Because Chutney Popcorn knows its characters deeply enough to let them determine events, it rises above formula. It is also unusually well acted.
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Its easygoing, disarming air will endear it to its target audience, who will appreciate this movie as much for the lifestyle it depicts as its actual story.
75
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
The film is alt-schmaltz, and it'll do.
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Her story (Ganatra) -- and the rest of the gifted, multicultural cast that brings it to life -- represents another step in the evolving face of film.
63
New York PostJonathan Foreman
New York PostJonathan Foreman
There's some lumpy writing and uneasy acting, but it's easy to see why this charming, inventive film won prizes at festivals in Berlin, San Francisco and Newport, R.I.
60
Village VoiceJessica Winter
Village VoiceJessica Winter
The director has a fitfully deployed gift for droll humor, but Chutney Popcorn mostly provides evidence that the ins and outs of the improvised multiparent family can be as prosaic as the nuclear Eisenhower model.