Review: Meet The Patels

Patel: the Indian surname that has popped up on everyone's radar at least once in their life. But it's a safe bet that most Americans don't realize what the name implies for those who wear it. For Ravi Patel, it means having an extended family scattered from India to America; an unexpected welcome wherever he stumbles across it; a sense of home and happiness whenever it is present. When Patels meet Patels, the bond forms fast.

But it doesn't come without its own troubles: Ravi has just gotten out of a two-year relationship, and his parents have no idea. His parents want him to marry a good Indian girl, and Audrey (the previously mentioned girlfriend) does not fall under that category. Two weeks after his breakup, when Ravi and his family go on vacation to India, his parents decide that now is the time to pressure him into looking for a wife their way: through an arranged marriage. At first Ravi resists, but as he thinks about the life that he wants and about his current prospects, he decides to give it a shot.

But it's not quite as simple as one might expect: these days, arranged marriages have become a bit more similar to online dating: the families will put together a biodata (essentially a resume) and send it to prospective matches, who then chooses who he would like to meet for a date. Caught on camera by his documentarian sister, Geeta, with any holes retrospectively filled in with animated storyboard cels, we see Ravi's journey unfold, as he returns to the US and begins the country-wide tour (he decides to only look for girls living in America) of first dates with girls from the biodatas, wedding conventions, and Indian dating websites.

Though there are moments in this documentary that feel a bit forced -- the phone conversation with Audrey, specifically, feels like fodder for the film -- the majority of the plot seems to come not from a desire to make a film, but to allow Ravi to navigate the disparity between Indian and American tradition concerning marriage, and the struggle that he has in trying to make his and his parents' desires match. The plot isn't driven by Ravi's need to get married and "complete the mission", but by his heartbreak and his willingness to open his mind to a structure that has seemed to work for other people for centuries.

MEET THE PATELS is a fun, surprisingly tender documentary, one that may open your eyes just a little bit wider. Now playing at the Midtown Cinema!