Quarter Life Crisis

I attended a screening of Quarter Life Crisis as part of the South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF)this week.

Here is the official SAIFF synopsis of the film:
Dumped on his 27th birthday by his college sweetheart Angel for being indecisive, Neil makes a silly bet that takes him on a wild ride through New York’s singles scene, accompanied by four testosterone-packed imbecile buddies and one crazy scheming New York taxi driver. On these madcap adventures Neil journeys from life choice paralysis to real life manhood.

The famous star in the film was Russell Peters, a Canadian comic of Canasian acclaim, whose role in the film consisted of driving a black car and providing a running commentary on the actions of the protagonist. Having never seen his stand-up I was not influenced by Peters' humor, and as many comics go I certainly wasn't impressed with his appearance.

The main character, Neil Desai, recently turned 27 struggles with the life decisions I'm all too well aware exist: taking that promotion at a job you never thought you'd accept in the first place, committing to that person you've been with since college--whom you can't imagine living without but still tremble at the notion of forever--and the age-old peer pressure of being the first in your in-group to make those choices. It didn't hurt that Neil's flashbacks with his sweetheart, Angel, took me down memory lane a la V--the fact that V used to call me Angel helped with the nostalgia. Incidentally, the actress who played Angel was GORGEOUS--hands down one of the prettiest women I have ever seen on screen. It didn't hurt matters that Neil's star sign was Libra--much like mine--and the premise of much of his decisions through his journey to maturity was guided by a book detailing women based on their signs.

While the supporting cast was believable and fresh, there were moments I thought Peters' injections of truth were trite and the actor who played Neil could have brought more to the table. Overall, I enjoyed the film for its ability to address the concerns of generation Y without melding the East with the West but focusing on a South-Asian hero very much of the West in the West.

As we exited the theater, a camera crew was taping audience reactions to the film. I was quick to accept the girl with the microphone's offer to present my view, much to the boy's chagrin. I never get how someone can be so social and talk to every stranger ambling down the street but frown at the opportunity to BE on camera! Anywho, he's DVR-ed it for me since I missed Asian Variety Show at 10am today.