Cinema by way of the diary. ... confessions and discoveries unfold before the lens.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 20, 2021

Meet the Patels, at its best, profoundly depicts generational difference not as rebellion but instead pinpoints the bittersweet feeling of surprise when you realize you don't want the same things you were led to believe you did.

| Jan 15, 2021

Indian culture explored in romcom/documentary blend.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 4, 2020

Well-balanced and intimate without being invasive, Meet the Patels is one of the best documentaries you'll see this year and without a doubt is a film for everyone, no matter who you are.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 11, 2019

Pulsing underneath it is a sibling rivalry that gives the film enough tension to make it more than just a fluff piece about modern relationships.

| Original Score: 3.25/5 | Aug 28, 2018

It's a warm-hearted and very entertaining film.

| Oct 11, 2017

[Meet the Patels] bills itself as 'a reallife romantic comedy' and it's a scream and also moving and fascinating and an absolute delight.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 31, 2017

It's an authentic look at the sociology of dating that we just don't talk about enough -- especially among marginalized cultures. And that's something to champion in and of itself.

| Original Score: B | Mar 21, 2017

In this divisive culture some have worked hard to establish it's important to see a film that reminds us that despite our differences, we all have a lot more in common.

| Original Score: 8.5/10 | Jun 16, 2016

How is dating in India different from dating in America? Indian culture is roughly 11,000 years old; ours-239 years. Dating is hilariously, eye-openingly different in India.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 31, 2016

[Patel's parents] are the real personalities of the movie, so good-humored and spirited, and so wonderful in sticking to their old-fashioned view of family life.

| Jan 2, 2016

One of the funniest romcoms of the year.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 24, 2015

This highly personal and lighthearted documentary gives some social context but never dives deep on the potentially devastating cultural divide it is exploring.

| Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 16, 2015

Rather than taking a firm position for or against arranged marriages, "Meet the Patels" is a big-hearted, poignant and truly funny documentary that shows people will try anything to find love - and sometimes "anything" works.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 16, 2015

The documentary works as well as it does because Ravi, while exhibiting a wry, dry sense of humour, is also something of an introvert. He's not always looking for a punchline, so the ones he makes have more punch.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Oct 15, 2015

There's a touch of vanity project about the enterprise, but Ravi makes an entertaining narrator, imaginative use is made of animation, and the film sheds light on timeless themes like love, family and honesty.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 15, 2015

[A] gently humourous doc.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 15, 2015

It's nothing new under the sun, but this is a charmingly unassuming and often very funny little movie.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 11, 2015

[A] charming, if completely obvious, documentary.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 8, 2015

Ravi's journey for an American happy ending is eclipsed by the fascinating intricacies of Indian matchmaking.

| Original Score: B- | Sep 30, 2015