Bollywood and Vine

This is a movie that leaves one stupefied, not because it is exceptionally well-made, poorly made or profound but because it is such an uneven film. "Bollywood and Vine" stars Jamey Schrick as Bhuvan Bannerji, a Hollywood tour bus operator who becomes fascinated with his long-time favorite but now forgotten and out-of-work starlet, Delilah Leigh (Skye Aubrey) whose house he has discovered. She lives there with her son Devin (played by J.R. Jones) who poses as her and Bannerji approaches the two to offer a script he wrote under the false pretense that Devin is Delilah. While Devin does look convincingly like a lady, why would Bannerji not question why an older woman looks so young? Anyway, the film is intriguing early on as this premise leads to some awkward scenarios where Bannerji and Devin as Delilah tango, but soon the plot includes many sudden and unnecessary subplots involving multiple kidnapping, the disposing of a dead body and blackmail, among other shenanigans.The film is all over the map as it is not really funny enough to be a comedy, there is little romance except for the very end of the film, it does not have enough parody to be a parody of anything, and, with only one gay character, it is not really "gay interest" and it is difficult to classify this as anything. I am not against films that blend genres so long as they are entertaining or at least get some of the themes right.The three main characters are interesting (even if they act at times ridiculously and not in a fun way) and the acting is fairly good among the trio (particularly J.R. Jones), but a lot of the minor characters are poorly portrayed. The low budget really shines through and it is difficult to believe a lot of the sets and scenes; the amateur film-making often takes you out of the story. The sad thing is this might have been a much more enjoyable farce if the ending was not so silly and extreme or if it had some slapstick or even just a higher budget.This film might hold your interest and even entertain you quite a bit if you do not mind a lot of odd, unrealistic turn of events and silliness. The build-up in the beginning half of the film as well as the performances of J.R. Jones, Jamey Schrick and, to an extent, Skye Aubrey make this an amateur film worth considering, but this indie film that-could-but-really-couldn't is not essential viewing for anyone.

I'm not an expert at reviewing. I usually don't explain my rating. But I felt I needed to support my claim.Okay, this movie is an indie. And it's more than obvious in the first ten minutes. (In one shot, you can see the cameraman's reflection in the mirror!) But I stopped laughing at the incredulities and let myself give it a chance.I'm glad I did. It's a cute first(?) movie. The plot is silly but so are most big blockbusters. The acting isn't superb but it's still believable. Somehow I still found myself captivated by this story.Once you get past the ridiculous, such as the fact that Devin looks the same as Delilah but is a foot taller yet still gets misidentified as the starlet, this isn't necessarily a waste of time.I wouldn't watch it again on purpose. But if there was nothing else on, I might indulge myself in a little bit of ameatur filmmaking.

I wasn't expecting much more than fluff because this was tagged a screwball comedy, but even those meager expectations were dashed when all I got was a ridiculous and totally implausible story line, lame dialog and sight gags, cruddy camerawork, strained performances (which, to be fair, were not the fault of the actors but of the material). Ugh. I watched it to the bitter end, though, hoping it might get better, but it didn't. It would almost get some momentum going and then...thud! The best I can say about it is that the actors portraying the three principals were endearing, and trying their hardest to make the best of a bad situation. I had never seen any of them in anything else, but if the bravura they summoned up for this pathetic vehicle is any indication, they were wasted here and deserve better. There were moments when I was cringing from embarrassment for them.

I have never written a review before; however, I have never felt compelled to do so. Whilst peregrinating through the aisles of a movie rental store in my home of Saint Louis, I noticed this motion picture. Upon reading the backside, I rented it. That was a mistake.I am a person who loves artistic films; I also love films that promote a message regardless of whether I support that message. I also love dramatic movies. These predilections, however, do not prevent me from appreciating a comedy. Tagged as a comedy, however, this motion picture was absolutely terrible; it was completely boeotian in every respect.First, the film was suffused by over-acting, which is one of the worst crimes that an actor or actress can commit. Yes, I confess that the two leading men are absolutely gorgeous; however, a gorgeous cast cannot save you from a lack of talent. The film not only fails in acting, but it also fails in the quality of the script. The ubiquity of poor jokes is quite vexatious; this horrible condition is only exacerbated by the terrible acting.I can appreciate low-budget films and those films shot with a digital camera; however, there appears to be no purpose. If this film were intended to be a parody on many of the films of the sixties, you may see some success in that endeavor, that is if you don't shoot yourself before the conclusion of the film.I admit that there were one or two gags that created a rictus across my face; however, it was certainly not worth my time!

For a low budget indie, this movie is a hoot. A farcical comedy with twists and turns and mistaken identity. Gags and terrifically funny lines are best appreciated by people in the "biz". A totally enjoyable entertaining film. If you just want to be amused and aren't looking for heavy drama, pick this one up!

A brief synopsis: A starstruck young Indian chap, Bhuvan, leaves his home and travels to America finding a job as a Hollywood "stars homes'" tour driver. Instead of the normal stars though, he favours a reclusive 60's scream actress called Delilah Leigh, who although hasn't made a film for decades still enjoys a massive cult following in Bollywood.She now lives with her gay son, and all she wants is for him to find a nice fella, the son however just wants her to work again in the industry.When they start seeing the tour bus, they have an idea to dress up the son as Delilah - seemingly unaged for the last 40 years. The real Delilah then becomes the agent / housemaid for her son. Bhuvan becomes involved in this strange set up writing a comeback movie for Delilah (not realising it is her son in drag). High jinx ensue, with a dose of death, comeback joy and hostage situations.With two exceptions (Bhuvan and the real Delilah) the acting in this film is awful. Apparantly most of the cast were students from Skye Aubreys (Delilah) acting school; this really wasn't the vehicle for them to showcase. Either they should get a refund or Skye just hadn't taught them enough.But this is not just the bad thing about this movie. The plot is ridiculous, the fact that the son Devon is so happy to adopt the facade of his own mother is never really explained, and why his mother is so happy for him to do this is just creepy. Why Bhuvan never realises that even with the most extensive cosmetic surgery, his idol is actually looking younger than she did 40 years ago is an insult to his character.The fact that there are references to the Hindu story of Mohini and Shiva is practically insulting and i'm not even Hindu.Of course the central theme is that as Bhuvan and false Delilah begin to fall in love, what will happen when He realises his idol is a man in drag? I don't want to spoil the ending, but to be honest, I doubt I could!So what is good? Well, Bhuvan's character is sweet and engaging and the real Delilah is very comedic playing saint and sinner with wonderful equal measure. The batty neighbour who once had a bit part on a zombie movie decades ago, is entertaining.There is an entertaining scene involving the trio keeping hostages in the house to stop them from being blackmailed, this scene could have been quite entertaining were it not for the absolute dire acting from said hostages.All in all, this film doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a metaphor for loving what is inside? Is it a gay rom com? Is it a modern day Sunset Boulevard? Who knows, and sadly who cares. If this is on TV then watch it, if for no other reason than for Jamey Schrick (Bhuvan) and Skye Aubrey (Delilah) who carry the whole film. But I fear that after watching it once, you'll have no inclination to see it again.