LahoreeGirl Shades of Ray is truly entertaining. The cast is great not to mention Ray's love interest is gorgeous. The movie had everyone in the theater doubling up laughing. The way Ray's Dad is portrayed as a very typical Pakistani father and the comments he makes are very much on point which is one one of the reasons he makes the movie so funny. There are very few movies that portray the normal life of a half Pakistani and Italian person going through just normal everyday thingsin the US. Such as relationships etc. Ray is torn in the movie between his Pakistani and Italian side. The movie is a perfect blend of comedy and drama. It is definitely a must see for everyone.

criticguy I saw this movie at the Austin film festival and have wanted to post a comment for some time. Shades of Ray follows a half-Pakistani, half-white mid-20s struggling actor as he finds himself and grapples with his ethnic identity. The movie is funny and feels extremely relevant now that America is preparing for its first multi-ethnic president, himself an author of a best-selling book about ethnic identity struggles. The beauty of this film, however, is that the comedy will appeal to everyone and Ray's search for who he is transcends ethnicity.Zach Levi (best known for NBC's "Chuck") is awesome as Ray. His comedic timing and chemistry with Sarah Shahi (CBS' "Life") make the movie. Also excelling were Brian George as Ray's father and Fran Kranz (upcoming in FOX's "Dollhouse") as Ray's best friend.Perhaps most impressive, Jaffar Mahmood, the director, was at the filming and said this film was made for only $600,000. Despite that budget, it never feels like style was compromised for cost. Shades of Ray stands up to big-budget romantic comedies and blows them away. If you are a fan of the genre, find a way to see this movie!

zaheer jaffery It is easy to take any one of several cultural and other issues being faced by the immigrant community, and make out of it a sensitive, lofty and possibly heart-wrenching movie. It is extremely difficult to take such an issue and present it in such a delightfully palatable package. This movie, unlike many first-time entrants, would actually hold its own in a general audience. There are several social issues faced by the professional, well-educated, well-to-do immigrant, which transcend those of the existential type encountered by many of the less-fortunate immigrants in the sense that the latter is really not concerned about conformance or non-conformance, and/or "fitting in" because he is more concerned with economical survival. The other variety, already at ease with the Western culture, finds, in further embracing it, that a price is to be extracted when the next generation, brought up in the new culture, manifests that particular aspect of the American culture that truly epitomizes it: the right to question his or her parents. Let there be no doubt about it, the uniquely distinguishing aspect of the Indo-Pak cultural baggage that is carried in by the first generation immigrant is the primacy of the "Elder", regardless of merit. It is a challenge indeed.

dplaag I had the pleasure of seeing this movie in New York City last weekend. It was fantastic! Great mix of comedy and drama. It also shows the reality that people of different ethnicities face challenges throughout life. I would recommend this film to everyone. The theater was packed and the crowd appeared to very entertained as laughter reigned throughout. It was very entertaining was wishing for more, we didn't want to see the film end. The casting and storyline were excellent. I would hope to see more films by Jaffar Mahmood in the future as this film really shows his writing and directing talents. I would buy this film to add to my collection as I could watch it numerous times!