future. Meet the Patels begins with a family trip to India; it’s time for Ravi to consider marriage – this movie is essentially his dating diary — but we know this particular trip is as much about discovering his roots as anything else. In animated fashion (which is good because Geeta’s camerawork blows), we learn that extended Indian families are entire tribes of that in-your-face aunt who wants to know why you aren’t married. Not sure I could take that.
Mom Patel and Dad Patel are a trip. Sure, they’re a little old school; they come from a world in which successful marriages can happen with just a ten-minute introduction. “Son, I’d like you to meet your wife.” “Sure thing, pop!” Since this son is clearly unsuccessful at the whole dating venture, it is time to get involved. This is where the movie goes from funny to fascinating to bizarre – Ravi is supposed to marry another Patel. No, this isn’t incest; it merely means she has to be from some sort of Patel-dominated province (this is my understanding, at least). When the direct visit fails to yield results, the parents create a biodata sheet. This is a thing – it’s like an Indian dating resume. The subject doesn’t create it and rarely even sees it, but it gets circulated about Indian communities where
aunts and uncles match your single with some other single. After this, Ravi literally travels the country (on his parents dime, and these folks are not spendthrifts) to find a suitable mate.
Then there’s the speed dating and the Patel singles convention. Yes, the Patel singles convention. And the regroup with mom and dad where Ravi insists that he hasn’t found the one, he’s learning; he’s “making progress” Mom immediately has a laugh, “this is what you’ll be at age 60 … still not married, but ‘I’m making progress’.”
Meet the Patels is not a film that wins awards. This isn’t higher art or some masterful attempt at cultural breakthrough. It’s a simple idea with likable people told by somebody with a good sense of humor. I imagine how much you love this film depends on how much you see of yourself in Ravi, Geeta, his parents or a tight-knit community of some sort. I’m not sure any of those things apply to me, but I loved it anyway.
♪Going to Gujarat
And I’m gonna get married
Going to Ararat
And maybe get married
Gee, what was your name now?
Do you want to get married?
Going to meet a thousand Patels
I am here (ooo-ooo-ooo)
This dating zoo (dating zoo)
Aunties rant (oh they rant)
Like they do (yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)
Today’s a day (wah-hooo-ooo)
I could pick you (ooo-ooo)
And I’ll second-guess forevermore♫
Rated PG, 88 Minutes
D: Geeta Patel, Ravi Patel
W: Matthew Hamachek, Billy McMillin, Geeta Patel, Ravi Patel
Genre: The Grandhcild Gambit
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Pressured slackers
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: Syngenesophobics
♪ Parody inspired by “Chapel of Love”
