Shades of Ray

Of all the films I saw at the Austin Film Festival, Shades of Ray impressed me the most. The film is a superb blend of comedy and drama that is both endearing and hilarious. Zachary Levi, known largely for playing the lead in the recent T.V. hit Chuck, stars as Ray Rehman, an aspiring actor who works as a bartender in the evenings to support himself. After Ray's girlfriend remains indecisive towards a recent proposal, Ray's dad shows up at his front door and suddenly Ray has to deal with a rift between his mother and father. To further complicate things, a new girl appears in Ray's life who he feels a deep connection to. The girl shares his ethnicity (1/2 Caucasian, 1/2 Pakistani) and causes him to question his relationship with his current girlfriend. Ultimately, the movie is a great exploration into love and identity. Levi does an excellent job with the character. He is both moving and convincing (interesting since Levi is not of any Pakastani or South Asian decent). Fran Kranz also plays a memorable role as Ray's spastic roommate Sal. It seemed like every time he appeared on screen the audience was laughing. But perhaps most impressive is that Shades of Ray is writer/director Jaffar Mahmood's first full length film to direct. With the incredible pacing and overall flow of the movie it seemed like it had been done by a long-time veteran director. I really look forward to what Mahmood puts out next. I would highly recommend Shades of Ray to anybody.

Jaffar has succeeded in producing a movie,that touches the hearts of almost every immigrant in this great nation's melting pot.I brought my wife(who is American)and my son and daughter.Both told me after,they couldn't believe how they could relate so closely to the characters.Very funny,and sweet.I am so excited for Jaffar,and Zach,who I think is just sprouting.He has great talent.And Brian George,my goodness!What immigrant father cannot relate to THAT character!! Loved it,Loved it. Ray's roommate did seem to have a lovable character.The interesting thing is that people were actually clapping at many parts.It seemed that we were being led into our own experiences.And it could have been a story about any ethnicity. I saw the movie at it's premiere in NYC to a sold out audience,and again,I can't remember laughing so hard in a long time.

This is an excellent "feel good" movie filled with great humor. The cast includes many up and coming actors such as Zachary Levi from Chuck and Sarah Shahi from Life. Zachary Levi puts forth an excellent comedic and heartfelt performance. All of the leads in the film have a rare connection that is hard to find in most romantic comedies.

The director Jaffar Mahmood was able to intertwine South Asian culture with western culture and made it easy for each viewer to relate to. This film is truly a breath of fresh air during a time period where most South Asian/Middle Eastern films are about war and suffering.

I highly recommend this film for viewers looking for a good romantic comedy!

It's truly a shame that a charming little romantic-comedy such as "Shades of Ray" does not get a distribution deal, but rubbish rom-coms - "Made of Honor" (2008), "What Happens in Vegas" (2008), "My Best Friend's Girl" (2008) and "My Life In Ruins" (2009) - do.

Writer-director Jaffar Mahmood is playing well within the conventions of the genre. But what makes his film work is that he doesn't rely on stock characters. Even when he has a stock character or two - such as the protagonist's controlling father, Javaid Rehman (Brian George), or the wacky roommate, Sal Garfinkle (Fran Kranz) - Mahmood tweaks their personalities just enough that they seem fresher than they otherwise might be.

I realize there are no Renée Zellwegers, Ashton Kutchers or Cameron Diazes in this film to make it sell to a wider audience. But the lack of such actors is what makes this film all the more appealing.

Films about southeast Asian families and the vagaries of growing up in one are terribly rare and Mahmood should be commended for taking a whack at the subject matter.

Despite tackling issues such as parental control, tradition, familial obligations and love, Mahmood makes his film work because his characters seem new and rather unconventional, even though many of them are just that.

The film is helped immensely by terrific performances all around. I have not seen the TV series, "Chuck," so I was unfamiliar with Zachary Levi as an actor. He makes Ray Rehman an entirely believable person, even managing to bring a sense pathos to a rather funny audition scene.

Kathy Baker and George are terrific as Ray's parents. Baker, especially, gives her role such substance that she takes a minor bit and makes it much more than that. And, finally, it's wonderful to see the lovely Sarah Shahi given a role with some meat and bones on it. I have seen two other films recently in which she was never used to her full potential - "AmericanEast" (2007), in which she has a superfluous role, and "Crossing Over" (2009), in which she was purely window-dressing. In "Shades of Ray," Shahi gets a juicy role that allows her to be alluring, lovable and provocative. She has a sensational scene in a bar where she turns into a playful vixen that is thoroughly enticing.

One character who feels short-changed is Noel Wilson (Bonnie Somerville). In fairness to Mahmood, he resists the temptation to turn her into a bad person, though, given the trappings of the genre, in one scene, he gives her dialogue that seems completely out of character.

"Shades of Ray" does not turn the romantic-comedy genre on its head or anything of that ilk. It's a pleasant diversion and explores a side of American society rarely seen in Hollywood movies. It's most definitely a far cry better and more enjoyable than the romantic comedies Hollywood studios chuck out by the dozen.

I was privileged to see this film at its world premier at the Austin Film Festival. Ray's family dynamics were fun and still familiar, making it easy to connect with him. Writer-director Jaffar created endearing characters. Despite some of the story weaknesses, I found this film irresistible. I was even more enchanted when a whole slew of folks got up on the stage for the Q&A after the screening, AND Jaffar introduced his parents who were in the audience. Zach, Sarah and Fran were extremely funny. Made even more so by the fact that Zach and Sarah were functioning on little sleep after wrapping their TV shooting schedules for the week and coming out to Austin almost immediately after. The support shown for this filmmaker only goes to show the passion behind this project; and, imho, those are the only projects worth spending my time on. Jaffar was articulate and very helpful with his responses to questions for us first time filmmakers.

If Zach Levi doesn't charm you as Ray, then you're either dead or in a coma. Sarah Shahi as Sana, same. Actually, the same can be said for all the leads, Fran Kranz, Bonnie Sommerville, Brian George and Kathy Baker - all did wonderful work. With my apologies to the rest of the cast for this next statement. Brian George stole the show as Ray's father. It was very obvious in the writing that Jaffar knew this character very well, and Brian picked up that ball and ran with it. He was highly entertaining to watch.

Zach is still a young actor, but if he's able to keep at his craft and continues selecting projects with this much heart, I see greatness in his career. He's going to be a tremendously talented actor, and he's already quite good! He made it easy for me to connect with and care about Ray. Sarah Shahi was a surprise. I see her every week on "Life", and really had no idea how talented she was - she acts so effortlessly on that show! Of course her character Sana in "SoR" is quite different from that of Dani Reese on "Life", but her personality during the Q&A is entirely different from both of them. Well done, you, Sarah! I don't know about anyone else, but I'll be watching for future projects with all these folks, including Jaffar of course! I hope you get distribution because I'll pay so I can see this again.