Meet the Patels

"<"Meet the Patels" is a US produced film which is basically a documentary starring Ravi Patel and his sister, Geeta, the children of Champa and Vasant Patel.  Having emigrated to America from India, the Patel parents are anxious for their two American born children to marry and want them to select their respective mates as the two parents did in India many years ago. Intermixed with cartoon characters and running commentary from the brother. as his sister ardently films the family’s interactions, this is, on the surface, a film about Indian parents seeking to preserve their cultural line and identity. However, the film goes beyond the Indian experience and one sees in these parents any first generation couple seeking to preserve their heritage via their offspring. Champa, the mother, could be the Italian or Jewish mother and Vasant, the father, could be any concerned father wanting his children to stay in their ethnic arena. In its own amateurish way, the film holds the viewer’s interest and  gives us a "fly on the wall " feeling as we watch caring parents and children respect each other while not necessarily accepting their generational differences. The universality of the film cannot be denied and the warmth and charm of each of the family members helps make this a really nice viewing experience. I give the film 3 stars and suggest that, if given the chance you meet the Patels, You will like them..